Needs Assessment for the Animal Welfare Curriculum for the Bachelor of Veterinary Science (BVSc) Degree in Zimbabwe

Abstract

Animal welfare is a day one competency requirement for veterinarians the world over. In Zimbabwe, as well as in other countries globally, animal welfare was taught to students in the Bachelor of Veterinary Science (BVSc) degree but was never assessed as a standalone course. A need assessment was conducted to determine the need for standalone animal welfare curriculum for Bachelor of Veterinary Science degree in Zimbabwe. An interviewer administered questionnaire which captured both qualitative and quantitative responses was used for data collection. All the respondents suggested that there was need for a standalone animal welfare curriculum for the BVSc course. Most popular reason cited by participants (100%) for the need of the animal welfare course was that there was no stand-alone animal welfare curriculum available. Components of the course suggested include: Animal welfare Science, ethics and law. Animal welfare is a relevant course to the BVSc programme in Zimbabwe whose contents should include animal welfare science, ethics, and law and animal behaviour.