Unit information: Wildlife Care and Rehabilitation in 2020/21

Unit name	Wildlife Care and Rehabilitation
Unit code	VETSM0037
Credit points	20
Level of study	M/7
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12)
Unit director	Ms. Barrows
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	None
Co-requisites	None
School/department	Bristol Veterinary School
Faculty	Faculty of Health Sciences

Description including Unit Aims

The aim of this unit is to provide students with the skills in wild animal handling, husbandry and nursing, to be able to administer first aid to wildlife found injured or otherwise incapacitated and to care for them until release. Topics to be covered will include animal capture and handling techniques, the assessment, emergency stabilisation and transport of injured animals, subsequent treatment (including wound care and administration of medication), husbandry whilst in temporary captivity, hand-rearing of neonates, zoonoses of wildlife, and the release and rehabilitation of wildlife back into the wild, as well as post-release monitoring.

Attention will also focus on the major causes of wildlife casualties, the limitations of non-professional treatment, legal, welfare and ethical issues associated with treating wildlife and methods of emergency euthanasia. By the end of this unit students should have both the theoretical knowledge and practical competency to deal with a wide variety of situations that they might encounter while working as professional Wildlife Biologists or Rehabilitators.

Intended Learning Outcomes

On completing this unit students should be able to:

• Describe the common causes of wildlife casualties both in Britain and overseas.
• Apply the principles of wildlife care and medicine to real-life wildlife casualty situations.
• Appraise the health and condition of wildlife casualties and provide appropriate first aid
• Describe appropriate capture, handling and transportation techniques for a range of wild animals.
• Describe the principles of caring for juvenile and orphaned neonatal animals in captivity.
• Explain the steps involved in the release and rehabilitation process of wildlife and the importance of post-release monitoring.
• Differentiate between what is possible in auxiliary wildlife care and nursing (both practical and legal), and where the input of a veterinary clinician is required.
• Assess the welfare and ethical issues regarding care of wildlife casualties.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the challenges and potential approaches to dealing with to large scale wildlife disasters

Teaching Information

This unit will be taught using a combination of online materials such as mini-lectures, webinars and case-based resources including video and practical classes based at Langford and Bristol Zoo.

Practical demonstrations by qualified wildlife clinicians will be used to teach applied subjects such as injection techniques, patient assessment including measuring temperature, pulse and respiration, bandaging materials and techniques, assisted feeding, the correction of dehydration, and laboratory skills.

Small group teaching will be used for some clinical topics. A seminar session will allow students to demonstrate their understanding of wildlife management in a real-world incident such as an oil spill.

The students will be provided with e-resources for this unit through the Blackboard online learning environment. These resources will include all the lecture notes and handouts, additional background reading, supporting material and links to subject-related websites.

Assessment Information

The students’ performance on this unit will be assessed using:

• a scenario-based computer assessment allowing students to demonstrate that they can apply the principles of wildlife care and medicine to real-life casualty situations (60%).
• a role-playing exercise involving students enacting the management of a large-scale wildlife disaster and preparing a recorded presentation (40%).

Reading and References

The following are some examples of basic texts - others will be recommended by individual tutors during their teaching sessions:

• Cooper, B., Mullineaux, E. and Turner L. (2011) BSAVA textbook of veterinary nursing. (5th Ed.) BSAVA.
• Dmytryk, R. (2012) Wildlife search and rescue. A guide for first responders. Wiley-Blackwell.
• Mullineaux, E. and Keeble, E. (Eds) (2016) BSAVA manual of British wildlife casualties (2nd Ed). British Small Animal Veterinary Association.
• Mullineaux, E. and Jones, M. (2007). BSAVA manual of practical veterinary nursing. British Small Animal Veterinary Association.