Moulton College - A Guide To The Animal Welfare Centre

2021-22

A GUIDE TO

The Animal Welfare Centre

moulton.ac.uk

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phone 01604 491131

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Moulton College, Holcot Centre, Gate 3, Pitsford Road, Moulton, Northampton, NN3 7SX

This guide provides students and visitors with details of the facilities at the Animal Welfare Centre and the role it plays in supporting our students.

The Centre is home to over 100 species, with a wide variety of animals providing a broad range of experience for students with different interests and career aspirations. Students are involved in routine care, enclosure design, animal enrichment and handling enabling them to develop the essential skills and knowledge to prepare them for industry.

EXOTIC SPECIES CENTRE

This Centre is home to a variety of reptiles and exotic mammals. Species include green iguana, dwarf mongoose, Goeldi’s monkeys and prehensile tailed skink, which provide the opportunity for students to work with species they might come across within the zoo industry. The enclosures are designed in an exhibitory style so students are responsible for maintaining these to a high standard in the way they would in industry.

Whilst working in the Animal Welfare Centre, students develop transferable industry relevant behaviours including teamwork and communication skills.

The Animal Welfare Centre is a BALAI accredited animal collection, which works closely with other zoo collections and zoo organisation EAZA in the holding of a high conservation value species, the Goeldi’s monkeys.

The Animal Welfare Centre contributes to a global record keeping system (ZIMs), which is shared with most large animal collections. This creates an accessible database including all information relevant to each animal and is accessible by students for research purposes.

HOME TO OVER

100

SPECIES

REPTILE CENTRE

The Centre holds a diverse collection of reptile species, including snakes, lizards and tortoises. The wide variety of species enables students to learn about their complex needs, such as substrate type, diet, recreating their natural habitat, heating and lighting requirements. There are animals ideal for both inexperienced students and those more confident with a specific herpetology interest.

AQUATICS CENTRE

This Centre is home to a variety of freshwater, tropical and coldwater species. Tanks include bank systems; found in pet shops, stand alone tanks; used in households, and large exhibitory setups; found in zoos and aquaria. Students can gain knowledge of a variety of aquatic life support systems and are involved in water testing and water changing; essential in ensuring water quality for aquatics species. The Aquatics Centre is also home to a number of conservation value species, the Asian yellow pond turtles and Anderson’s salamanders.

SMALL DOMESTICATED MAMMALS

AFRICA SECTION

AMPHIBIAN, CRUSTACEAN AND INVERTEBRATE CENTRE (ACI)

OUTDOOR UNIT

Domesticated small mammals include rodents, rabbits and ferrets. Domesticated species provide students with the opportunity to work more closely with the animals and gain experience in safe and confident handling.

These animals can be more thoroughly health checked and students can get involved in their healthcare through grooming, claw clipping and vaccinations.

The ACI Centre is a specialist area; representing some of the commonly overlooked species. Animals include amphibians, tarantulas, ants, cockroaches, beetles and stick insects amongst others. This room aims to highlight the role these species play within eco-systems and the importance of conservation efforts to protect them.

TWILIGHT ROOM

The Twilight room functions on a reversed lighting system, where half of the day the room is dimly lit providing students with the opportunity to see nocturnal species performing their natural behaviours when they would be at their most active. Enclosure occupants include chinchillas, degus, sugar gliders and rats.

This section is dedicated to exotic species that would be found in the wild in Africa. Species include the slender tailed meerkat, African crested porcupine and rock hyrax. These are species commonly found within zoos, which provide students with the opportunity to observe and work around species that are still living in an undomesticated state.

This unit is home to some of the small domesticated species; aviary birds, sulcata tortoises, poultry species and large animals. Large animals include the kunekune pigs, mixed goat breeds, alpaca and red-necked wallabies. Large animals provide an excellent training resource, with headcollar and target training aiming to make these animals more co-operative for routine management.

ANIMAL WELFARE ACADEMIES

An animal collection is also based at our East Northamptonshire Academy in Higham Ferrers. This collection replicates some of the small domestic, reptile and ACI species housed at Moulton. It is also home to a selection of exotic mammals; a pair of common marmosets, sugar glider group and chinchillas. The Centre provides a variety of animals for introduction into animal welfare and husbandry.

STAFF

The Animal Welfare Centre operates under a team of experienced staff, all responsible for ensuring high levels of animal welfare. Development of the Centre is in line with current industry standards and staff are dedicated to supporting student learning. The staff consists of a centre manager, senior technician and team of technicians.

COMMERCIAL EXPERIENCE As part of a skills development program, students complete a series of commercial experience sessions during the day and at weekends. Students work alongside technicians to complete tasks that they would be expected to complete within industry and are given an employability grade based on their performance.

Students are set industry related tasks that can support their development of maths and English and the animal welfare values are promoted; ambition, resilience, respect, integrity, ownership and professionalism.

Animal List common marmoset

rabbit

Californian kingsnake

spur-thighed tortoise

Goeldi’s monkey

guinea pig

milk snake

hermann’s tortoise

lesser tenrec

ferret

rainbow boa

horned frog

African crested porcupine

dwarf mongoose

boa constrictor

Brazilian cavy

sugar glider

goat

pine snake

clawed frog

flying squirrel

wallaby

frilled lizard

fire-bellied newt

chinchilla

kunekune pig

leopard gecko

Asian painted bullfrog

Syrian hamster

alpaca

berber skink

golden mantella

Russian hamster

poultry

occelated uromastyx

red-eyed tree frog

Chinese hamster

waterfowl

plated lizard

white’s tree frog

zebra mice

cockatiel

Haitian galliwasp

Taylor’s bug-eyed frog

mouse like hamsters

budgerigar

Asian yellow pond turtle

fruit beetle- various

domestic mouse

finch

crested gecko

hermit crab

degu

diamond dove

monkey-tailed skink

lesser weaver ant

corydora

lovebird

catfish

millipede

fancy rat

bearded dragon

green iguana

Anderson’s salamander

Northern Luzon cloud rat

corn snake

sulcata tortoise

tarantula

scorpion

rat snake

horsefield tortoise

cockroach

plecostomus

royal python

marginated tortoise

stick insects- various

loach- various

African land snail

silver dollar

tetra- various

livebearer- various

goldfish

angel fish

Malawi cichlid

silver shark

red-tailed shark