60005 Wildlife Field Techniques: Animal Handling and Survey Methods
Warning: The information on this page is indicative. The subject outline for a
particular session, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source
of all information about the subject for that offering. Required texts, recommended texts and references in particular are likely to change. Students will be provided with a subject outline once they enrol in the subject.
Subject handbook information prior to 2025 is available in the Archives.
Credit points: 4 cp
Result type: Grade and marks
There are course requisites for this subject. See access conditions.
Description
In this subject, students learn about Australia’s unique wildlife and gain first-hand experience identifying and safely handling native animals and performing wildlife surveys using industry standard techniques. This course consists of four online modules and a three-day field trip to Shoalhaven Zoo, near Nowra.
The four-week online component includes four modules that cover the ethical care and use of wildlife in Australia, work health and safety, identifying and handling animals commonly encountered in the field, first aid for wildlife, relocation and transport of wildlife, and appropriate design of wildlife surveys.
During the field trip to Shoalhaven Zoo, students carry out wildlife surveys and learn how to safely and effectively handle a diverse range of native wildlife including echidnas, macropods, wombats, birds and reptiles which are commonly encountered in the field or on jobsites. Students also work in small teams to evaluate, coordinate, and implement an effective response to a range of wildlife emergencies that commonly occur on jobsites. This field-based learning includes competency assessment of animal handling skills by leading Australian wildlife experts.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
Upon successful completion of this subject students should be able to:
| 1. | Know the key guidelines, legislation and regulations governing working with wildlife including the Australian Code for the Care and Use of Animals for Scientific Purposes (2013) |
|---|---|
| 2. | Carry out a risk assessment by applying the relevant work health and safety compliancy requirements |
| 3. | Describe the key concepts for managing and conserving wildlife, including Indigenous fire management |
| 4. | Use scientific keys and guides to accurately identify Australian mammals, reptiles, frogs, and birds |
| 5. | Apply the essentials of first aid for wildlife by responding appropriately to a wildlife emergency, and identity appropriate treatment options, including dealing with pouch young and orphaned animals |
| 6. | Identify the six steps involved with planning and performing fauna surveys and use the appropriate methods to survey threatened species |
| 7. | Demonstrate competency in wildlife handling skills for a range of species |
| 8. | Know the importance of Indigenous fire management for managing and conserving native wildlife |
Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)
This subject also contributes specifically to the development of following course intended learning outcomes:
- Demonstrate critical engagement with the appraisal of advanced knowledge and demonstrate advanced application of knowledge and technical skills to conduct research and generate new knowledge relevant to professional practice in science. (1.1)
- Assess, argue for, and conduct appropriate approaches to independent research and solving complex problems and apply a research methodology to address a research need in a relevant professional context. (2.1)
- Develop, prepare, and engage, at times collaboratively, in work practices that demonstrate an understanding of health and safety requirements, ethical conduct, risk management, organisation, record keeping and collaborative skills in the context of science. (3.1)
- Present and communicate complex ideas and justifications using appropriate communication approaches from a variety of methods (oral, written, visual) to communicate with discipline experts, scientists, industry, and the general public. (5.1)
- Critically reflect on Indigenous Australian contexts to inform professional cultural capability to work effectively with and for, Indigenous Australians within Science. (6.1)
Contribution to the development of graduate attributes
1. Disciplinary knowledge
a. Key concepts in wildlife management and animal ethics are taught through online self-paced modules, readings, and presentations from experts working in the fields of conservation biology and wildlife management. Feedback will be provided via activities including drag and drop exercises and a series of 'check your understanding' practice quizzes.
2. Research, inquiry and critical thinking
a. The experimental approaches for conserving and managing wildlife species provides a platform for an inquiry-oriented approach to learning. The framework is taught in online classes and is examined in more detail using several case studies, and through presentations by guest experts who are actively working on current issues in wildlife management
b. Inquiry and critical thinking will be encouraged and developed during the field trip. You will learn a range of critical field techniques that are used to survey wildlife and will gain experience in handling a range of Australian animal species. In addition, you will be asked to investigate and respond to a wildlife emergency on site. Assessors will give verbal feedback to particpants to ensure that they develop best practise techniques and adhere to wokplace health and safety and ethical practices when handling wildlife, or when evaluating, coordinating, and responding to a wildlife emergency.
