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Donkey behaviour – an overview of defensive aggression during handling

Donkeys have significant behaviour variations in comparison with horses, due to each species evolving in different environments. Donkeys have a reduced flight response compared with horses, but an increased tendency to display fight or freeze behaviours. Unlike horses, they can display territorial, defensive behaviour and show a wide range of sexual behaviours that require consideration during management. Donkeys can bond strongly to other donkeys or animals and separating bonded companions can cause stress severe enough to induce the potentially fatal condition hyperlipaemia. Donkeys show stoic body language in response to pain. Awareness of subtle behavioural indicators of fear and pain can improve donkey welfare and improve handler safety.

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The contribution of blended learning in the promotion of farm animal welfare

Roger Cutting
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In Western industrialised nations, within the domain of education and training, digital is now the default, where emerging technologies have increased connectedness to such a degree that they have driven a significant transformation in pedagogical methodologies. This is primarily due to the ease of access to smartphones and other connected personal devices. As a result, the constraints of location and time are no longer great barriers to learning, with learning possible to access in any mode and almost in any place and at any time. For geographically large countries such as China, these technologies can link the national to the international, connect city to city and the urban to the rural.

This paper will review existing blended learning approaches and how technology has influenced pedagogical approaches to teaching and training around animal welfare. A key component in the design of online learning resources is that it facilitates active design, production and of content. This can be shared in numerous formats, including text, images, sound, video, and online seminars and discussions, all of which are easily disseminated to potentially huge audiences. Such a ‘connected pedagogy’ also relies on establishing an environment that is characterised by meaningful engagement, problem-based learning, and peer-evaluation. The paper will review the approaches to be adopted by the Donkey Sanctuary on its learning platform and will demonstrate the design and implementation of and learning and training resources with specific reference to animal welfare and biosecurity.

The presentation concludes by placing animal welfare within the context of formal, moral education in China and how the philosophical and historical influences of Confucianism and Socialism have presented, as a key component, the maintenance of harmony between living and natural environments. This has made China an active promoter of sustainable development, an aspiration to which blended learning has much to contribute.

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