Course description

The general objectives of the course:

The course shows how wild animals have always played a major role in human history. It focuses on the changes in this relationship between humans and animals and on the mission of institutions that keep wild animals in human care. Wildlife (mainly, but not exclusively, vertebrates) is a natural resource for the future of humankind, and the class discusses how human influence and pressure on the environment and on the populations of wild species threaten the diversity of wildlife. Human activities have impacted and will impact their original habitats, and undisturbed ecosystems are disappearing. The results of various conservation and other counter measures are also exposed in the class.

 

An increasingly high number of wild animal species have already been domesticated in the last 150 years as farm, laboratory, companion or other pleasure animals, and there will be a much higher number of domesticated animal species in the future. Humans have interacted in the past and in present times with wild animals different ways. It is a fact that more and more wild animal species live in human care in our era. The increase in the number of newly domesticated species also poses important new challenges in the handling, keeping, trade, and professional breeding of animals, so much so that they are the base of new industries in the 21st century. The course presents examples of zoos and other conservation institutions, such as national parks or rescue centres. The course highlights that in the 21^st Century humans needs wildlife as much as wildlife needs human care. Our societies are showing increasing interest in this area and experts understanding related issues are needed. Approach of the course is interdisciplinary, it blends zoology, social, political science, and practical issues. Similar course is neither available in other universities in Hungary nor in Central and Eastern Europe.

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Lectures theme

Education week	Topics
1	Inroduction and overview of the subject
2	Global environmental crisis phenomena: human population and biodiversity, urbanisation and habitat loss
3	Global environmental crisis phenomena: global issue of climate change, pollution and waste.
4	Ethics of animal welfare. Use of biological resources: hunting and fishing.
5	Domestication: wild animal reproduction under human assist, domestication of wild animals in the past and future, new captive-bred speciei.
6	Exotic wildlife in new habitats, acclimatisation and ivasionzotikus vadvilág új élőhelyekben, akklimatizáció és invázió.
7	Pet animals – a new ecomomical dimension.
8	Developement of zoological institutes: historical evoltion of zoos,aquaria, wildlife parks, rescue centers and other wildlife facilities.
9	On-site visit to zoological institutions keeping wild animals.
10	On-site visit to zoological institutions keeping wild animals.
11	Collection planning, management of small populations, evaluation of vitality of populations and habitats.
12	The „One plan approach”: connection between in situ and ex situ conservation models.
13	World Strategy for Nature Conservation of Zoos, coordination of breeding programs, international stud books.
14	Management of ex-situ conservation and breeding programs, management of ollection data on insitunional and international level (Global 360, ZIMS).
15	Participation of zoological institutes in in-situ rescue and conservation programs.

Evaluation description

Credit requirements:

Participation in at least 10 of the subject’s classes is expected.

In order to obtain the credit, an independent assignment, in the form of a presentation prepared according to the professor’s instructions, must be completed at an appropriate level. Additional test or verbal exam is not required.

 

The assessment of the product checks the understanding of the content presented in the lectures and of the reading of the literature recommended. The assessment is primarily based on the evaluation of the following elements, (i) independent research work in the recommended literature and on the world wide web, (ii) the preparation of presentation according to instructions. The students who produce the best works present their work in class during the third subject block.

 

The topic of the presentation is the demonstration of the population changes of a freely selected animal species classified as Extinct in the Wild or Critically Endangered and the factors affecting the survival of the species. The presentation must be submitted by November 10, and the student will receive an exam grade depending on the quality of her/his work.

 

The elective course will continue in the II. semester of 2024-25 year under the following title: “Management of zoological institutions keeping wild animals in human care”. Those who interested should sign for it in Neptun in January 2025.