3. Professional, ethical and social responsibility
a. Professional and ethical field research skills used by wildlife ecologists are learnt via the online modules and participation in the three-day field trip. During the field trip, you will practice professional skills, risk assessment and response in common real-world scenarios, and industry standard skills for ethically and safely handling animals that are commonly encountered on job sites. Feedback will be provided via a series of practice quizzes during semester, and verbally during the field trip.
b. Teamwork skills are advanced through participation in field-based animal handling activities that requires you to work collaboratively to successfully capture and hold large vertebrates so that they can be checked by the zoo veterinarian. Team management skills will also be learned by carrying out real-world scenarios in which you must work together to evaluate, coordinate and implement a response to a wildlife emergency. During all assessment tasks, assessors will provide verbal feedback to participants, and learners will be given the opportunity to repeat the task to demonstrate that they achieved competency in that skill set.
5. Communication
a. Communication skills are developed through active participation in online and field-based educational activities. Communication skills will also be learned during the field trip, when you will work as a team to carry out a fauna survey. In addition, effective communication will be learned during a group activity involving the capture of large mobile vertebrates, and during real-world scenarios in which teams will be asked to investigate, evaluate, coordinate and implement an effective and efficient response to a wildlife emergency or job site injury. Students will receive verbal feedback during and after each of these activities. At the completion of each wildlife emergency scenarios, a group debrief will be held to allow participants to reflect on their performance and provide a verbal report on what additional processes or procedures could be implemented in future.
6. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Knowledge and Connection with Country
a. An understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge and connections with the land will be developed through online case studies that will focus on the role of Indigenous fire management in the management and conservation of Australian native wildlife.
Teaching and learning strategies
You will learn about Australian wildlife and the field techniques used to identify, survey and handle wildlife through four online modules that will include video, lectures, discussions, and self-paced activities. During the field trip, you will learn how to use industry standard techniques to carry out fauna surveys, and the skills needed to safely handle a diversity of wildlife commonly encountered on job sites. Effective communication skills be learned via participation in group exercises in which you will be asked evaluate a wildlife emergency, and coordinate and implement an effective and timely response.
To assist your learning and understanding of the theory which underpins the design of wildlife surveys, you will be asked to critically read and analyse key papers that cover key concepts in wildlife management. The papers will be posted online, and allow you to delve deeper into the topics covered during the course. A series of quiz questions will be posted online at the end of each of the four modules, and these will allow you to assess your understanding of key concepts, and will contribute to the final marks for this subject. The practical component will involve an assessment of competency of wildlife handling and communication skills.
Content (topics)
The four-week online component includes four modules that cover the following:
- Ethical care and use of wildlife in Australia and work place safety and risk minimisation.
- Identification of Australian vertebrates, and handling techniques for reptiles, birds and mammals.
- First aid for wildlife, including treating bushfire related injuries and dealing with pouch young in the field.
- Design of wildlife surveys, including techniques used to estimate abundance, and recommended guidelines for surveying threatened species of frogs, reptiles, birds and mammals.
The subject includes a compulsory field trip to Shoalhaven Zoo where students will carry out wildlife surveys and will learn how to safely and effectively handle a diverse range of native wildlife including echidnas, wombats, possums, wallabies, kangaroos, wombats, birds, snakes and lizards which are commonly encountered in the field or on jobsites. Students will work in small teams to evaluate, coordinate, and implement an effective response to a range of wildlife emergencies that commonly occur on jobsites.
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Online quizzes
| Intent: | This assessment item addresses the following graduate attributes: 1. Disciplinary knowledge 2. Research, inquiry and critical thinking 3. Professional, ethical and social responsibility 6. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Knowledge and Connection with Country |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses subject learning objective(s): 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 8 This assessment task contributes to the development of course intended learning outcome(s): 1.1, 2.1, 3.1 and 6.1 |
| Type: | Quiz/test |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 50% |
| Length: | Each of the four online quizzes will consist of 10 to 15 questions. Each quiz will take approximately two and a half hours to complete. Practice quizzes incorporating 5 questions will be provided in each module. |
| Criteria: | Assessment criteria are provided in the criteria linkages table |
Assessment task 2: Animal handling skills and team response to wildlife emergencies
| Intent: | This assessment item addresses the following graduate attributes: 1. Disciplinary knowledge 2. Research, inquiry and critical thinking 3. Professional, ethical and social responsibility 5. Communication |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses subject learning objective(s): 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 and 7 This assessment task contributes to the development of course intended learning outcome(s): 1.1, 2.1, 3.1 and 5.1 |
| Type: | Laboratory/practical |
| Groupwork: | Group, individually assessed |
| Weight: | 50% |
| Length: | Assessment tasks will be carried out during the field trip. The time to complete assessment tasks will vary depending on the animal or scenario. |
| Criteria: | Students will be assessed on their abiltiy to demonstrate adherance to work health and safety and animal ethics in a work place situation, and their competency handling a range of native widlife that are commonly encountered on jobsites. Students will also be assessed on their teamwork and communication skills during a simulated wildlife emergency. |