Educating veterinary students on animal welfare in Aristotle’s University
of Thessaloniki
PURPOSE.
AIMS OF THE COURSE
STUDENTS’ EVALUATION
.
.
Figure 1: Rescue and healthcare of a stray
and handicap dog
Figure 5: Rescue and rehabilitation of a
dolphin (Delphinus delphis) by the Student’s
Group of Wildlife Protection.
Figure 7: Evaluation of animal welfare in a zoo in Kozani and recommendation of its
closure, because of its poor welfare standards
The purpose of this poster is to inform about the educational
approach followed in the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in
Aristotle’s University in Thessaloniki, Greece, on Animal
Welfare Education .The faculty of Veterinary medicine in
Aristotle’s University of Thessaloniki is the oldest and
biggest one in Greece. Animal welfare has always been part
of the Curriculum and over the years it has changed its form
and approach.
Animal welfare is being taught as an independent course during
the second semester and it focuses on 2 main disciplines:
companion animals and livestock. Different needs and standards
for these categories of animals are discussed and students are
called to state and support their opinion. The main point of the
courses are the scientific methodology of evaluating animal
welfare. These are categorized in three bigger sectors:
Evaluation of Behaviour (observation of animals’ normal
behaviour and stereotypies, tests of preference or aversion).
Evaluation of Physiology (brain activity, levels of cortisol,
opioeids, catecholamines in blood and the heart rate measures).
Evaluation of Healthcare (morbidity and mortality rate).
The field of Animal Welfare education is further complemented
in Wild animals’ and Zoo animals’ welfare during the next
semesters. The main point of these courses of animal welfare are
to comment on the human and animal interaction and how this
could be turned to animals’ benefit and achieve higher welfare
standards by proposing specific measures and taking actions.
What is more, through the Student’s Group of Wildlife
Protection, students of all years can come in contact with
wildlife animals and observe the process of providing healthcare
and respecting the animals’ welfare.
Students’ evaluation is multi-layered. During the courses they
visit farm animals and wild animals’ shelters in Northern
Greece and are asked among others to comment on the
welfare issues of these animals and how they could be
improved. What is more, group projects on animal welfare are
assigned and presented on conferences and events. Students
are also called to perform on exams concerning the basic
knowledge of animal welfare standards. In the end, the
education of animal welfare in the Faculty of Veterinary
Medicine in A.U.Th. is a complex processed consisted both by
theoretical knowledge and by interactive experience and
approach of modern animal welfare issues in Greece.
Figure 3: Rescue and rehabilitation of a
trapped turtle in the port of Thessaloniki.
Figure 8: Animal rescue of a circus due to complaints of poor welfare status
Petrellis G.1, Komnenou A.2, Arsenos G.3
1. Pregraduate Student, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, School of Health Sciences
2. Associate Professor, Dep. of Companion Animal Clinic, Unit of Exotic and Wild Animals Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, School of Health Sciences
3. Professor, Lab. of Animal Husbandry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, School of Health Sciences
Figure 2: Rescue of orphan birds
Figure 4: Teaching about Greek turtle’s
(Testudo greaeca) welfare and healthcare
Figure 6: Evaluation of welfare in the wild bear
shelter in Mt. Nymfaion by students of the School
of Veterinary Medicine
The School of Veterinary Medicine community is very active in helping
with the stray dogs and cats population management and healthcare issues.