Supporting Future Conservationists in South Africa
Wild Welfare, a leading global charity dedicated to improving the wellbeing of wild animals living in captivity, has received recognition for supporting the Nature Conservation Postgraduate Diploma cohort at the University of South Africa (UNISA) located at their science campus in Florida, Johannesburg.
Dr Ann Wilson, a senior Nature Conservation lecturer in the Department of Environmental Sciences at UNISA, expressed her gratitude for Wild Welfare’s kind contributions, noting that the interactive debates about animal welfare concepts and their associated challenges, deeply resonated with the students. The partnership provides Dr. Wilson’s postgraduate students with valuable hands-on experience by connecting them with a wildlife welfare professional. The interactive seminar hosted by Wild Welfare co-founder and Field Director, Dave Morgan, led the group through topics including modern concepts of welfare, animal behavioural categories, and the provision of welfare in captive environments, including how to measure welfare inputs and outputs. Dr Wilson highlighted the value of Dave’s first hand field experience along with the high-quality materials and resources provided by Wild Welfare, which have become a key part of the course’s ‘Wildlife Welfare’ module. “These great materials and resources ensure that our students receive relevant and up-to-date information that supports their learning from a truly international perspective.” expressed Dr Wilson.
One such resource available on the Wild Welfare website is the popular ‘Wild About Welfare’ digital education programme. Produced in collaboration with The Jeanne Marchig International Centre for Animal Welfare Education (JMICAWE) at the University of Edinburgh; the free-to-access course aims to make animal welfare education accessible to anyone working with captive wild animals around the world. The course was designed to support Wild Welfare’s global work, challenging and improving welfare standards for captive wildlife. It has already provided many new learning opportunities for students and animal care staff across the world, with over 25,000 recorded participants in 70 different countries, across five supported languages.
Wild Welfare is committed to continue supporting collaborations with academic institutions across the globe to promote the highest possible standards of animal care and welfare education. The organisation looks forward to continuing its partnership with UNISA in future semesters.
David Morgan, Wild Welfare, working with students at UNISA, Pretoria.
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Notes to Editors
Wild Welfare is a non-profit organisation that works to improve the lives of animals in captivity around the world. The organisation provides a range of services, including animal welfare audits, training programmes, and free online educational resources. Wild Welfare are committed to working alongside zoos, aquariums, sanctuaries and rescue centres to help assure captive wild animals can thrive and live good lives.
The University of South Africa (UNISA) is a prominent learning institution with offices across South Africa and students from 109 countries, UNISA has an extensive geographical footprint and global reach. UNISA offers a diverse range of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes across various fields of study including offering a Nature Conservation Post Graduate Diploma. This course is designed to equip students with the knowledge and skills necessary to work in the field of animal care and welfare.
For more information or interview requests please contact Wild Welfare on communications@wildwelfare.org
Wild Welfare is a global organisation committed to improving animal welfare for captive wild animals. By uniting the world’s leading zoos, zoo associations and animal welfare organisations, we build trusting partnerships that help provide long-term solutions to critical wild animal welfare issues.
Our vision is to end the suffering of captive wild animals around the world and ensure full and sustainable protection is given to all animals in human care. Find out more at wildwelfare.org. Registered charity in England (no.1165941).
