When a team of University of Wisconsin-River Falls students competed in a competition at their home campus that included peers from across North America and Europe, it was an opportunity to learn from experts and students about animal welfare.
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Animal Welfare Assessment Contest held Nov. 17-19 was also an opportunity for UW-River Falls students to showcase their knowledge of how to care for animals.
A five-student team made up animal science majors of Emma Hamilton, Brooke Casey, Alli Matzek, Beth McIlquham and Lilly Streich placed third in the senior undergraduate division, defeating larger research universities. Matzek also placed fourth in the individual part of the competition. Student Shawna Sigl participated in the event’s graduate level.
Participating students said they didn’t feel that they had done especially well in the competition, in part because of its rigor. When team members learned they had placed third, they were surprised and heartened.
“At first I couldn’t believe it,” Casey said. “Then I realized that we really had done well, and it felt really good.”
As team members waited to hear how they had placed, their coach, Kate Creutzinger, assistant professor of animal welfare and behavior at UW-River Falls, waited with them. When their third-place finish was announced, Creutzinger let out a yell of excitement.
“It was great to see this team come together under challenging circumstances and perform so well,” said Creutzinger, who was hired by the Wisconsin Dairy Innovation Hub to study dairy cattle welfare and behavior.
Some 232 undergraduate, graduate, and veterinary students from 24 universities participated in the judging contest as they learned about animal welfare. The event began in 2002 at Michigan State University and has grown substantially since. It moves to different locations across the U.S. UW-River Falls will host the event again next year.
As part of this year’s contest, students were provided with information depicting living conditions for farmed bison, tortoises in a zoo, cage-free laying hens, and lab rats. Students studied those scenarios and worked to explain shortcomings of each situation and how to improve conditions for animals.
Contest participants faced tight timelines to assess animals’ conditions and prepare comments for judges. They felt pressure to perform well because their judges were animal welfare experts.
“It was stressful,” Hamilton said. “You have to really know what you’re talking about because you’re explaining animal welfare to people who are experts in their field. It can certainly feel intimidating at times.”
Sigl described participating in the event similarly, saying the time constraints were challenging.
“It feels like there’s no time to breathe,” Sigl said. “There is so much work to do in such a short amount of time to get ready for the judges.”
Source: uwrf.edu
Photo Credit: pexels-adam-sondel
Categories: Wisconsin, Education