| Unit name | Wild Animal Behaviour and Welfare |
|---|---|
| Unit code | VETSM0062 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Lambton |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
N/A |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
N/A |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
N/A |
| School/department | Bristol Veterinary School |
| Faculty | Faculty of Health Sciences |
Why is this unit important?
Human interactions with wild animals have a wide range of implications for animal welfare. For the purposes of conservation, we may encounter a myriad of practical wildlife management problems, both in the wild and in captivity. Understanding the basic biological principles of animal behaviour and welfare allows us to incorporate the animals’ perspective into our decision-making process. This unit will introduce the application of animal behaviour principles to wildlife management, and the concept of welfare science, founded in an understanding of the evolution of animal behaviour. It will also introduce the legal frameworks which aim to protect animal welfare. You will learn how we can incorporate our understanding of the animals’ perspective, through animal welfare science, into the ethical decision-making process around wildlife care and management. You will have the opportunity to explore real world scenarios and design your own wild animal welfare evaluation protocol.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
Principles learnt within this unit will be used with the Captive Wildlife Management Unit and may also feed into your Research Project.
Overview of content
This unit will cover a range of topics including the basic biological principles underlying animal behaviour, and the scientific principles underlying welfare assessment. You will consider how these can be applied to inform understanding of wild animal management and welfare in both captive and free-living situations. You will also become familiar with the aspects of legislation which can protect animal welfare. Throughout the unit you will learn to use scientific evidence to integrate animal welfare into ethical decision-making processes, considering the views of a wide range of stakeholders, and the protection offered by relevant legislation. You will learn how this can be used to drive change and improve animal welfare. Your learning will be supported by opportunities to explore a wide range of real-world scenarios, and to put the scientific techniques they learn into practice during fieldwork.
How students will, personally, be different as a result of the unit
You will have developed an understanding of the importance of behavioural biology to free-living and captive wildlife welfare and management and critical appreciation of the scientific methods for welfare assessment. You will have gained confidence in identifying the key parts of legislation designed to protect animal welfare. You will be proficient at using tools and frameworks to incorporate animal behaviour and welfare considerations into a wider framing of human -wildlife interactions, integrating the views of multiple stakeholders. You will have the skills and knowledge to make informed judgements about the welfare of animals, whether captive or free living, within a global wildlife and conservation context.
Learning outcomes
At the end of the unit students will be able to:
This will include short lectures, group workshops, self-guided learning, interactive sessions, practicals, and guest workshops.
Tasks which will help you learn and prepare for your summative task
You will undertake a formative task during which you will design and conduct a welfare audit to assess the welfare of a wild animal species of your choice, in a captive situation. You will be assessed on your ability to design the audit using your knowledge of behavioural biology and welfare science.
Tasks which will contribute towards your unit mark
Assessment will be by one summative assignment. You will design a wild animal welfare evaluation, based on your knowledge of behavioural biology and welfare science. You will incorporate your knowledge of relevant welfare legislation, and ethical decision making, to generate future actions.
When the assessment does not go to plan
If you do not pass the unit, you will normally be given the opportunity to take a reassessment as per the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes. Decisions on the award of reassessment will normally be taken after all taught units of the year have been completed. Reassessment will normally be in a similar format to the original assessment that has been failed.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. VETSM0062).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
