Application
The unit is applicable to wildlife animal keepers or carers who are expected to perform tasks under supervision. 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. |
Elements and Performance Criteria
ELEMENT | PERFORMANCE CRITERIA |
1. Identify and assist with animal care needs | 1.1. Suitable environment for rearing young animals is prepared and maintained in accordance with occupational health and safety (OHS) requirements. 1.2. Appropriate care program is developed to ensure the health and wellbeing of animals. 1.3. Assistance is provided in operating and maintaining controlled environments in accordance with facility policies and procedures. 1.4. Risks to animals associated with artificial rearing are identified and minimised. |
2. Monitor health and nutrition requirements for young animals | 2.1. Dietary and feeding requirements of young animals are prepared and stored in accordance with facility policies and procedures. 2.2. Growth and general condition of animals are monitored. 2.3. Weaning procedures are followed for nominated species where appropriate. 2.4. Pre-release activities are conducted under supervision, where appropriate. 2.5. Records are maintained in accordance with facility policies and procedures. |
Required Skills
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Required skills |
employ safe, humane and environmentally responsible organisational systems and procedures when handling and working with young animals identify signs and symptoms of disease and ill thrift in young animals implement facility policies and procedures maintain the highest standards of hygiene and infection control at all times to reduce the risk of infection and cross-infection maintain records monitor animal health and condition and recognise abnormalities literacy skills to read and follow facility policies and procedures, including OHS and waste management; follow treatment 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 facility, including questioning techniques, active listening, asking for clarification from supervisors and consulting with supervisors 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 |
anatomy structure and physiology features of the relevant animal groups related to caring for young animals concepts of imprinting and socialisation feeding and husbandry requirements for artificially raised animals formula types for common species housing requirements for mother and young where relevant normal and abnormal animal behaviour pre-release activities range of risks to animals being artificially fed release strategies relevant facility policies and procedures, including OHS, animal welfare, ethics, hygiene standards and other industry guidelines relevant federal and state or territory legislation and codes of practice safe animal handling techniques and procedures safe work practices weaning management workplace hygiene standards, disinfectants, cleaning agents, cleaning techniques and cleaning equipment and materials. |
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: provide appropriate environments and care programs to meet the needs of a range of young animals assist in artificially rearing animals monitor the health and nutrition of young animals to ensure their overall growth and wellbeing prepare animals for release into a captive or natural habitat environment. The skills and knowledge required to care for young 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 a captive animal workplace. There must be access in this situation to a range of young 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 and where possible, 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. | |
Suitable environments may include: | appropriate level of barrier nursing consideration of appropriate housing for the mother reduced noise or light screening or privacy from the public separation of the young from other animals or mate simulated natural habitats. |
OHS risks when working with animals may include: | animal bites, envenomation, kicks, scratches and crush injuries biological hazardous waste and sharps disposal handling of chemicals and medicines 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. |
Care program may include: | appropriate environment nutritional requirements teaching animals to catch their own food providing animals with materials to create their own living environment providing socialisation opportunities with other animals. |
Controlled environment may include: | brooders food dictated by breeding and growth patterns heat pads hospital cages humidicribs incubators invertebrate breeding cages. |
Risks to animals during artificial feeding may include: | acquisition of aberrant behaviours aspiration imprinting infection lack of socialisation pneumonia. |
Growth and general condition monitoring may include: | appearance of the body or coat body measurements monitoring weight temperature. |
Weaning may involve: | changing the diet introducing alternative feeding strategies weaning from human contact. |
Records may include: | those required by legislation and facility policies and procedures: animal identification and health records facility breeding program records, if applicable yearly returns to relevant state or territory bodies detailing the survival of all wildlife held, if required. |
Sectors
Unit sector | Captive animals |
Employability Skills
This unit contains employability skills. |
Licensing Information
Not applicable.