Application
This unit is applicable to those working in the animal control and regulation sectors where non-routine situations involving aggressive dogs and livestock may arise. It requires the ability to use equipment, such as portable yards, traps, firearms, capture guns and restraining drugs. In addition to legal and ethical responsibilities, all units of competency in the ACM10 Animal Care and Management Training Package have the requirement for animals to be handled gently and calmly. The individual is required to exhibit appropriate care for animals so that stress and discomfort is minimised. Notes: Appropriate licences are required for those involved in training and assessment against this unit. Relevant records must be kept in accordance with legislation and standard operating procedures. |
Elements and Performance Criteria
ELEMENT | PERFORMANCE CRITERIA |
1. Assess the situation | 1.1. Circumstances pertaining to the seizure situation are noted and recorded. 1.2. Organisational policies and procedures and legislative requirements are followed at all times. 1.3. Safety of self, assistants, the public and target animals is maintained. 1.4. Seizure plan is determined in consultation with colleagues and other relevant personnel. |
2. Coordinate the seizure plan | 2.1. Backup from appropriate personnel is requested. 2.2. Appropriate area is quarantined, if required, to minimise risk to self, assistants, the public and target animals. 2.3. Professional assistance and/or advice are sought if required. 2.4. Emergency services personnel are notified and, if necessary, involved. 2.5. Occupational health and safety (OHS) and emergency procedures relating to the seizure are put into place. |
3. Capture animals | 3.1. Personnel assisting in the seizure are given appropriate instructions. 3.2. Appropriate equipment is selected, unpacked and prepared in accordance with manufacturers' requirements. 3.3. Drug doses for sedation and/or immobilisation are calculated and prepared. 3.4. Equipment is used legally, correctly and safely to capture animals in an ethical and humane manner. 3.5. Animals are secured, restrained, loaded and transported humanely. 3.6. Animals are unloaded and secured at holding destination. 3.7. Deceased animals are disposed of in accordance with organisational and legislative requirements. 3.8. Drugged animals are handled appropriately, examined for health and welfare problems and, if necessary, recovery treatment is given. 3.9. Relevant licences and permits for the use of drugs and equipment are held by the user. |
4. Complete post-seizure procedures | 4.1. Equipment is cleaned, maintained and stored in accordance with organisational policies and procedures. 4.2. Drugs used for sedation and/or immobilisation are stored in accordance with organisational policies and procedures and legislative requirements. 4.3. If relevant, owners of animals are notified, followed up and further action is taken if required. 4.4. Appropriate documentation about the incident is completed and entered into relevant management systems. 4.5. Supervisor is briefed on incident if appropriate and necessary. 4.6. Seizure plan and capture are reviewed, if required, to ensure improved performance in the future. |
Required Skills
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Required skills |
administer specific drugs where permitted by legislation apply effective decision making skills to develop a seizure plan quickly in consultation with others calculate doses of specific drugs and administer medications capture/seize animals using safe and humane animal handling and restraint techniques complete relevant workplace documentation, using appropriate equipment, to record and report information regarding the seizure of animals coordinate others and work as part of a team implement organisational policies and procedures demonstrate a mature approach to the daily application of safe work practices estimate target animals' body weights sufficient to calculate drug doses maintain the highest standard of hygiene and infection control at all times to reduce the risk of infection and cross-infection maintain tools and equipment in accordance with manufacturers' specifications procure, store and record use of specific drugs and dispose of discarded materials use firearms safely and with accuracy where required licences and permits are held literacy skills to read and follow organisational policies and procedures, including OHS, infection control and waste management; follow sequenced written instructions; record accurately and legibly information collected; and select and apply procedures to a range of defined tasks oral communication skills/language to fulfil the job role as specified by the organisation, including questioning, active listening, asking for clarification and consulting with or seeking advice from supervisor numeracy skills to estimate, calculate and record routine workplace measures interpersonal skills to work with others and relate to people from a range of cultural, social and religious backgrounds and with a range of physical and mental abilities problem-solving skills to use available resources and prioritise daily tasks use safe manual handling techniques and/or equipment use safe waste handling and disposal procedures. |
Required knowledge |
animal stress and threat signs (e.g. aggression) animals' interpretation of human body language when being approached appropriate capture and restraint methods for different animals equipment, methods and strategies for seizing, restraining and transporting animals health, hygiene, diseases and zoonoses importance of maintaining equipment relevant legislation and codes of practice relating to the capture/seizure and transportation of animals organisational policies and procedures, including OHS and animal welfare relevant state or territory legislation covering the use of therapeutic and controlled substances relevant legislation and codes of practice relating to OHS and animal control and regulation requirements specific restraint drugs including: their pharmacology antidotes dose rates methods of administration effects (to both animals and humans in case of error) use of equipment, including firearms, capture guns and anaesthetic agents. |
Evidence Required
The Evidence Guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package. | |
Overview of assessment | |
Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit | The evidence required to demonstrate competence in this unit must be relevant to workplace operations and satisfy all of the requirements of the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge and the range statement of this unit. Assessors should ensure that candidates can: plan and coordinate the seizure of animals including requesting backup/assistance as required and minimising risk to self, assistants, the public and target animal capture a range of dangerous, aggressive, large or injured animals use capture/seizure, restraint, sedation and transportation equipment/devices in a safe and humane manner communicate effectively with bystanders and the personnel involved in the seizure administer drugs remotely to seize animals as required and permitted by legislation prepare brief for supervisor after the event as required by organisational policies and procedures access and use management systems to keep and maintain accurate records of seizure. The skills and knowledge required to coordinate seizure of animals must be transferable to a range of work environments and contexts and include the ability to deal with unplanned events. |
Context of and specific resources for assessment | Assessment of this unit is to be practical in nature and will be most appropriately assessed in an animal control and regulation workplace or a situation that reproduces normal work conditions. There must be access to a range of dangerous, aggressive, large and/or injured animals as well as the appropriate equipment and/or resources to enable one to demonstrate competence. |
Method of assessment | To ensure consistency in one's performance, competency should be demonstrated, to industry defined standards, on more than one occasion over a period of time in order to cover a variety of circumstances, cases and responsibilities and over a number of assessment activities. The assessment strategy must include practical skills assessment. Suggested strategies for this unit are: written and/or oral assessment of candidate's required knowledge observed, documented and first-hand testimonial evidence of candidate's application of practical tasks simulation exercises that reproduce normal work conditions third-party evidence workplace documentation portfolio. This unit may be assessed in a holistic way with other units of competency relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role. |
Guidance information for assessment | Assessment methods should reflect workplace demands (e.g. literacy and numeracy demands) and the needs of particular target groups (e.g. people with disabilities, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, women, people with a language background other than English, youth and people from low socioeconomic backgrounds). |
Range Statement
The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included. | |
Assessment of situations may include: | circumstances, such as aggressive/large/injured animal consideration of the safety of members of the public, self, team members and animals crowded place environmental issues concerning residential properties, public facilities, open spaces and roads road safety time of day the health and wellbeing of animals to be seized type, size and number of animals to be seized. |
Development of seizure plan may include: | consideration of risk issues involved making the area safe (e.g. roadway where traffic needs to be stopped) urgency (e.g. how quickly resolution is required) whether the situation can be quarantined if better arrangements can be made for a later time appropriate capture strategy and methods for the circumstances number of personnel available to assist and their relevant skills involvement of other emergency services personnel (e.g. police, paramedics and fire and rescue) availability of equipment and qualified equipment operator number, type, size, weight and height of animals animals' behaviour, such as fear, panic or aggression injuries animals might have sustained legislative requirements immediate area (e.g. paddock or main road) role of participants in the seizure restraint procedures transport requirements where animal will be taken or disposed of in the event of its death relevant documentation to be completed. |
Relevant personnel may include: | animal control officers emergency services, such as: fire and ambulance relevant state/territory department officers other council staff police veterinarians wildlife officers. |
Animals may include: | large animals: livestock (e.g. cattle, horses and sheep) kangaroos camels and emus may also include escaped circus animals aggressive animals in most cases would refer to dogs but may include: livestock or escaped circus animals dangerous animals: snakes aggressive animals or escaped circus animals animals not normally dealt with should also be treated as dangerous animals on approach by an officer to ensure the safety to the officer and bystanders injured animals: all of the above as well as wildlife and/or native animals. |
OHS risks when capturing and seizing animals may include: | animal bites, envenomation, kicks, scratches and crush injuries biological hazardous waste and sharps disposal handling of chemicals, medicines and firearms inhalation of aerosol particles intraocular contamination manual handling, including carrying, lifting and shifting needle pricks and cuts from other sharps release of infective agents (animal and human) slippery or uneven work surfaces zoonoses. |
Emergency procedures may include: | potential escape of an animal or injury to an animal, other animals, staff and potentially the public. |
Equipment may include: | equipment used in securing or restraining livestock and/or large animals: bells and horns bribes (e.g. food) cages catch poles demountable yards halters and head stalls hessian bags/woolpacks leads nets protective clothing stock transporter vehicles temporary fencing trail bikes traps winch loaders equipment used in routine dog capture techniques to restrain dogs that are not manageable: trapping devices in some situations, and when permitted by legislation, restraining drugs (e.g. tranquillisers or anaesthetics) may need to be remotely administered to livestock or unmanageable dogs via projectile firing devices (e.g. firearm or capture gun) and using a limited number of the most appropriate drugs on occasions where no other reasonable option exists, animals that cannot be effectively restrained may need to be shot dead where they are. Appropriate licences and permits must be held by the user and relevant records must be kept in accordance with legislation and standard operating procedures. |
Transporting animals may include: | loading animals into vehicles applying appropriate restraints in some cases an officer may have to feed, water and/or provide temporary housing for the animal (this will depend on the opening hours of the end destination that may include a veterinary clinic or pound). |
Further action requirements may include: | discussion with owners in respect to their responsibilities and the animal's future, retrieval process of an animal and legal proceedings. |
Sectors
Unit sector | Animal control and regulation |
Employability Skills
This unit contains employability skills. |
Licensing Information
Not applicable.