Obtain Career Satisfaction Working with Animals
This comprehensive course is designed to for those who have a love of animals and wish to turn that into a career or business working with them.
This Advanced Certificate in Animals Management allows you to personalise your studies through choosing elective modules to complement the core studies.
What you will learn here can lay the foundation for a range of job roles or for further studies.
Learn to manage a range of animals
Lay the foundation for career or business opportunities with animals:
-
In farming
-
With pets
-
Working with wildlife
Through our core (compulsory) modules you develop a solid foundation that relates to animals on farms, as pets, in zoos or the wild. Your studies will consist of anatomy, physiology, vertebrate zoology, animal behaviour, feed and nutrition, animal biochemistry, health and diseases, and genetics. These modules give students a thorough grounding in the biology of animals.
Following this a choice of electives enables you to streamline or specialise and learn things that are relevant to your own unique needs.
This is an experiential learning-based course. Throughout your studies you will have the opportunity to network with and learn from a variety of industry professionals. Establishing real-world relationships and confidence is key to career success.
Modules
Note that each module in the Advanced Certificate in Animal Management is a short course in its own right, and may be studied separately.
ANIMAL HEALTH
Those working with animals must be familiar with the normal vital signs of their animals. This supports farmers to promptly recognise signs of health and ill health in their animals.
Vital signs include:
• Pulse rate,
• Respiration rate, and
• Body temperature.
These signs should be measured at rest.
In addition to vital signs, the farmer should continually observe the natural habits and behaviour of their livestock. Any changes in behaviour should be investigated immediately as it could be due to illness.
The earlier a farmer can treat sick animals, the better. Illness causes individual cells in the animal to break down and die. If treatment is started quickly, the cells may be stopped from degenerating. If treatment is delayed, the damage done by illness can be considerable, especially if the affected cells make up an organ.
THE HEALTHY ANIMAL
A good sign of a healthy animal is when it is interested in food. It will graze as normal, or in the case of penned animals, look forward to the next feed. The healthy animal will drink its usual amount of water. This is easily checked with penned animals though more difficult with animals out grazing.
The healthy animal appears bright and alert. It will show its normal response to humans, i.e., probably moving away as you approach if it is a grazing animal or approaching if it is very used to human company. Brightness is most apparent in the eyes. The animal will show interest in unusual noises and sights.
The healthy animal's coat and skin should be supple and in good condition. Hair is one of the first parts of the body to register ill health, and it will also look dull if the animal is lacking some essential vitamins or minerals.
The colour of the mucous membrane is a good indicator of health, as it shows the condition of the blood. Mucous membrane is found around the eye, on the gums, inside the mouth, and at the entrance to the anus. In healthy animals, it should show a salmon pink colouring (but not vivid red).
The healthy animal will pass a normal number of droppings each day, with droppings being neither too loose nor too dry for the species and passed without difficulty. If you press your ear to the side of the animal, you should be able to hear rumbling noises - signs that the digestive system is working. The healthy animal will also pass normal coloured urine. That is, urine which clear to a light yellow, and not tainted by shades of brown, red, green, etc.
Ruminants which are in good health will spend the normal number of hours chewing the cud (ruminating) and resting each day.
Animals Need Different Types of Food at Different Times
Seasonal change in the diet of many wild animals is common worldwide. However, this change in nutritional needs is not completely understood or managed in many zoo feeding programs. Photoperiod and temperature are the main factors influencing diet changes. For example, the temperature can affect the appetite of animals such as carnivores. These factors can also influence the feeding behaviour of animals.
Ruminants from temperate and arctic areas often show a marked seasonal variation in feed intake which corresponds to the natural seasonal availability of feed in the wild. For example, deer have a high feed intake in the summer, accumulating large fat quantities. In the winter they can go for days without eating, meeting their energy requirements by metabolising the fat in their bodies.
The data collected from zoo animals wild counterparts, can provide the best basis for optimum diets of zoo animals. Based on observations made in the field, zoo keepers can identify seasonal changes in diet and behaviour and adapt feeding plans to meet these. Accurate records of weight and growth are important when identifying seasonal changes in diet. The animal’s diet should be monitored regularly and adjusted accordingly.
The amount of energy an animal requires will generally increase during pregnancy and lactation. In late gestation (pregnancy) feed intake may actually decrease, due to the high levels of estrogens in the body affecting metabolism. The increased size of the foetus will also reduce the volume in the abdominal cavity for storing food.
During peak lactation an animal’s energy requirements is at its highest. At this time body reserves are being used to meet this increased energy demand.
For birds, the breeding season also influences energy intake. Researchers have observed that the appetite of breeding emus rises dramatically in late winter when egg production ceases. This is followed by a sharp decline in energy requirements in the following autumn when the new breeding season commences.
Why Study with ACS?
Design your own learning pathway.
Study at your own pace, from anywhere, at any time.
Receive prompt, expert support from our team of committed and friendly tutors.
Your learning is our priority. We are flexible and adaptable to meet your educational needs!
ACS Student Comment:
"Yes [the course was a valuable learning experience]. It is providing me with new insights and development beyond my former knowledge of this subject. It also provides me with a proper basic knowledge to pursue my dreams in this career path." -- Arnold Taen, Netherlands
ENROL or Use our FREE Course Advice Service to Connect with a Tutor