Educating veterinary students on animal welfare in Aristotle’s University

of Thessaloniki

PURPOSE.

AIMS OF THE COURSE

STUDENTS’ EVALUATION

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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.