VSC112 Animal Behaviour and Welfare 1 (8)
Enrolment restrictions: Requires Special Permission from the subject coordinator if the student is not a Veterinary Science or Animal Science student.
Animal welfare is an important and emotional issue that affects Australian animal industries, as well as companion animal owners and research establishments. Humans have an ethical responsibility to provide adequate care for animals under their control, and veterinarians have particular obligations and responsibilities in this area. In VSC112 Animal Behaviour and Welfare, students study contemporary welfare issues, advances in animal welfare science as well as in animal behaviour, handling and management and their interactions. As background, the history of domestication and the ontogeny of animal behaviour in various domestic species will be studied. Ethological concepts will be developed including the environmental, physiological and psychological bases for behaviour, both normal and abnormal. The importance of health, and its veterinary aspects, will be emphasized. Definitions and assessments of welfare will be discussed as well as Codes of Practice, the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and the role of Animal Care and Ethics Committees utilising current welfare issues. Issues surrounding euthanasia and the humane destruction of animals will also be explored, as will emerging issues and developments in both Australia and overseas.