There are 9 lessons in this course:
1. The Nature and Scope of Zoos- What is a Zoo?
- The Evolution of Zoos
- Change in Zoo Design
- Modern Zoos, Fauna Sanctuaries and Safari Parks
- Legislation and Codes of Practice
- Animal Welfare
- Record Keeping
- Identification Tags
- Animal Taxonomy
- Phylums and Classes
- The Function of Zoos - Conservation, Research and Education
2. Occupational Health and Safety in Zoos
- Workplace Health & Safety
- Legislation
- Health and Safety Management in Zoos
- Training
- Workplace Health and Safety Practices
- Personal Protective Equipment PPE
- Moving Animals within the Zoo
- Restraining Animals
- Carrying out Veterinary Procedures
- Managing Visitor-Animal Contact
3. Captive Husbandry – Nutrition and Feeding
- Nutrition - Natural Diet
- Feeding Behaviour
- The Effect of Poor Nutrition
- Water Requirements of Animals
- Essential Dietary Components - Carbohydrates, Protein, Fats and Lipids
- Vitamins and Minerals - In food and Supplementing captive diets
- Food Storage and Preparation
- Presentation of Food
- Monitoring Feeding
- Feeding Enrichment
- Primates and Feeding Enrichment
4. Captive Husbandry - Health
- Monitoring Health - The Healthy Animal, Recognising Ill Health and Diagnosing Diseases
- Maintaining Health and Hygiene
- Disesases - Metabolic Diseases, Parasites, Diseases Common to Zoo Animals, Controlling the Spread of Diseases
- Quarantine and Vaccinations
- Record Keeping
5. Captive Husbandry - Reproduction
- The Need for Captive Breeding
- Goals of Captive Breeding
- Captive Breeding Issues
- Inbreeding in Captive Populations - the Genetic Effects and Results of Inbreeding
- Captive Breeding Programs - Issues and Constraints
- Monitoring Reproductive Status - External Signs and Indicators, Invasive Monitoring
- Assisted Reproduction - Artificial Insemination and IVF
- Stud Books
- Birth Control in Zoo Animals
6. Captive Husbandry - Behaviour and Enrichment
- Ethology
- What Motivates Behaviour?
- Kinds of Behaviour - Reactive, Active and Cognitive
- Learned Behaviour - Classical Conditioning, Operant Conditioning, Imprinting and Habituation
- The Flight or Fight Response
- Abnormal Behaviours - eg. Stereotypies
- Welfare Indicators
- Physical and Social Influences on Behaviour
- Behaviour Management
- Environmental Enrichment - Food, Physical, Cognitive, Social and Sensory
7. Human-Animal Interactions
- Human - Animal Interactions in Zoos
- Keeper - Animal Interactions
- Husbandry Routines - Daily, Weekly and Monthly
- Dealing with Dangerous Animals
- Handling Animals
- Fear of Humans
- Managing Visitor - Animal Interactions
8. Enclosure Design and Maintenance
- Optimum Enclosure Design
- Walk Through Enclosures - eg. Butterfly Houses and Aviaries
- Natural Replication
- Routine Maintenance
- Providing Stimulating Environments - Physical, Feeding, Sensory and Social Enrichment
9. Problem-based Learning Project – Environmental Enrichment
- Environmental Enrichment Research Project
- Introduction and Definition of Problem-based Learning
- Problem Definition
- People Involved
- Resources
- Guidelines
- Discussion
- Final Report
Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors andreturned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.
AIMS
- Describe the nature and scope of zoos as a source of education and conservation
- Develop appropriate procedures for managing occupational health and safety in a zoo, with a view to minimising risk to staff, animals and visitors
- Describe the nutritional requirements and feeding preferences of animals within zoos
- Determine health management measures required for a range of different captive zoo animals
- Describe the management of breeding in zoos
- Determine appropriate ways to manage a range of different wild animals in zoos
- Explain procedures and techniques used to manage human-animal interactions in zoos
- Identify and describe the qualities of good enclosure design.
- Develop an environmental enrichment program for a captive animal
NEW COURSE - AVAILABLE ONLINE, VIA E-LEARNING AND TRADITIONAL METHODS
Do you want a career working with animals? We have just created a course in Zoo Keeping that introduces you to the
various aspects of working in zoological gardens and safari parks. You will learn about:
- Animal Welfare
- Animal Care
- Diet and Nutrition
- Forms of Enrichment to enhance wellbeing
- Captive Breeding
- Enclosure Design
- Research, Education and Conservation in Zoos.
