Animal welfare assessment contest: Cheetahs in captivity
Test your animal welfare assessment skills while learning about the welfare of cheetahs in captivity. In this exercise, you’ll compare two fictitious scenarios of cheetahs in zoos. Use the photos and information provided to analyze all aspects of the animals’ lives: housing, diet, enrichment, human-animal interactions, health care and outcomes, social environment, and behavior. Come away with a deeper understanding of how to assess animal welfare in general, and cheetah welfare in particular.
This exercise originally was presented to participants in the AVMA Animal Welfare Assessment Contest. The contest teaches participants how to apply ethical reasoning and critical thinking skills to assess the welfare of animals used for human purposes (e.g., agriculture, research, companionship). Learn more at awjac.org.
This exercise is made possible through educational funding from Merck Animal Health and Charles River.
Participants can expect to learn about:
- Factors that go into a thorough welfare assessment
- How to assess animal welfare using science-based methods and reasoning
- Analyzing all aspects of an animal’s life to assess its welfare
Exercise instructions
Follow these instructions to complete the exercise and earn your CE certificate.
- Review the resources. While this is not a requirement to obtain your CE certificate, the resources provide useful information on cheetah welfare as well as how to assess animal welfare.
- View the scenario and associated videos. Try to stick to the allotted time of one minute per slide in order to mimic the time constraints of participating in the Animal Welfare Assessment Contest.
- Use the engagement questions to assist with your assessment.
- Complete the evaluation and view expert feedback to claim your CE certificate.
- AVMA members only: After viewing the scenario, you may submit a three-minute video of your oral assessment for judging and feedback. In your oral assessment, state which zoo had better welfare for the cheetahs and your reasoning for this decision. For an example, see the sample scenarios on the AVMA Animal Welfare Assessment Contest website. Submitted videos will be reviewed by a judge and then deleted. Please ensure all clothing, background items, and video content are professional and appropriate.
ABOUT THE
PRESENTERS:
Dr. David Miller, DACZM, DACAW
Dr. David Miller has worked with animals under human control and in free-range
settings, including a zoo, university, private practice, research, nonprofit,
and government. He has experience with all major zoological animal taxa and
domestic animal species. He is board certified in zoological medicine and
animal welfare, and has served on AVMA’s Animal Welfare Committee, Panel on
Euthanasia, Panel on Depopulation, and House of Delegates, among others. He has
taught courses in animal welfare, zoological medicine, One Health, and
epidemiology at colleges, professional events, and to the public.
Dr. Cia Johnson
Dr. Cia Johnson became AVMA’s director of animal welfare in 2016 after
serving seven years as an assistant director focusing on animal welfare issues
in food animal production and handling practices. Her background is in
agriculture and animal welfare issues pertaining to equine, livestock, and
poultry. She earned her DVM and a master of science in animal science from the
University of Missouri-Columbia and holds a master of science degree in
international animal welfare, ethics, and law from the University of Edinburgh.
Jason Watters, Ph.D.
As executive vice president of wellness and animal behavior at the San Francisco Zoo, Dr. Jason Watters leads a research program that studies and applies techniques to ensure that animals thrive. He received his Ph.D. in animal behavior from University of California, Davis, where he also performed post-doctoral studies. Dr. Watters has fashioned a “non-traditional” research career in the zoo and aquarium world. He has studied numerous species, focusing his work on animal personalities, behavioral indicators of welfare, a general theory of environmental enrichment, and what makes animals good teachers. He has served on the Research and Technology Committee of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and also as executive editor of the journal Zoo Biology.