Agriculture and Nature Conservation › Nature Conservation

Euthanasia Principles for Animal Welfare Workers Training

Name: Euthanasia Animal Welfare Workers Training
Price: 11300.0 ZAR
Availability: InStock

SAQA US 261594 | NQF 4 | Credits 5 | Duration 2 Days

From $610 per delegate

Description

This course equips animal welfare workers with the knowledge and skills to perform euthanasia of species commonly encountered in South African shelters and clinics. It covers ethical decision-making, humane techniques, legal requirements, and emotional support for staff. Participants will learn to apply principles of euthanasia in a compassionate, safe, and legally compliant manner.

Learning Outcomes

Apply the principles of humane euthanasia to species commonly dealt with by animal welfare workers.
Analyze the ethical and legal considerations surrounding euthanasia in an animal welfare context.
Demonstrate correct handling and restraint techniques for euthanasia procedures.
Evaluate different euthanasia methods and select appropriate ones for specific species.
Implement post-euthanasia procedures including carcass disposal and record-keeping.
Demonstrate emotional resilience and support strategies for staff involved in euthanasia.

Target Audience

Animal welfare workers, shelter staff, veterinary nurses, and field officers in South Africa who are responsible for or involved in the euthanasia of animals in their care.

Prerequisites

None — open enrollment. However, participants should be employed or volunteering in an animal welfare environment.

Course Outline

Day 1: Foundations of Euthanasia Principles

Objectives:
• Understand the ethical and legal framework for euthanasia in animal welfare.
• Identify appropriate methods and criteria for humane euthanasia.
• Recognize the physiological and behavioural indicators of death.
• Discuss the psychological impact on staff and coping strategies.

Topics:
• Introduction to euthanasia: definitions and ethical considerations.
• South African legal framework and SAQA-aligned standards.
• Criteria for euthanasia decision-making (quality of life assessments).
• Humane euthanasia methods: injectable agents, physical methods (captive bolt, gunshot), and gas chambers.
• Confirmation of death: absence of heartbeat, respiration, corneal reflex, and rigor mortis.
• Occupational health and safety: handling controlled substances, sharps disposal, and zoonotic risks.
• Compassion fatigue and staff support mechanisms.
• Case studies of ethical dilemmas in animal shelters.

Day 2: Application and Practical Integration

Objectives:
• Apply safe handling and restraint techniques for various species.
• Demonstrate correct administration of euthanasia agents.
• Perform post-euthanasia procedures and disposal according to regulations.
• Evaluate euthanasia protocols for continuous improvement.

Topics:
• Species-specific handling and restraint (dogs, cats, wildlife, livestock).
• Intravenous and intraperitoneal injection techniques.
• Use of pre-euthanasia sedation and anaesthesia.
• Euthanasia of neonates, pregnant animals, and aggressive animals.
• Record-keeping and reporting requirements.
• Disposal methods: incineration, rendering, burial, and composting.
• Auditing and improving euthanasia protocols.
• Simulated scenarios for decision-making under pressure.

Practicals

6 hours of practicals To be conducted online or on-campus or in-house

Overview

Hands-on practical sessions are essential to develop competence in safe handling, restraint, injection techniques, and confirmation of death. Learners will practice on models and ethically sourced cadavers under supervision to ensure humane and legal compliance.

Practical Activities

Safe Handling and Restraint — Learners practice safe handling and restraint techniques on live animals (dogs and cats) using muzzles, towels, and squeeze cages. (2h)
Injection Techniques and Euthanasia Administration — Using training models and cadavers, learners practice intravenous and intraperitoneal injection of euthanasia solution, including calculation of dosage. (2h)
Confirmation of Death and Post-Euthanasia Procedures — Learners practice confirming death using multiple indicators and perform post-euthanasia procedures including labelling, storage, and disposal. (2h)

Summatives

Each delegate is assessed continuously throughout the course via daily exercises, scored practical assignments, and a final summative test at the end.

Practical Assignments — 30%

Practical assignments are observed and scored against a rubric during the practical sessions. Each delegate's practical mark is averaged into a single 100% score and contributes 30% to the final total.

Daily Exercises — 20%

Every training day ends with a multiple-choice exercise scored out of 100%. The scores from each daily exercise are averaged across the duration of the course to produce a Daily Average mark, which contributes 20% to the final total.

Final Test — 50%

On the last day a final summative test is written. It is a multiple-choice paper with multiple-answer questions: each question may have more than one correct option, and a single wrong selection on a question marks the entire question wrong — no partial credit. The final test is scored out of 100% and contributes 50% to the overall mark.

Final Total

Component	Out of	Weight
Practical Assignments (rubric-scored)	100%	30%
Daily Average (multiple choice)	100%	20%
Final Test (multi-answer multiple choice)	100%	50%
Final Total	—	100%

All marks are recorded on the AATICD LMS and visible to each learner under their account.

Certificate

Certificate of Completion

Awarded to delegates who achieve an overall mark of 50% or higher on the Final Total (Practicals 30% + Daily Average 20% + Final Test 50%).

How it works

Certificates are auto-generated on the AATICD LMS as soon as the marks pass the 50% threshold.
Each certificate is a branded PDF with the delegate's name, the course title, the unit standard ID, NQF level, credits, and the date of issue.
You can download or print your certificate from your LMS dashboard at any time after issue — there's no reissue fee and no expiry date.
If you scored under 50% you can sit the final test again at the next scheduled session at no extra cost.

Where to find it

Sign in to the LMS, open your dashboard, and your certificates appear under My Certificates. Each entry has a View / Download button and a print option.

Training Discounts

Group discounts apply automatically — the more delegates you enrol, the greater the saving. Discounts are calculated at 3% per 5 delegates, scaling up to 40% off for 100+ delegates.