Course Content

All CAWSEL courses are taught & priced individually so you can choose to attend as many as you wish
Discounts apply when booking three or more courses
To read more about each course click on the titles below or scroll down.
Those who do not have a background in biology, zoology or veterinary science should attend the first Course, as this provides the background to animal welfare science.

Full CAWSEL timetable

Click here to download a draft PDF version of the 2020 timetable for the full 2-week course.

When: returning soon
Where: to be confirmed
How much: to be confirmed
Content Summary 
Introduction – Concepts of animal welfare. Problems to be addressed.

Introduction to welfare assessment– behaviour, physiology and motivation, preference and aversion testing etc. Examples given in this module include farm animals, companion animals, horses, laboratory animals, zoo animals and wild animals.

Behaviour – methods of study. Functional systems of behaviour: social, feeding, hazard avoidance, body maintenance and implications for welfare. Abnormal behaviour as an indicator of poor welfare.

Motivation, self-awareness and cognition in animals. Learning.

Motivational investigations in the assessment of welfare. Preference testing, operant testing, measures of aversion.

Physiological indicators of welfare. Measurement of stress responses. Immune system function and welfare. Pathological effects of stress. Relationships between welfare indicators. Using a range of methods in combination to assess welfare.

The welfare of zoo animals – topics to be discussed include the evolution of zoos; why welfare problems might arise in zoo animals; what sort of husbandry techniques can be used to maintain good welfare, or to improve welfare in cases where a problem has arisen; how zoo animal welfare can affect the conservation role of modern zoos. Some case studies of primate welfare assessments will be discussed.
When: returning soon
Where: to be confirmed
How much: to be confirmed
Content Summary 
Participants will be expected to have read required material on welfare legislation, companion animal welfare issues, human–animal relationships and horse welfare.
Legislation protecting all domesticated species – Protection of Animals Acts. Legislation on animal welfare in the UK and the EU in relation to farm animals. Legal protection of animals used in experimentation. Transport legislation and guidelines. The veterinary surgeon as expert witness in animal welfare cases.

Companion animal welfare issues – cruelty; neglect; behavioural problems; review of studies comparing different kennel and cattery designs and management systems; stray animals; shelter animals.

Human–animal relationships (historical and contemporary) – influence of culture, socio-economic background and urbanisation. The role of the media in influencing public attitudes to animals and animal issues.

Exotic species – exotic species are more and more being kept as pets, from reptiles and amphibians to chinchillas and degus. Yet the behavioural needs of many of these animals are not being fulfilled in captivity with consequent failings with regard to their health and welfare. Should these animals be kept as companion animals at all and how can their welfare be optimised?

Horse welfare – the effects of housing and management systems, training procedures, reproduction management, exercise and work on horse welfare. The causation of poor welfare in horses.
When: returning soon
Where: to be confirmed
How much: to be confirmed
Content Summary 
Participants will be expected to have read required material on ethics and laboratory animal welfare.
Ethics and welfare – public attitudes to welfare. Cultural and religious perspectives. Areas of conflict and harmony between human and animal interests. Key ethical concerns and their relation to animal and human welfare (e.g. death, quality of life, naturalness, euthanasia).

Laboratory animals – ethics in purpose. Assessment of pain, suffering, distress and lasting harm associated with research procedures. Use of alternatives to use of animals. Regulatory requirements.

Veterinary ethics and etiquette, and veterinary professionals’ roles in animal welfare.
When: returning soon
Where: to be confirmed
How much: to be confirmed
Content Summary 
Participants will be expected to have read required material on farm animal housing, transport, operations and slaughter.
Review of studies comparing different conventional and alternative housing systems for farm livestock – their effects on health and welfare.

Understanding of environmental factors affecting welfare – pen design, stocking density, safety aspects, building design. Problems associated with barren and enriched environments, social grouping and husbandry procedures. Methods of assessing and improving environments.

Diseases related to animal housing– lameness in cattle, leg weakness in poultry, wounding due to aggressive behaviour in pigs and poultry.

Specific problems of farm animals – identification of casualty animals, transport, slaughter.

Effects of routine surgical procedures– castration, tail docking, beak trimming.
Courses on Animal Welfare Science, Ethics and Law care of Dr Anthony Podberscek, University of Sydney