1. Crucial but Neglected: Limited Availability of Animal Welfare Courses in Education of Wildlife Researchers.
- Author
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Zemanova, Miriam A.
- Subjects
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ANIMAL welfare , *RESEARCH personnel , *LIFE sciences , *PHYSIOLOGY , *RESEARCH integrity , *DOMESTIC animals - Abstract
Simple Summary: Safeguarding animal welfare in research is crucial for ethical and legislative compliance as well as the integrity of scientific data. It is, therefore, essential that researchers working with animals across all fields of life sciences have an understanding of how to assess animal welfare, including their behaviour, health, and physiology. This study looked into the education of ecologists, wildlife biologists, and conservation managers in Europe, Canada, the USA, Australia, and New Zealand and found that very few universities offered specific courses on animal welfare, and these courses were often optional rather than required. These results highlight the need for universities to provide more formal and mandatory education on animal welfare to better prepare future researchers studying and managing wildlife. By improving education in this area, we can ensure that researchers have the necessary knowledge and skills to work with wildlife in a responsible and compassionate way. Animal welfare is a subject of increasing scientific and ethical concern in today's society, crucial for the well-being of animals used in research and the integrity of scientific data. Equipping researchers in the life science disciplines with a science-based knowledge of animal welfare, behaviour, physiology, and health is, therefore, essential. Nevertheless, previous studies evaluating animal welfare education focused on veterinary, laboratory, or farm animal science. Consequently, the aim of this study was, for the very first time, to map the prevalence of animal welfare courses in the university education of ecologists, wildlife biologists, and conservation managers in Europe, Canada, the USA, Australia, and New Zealand. A comprehensive assessment of 1548 universities was conducted, resulting in the identification of 596 relevant programs at the bachelor's and master's levels. Analysis of the curricula revealed that only 1% of the programs offered a formal course on animal welfare, while 65% provided courses on animal behaviour, 59% on animal physiology, and 34% on animal health. However, the majority of these courses were listed as electives rather than mandatory components of the programs. These results underscore the need for universities to incorporate more formal and obligatory education in animal welfare in order to better prepare future ecologists, wildlife biologists, and conservation managers for the challenges of working with wildlife. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
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