Agriculture and Nature Conservation › Nature Conservation
This course equips learners with the knowledge and skills required to ensure the short-term welfare of cats housed in caged environments. Participants will learn to conduct thorough inspections of caging facilities, identify potential hazards, and implement appropriate care protocols. The course is designed to meet the requirements of the SAQA unit standard 261592, focusing on practical inspection techniques and ethical treatment standards.
This course is intended for animal welfare inspectors, shelter staff, veterinary assistants, and anyone responsible for the temporary housing and care of cats in caged settings. It is also suitable for individuals seeking formal recognition of their competence in feline caged environment management.
None — open enrollment.
Objectives:
• Understand the legislative and ethical framework for caged cat care.
• Identify key welfare indicators and stress-related behaviors in confined cats.
• Describe minimum requirements for cage design, hygiene, and environmental enrichment.
• Conduct a systematic inspection of a caged cat facility.
• Document findings and recommend corrective actions.
Topics:
• Overview of SAQA Unit Standard 261592 and relevant animal welfare legislation.
• Ethical considerations and animal welfare principles for short-term caged care.
• Stress indicators in cats: behavioral and physiological signs.
• Cage specifications: space, ventilation, lighting, and temperature.
• Hygiene protocols: cleaning schedules, waste management, and disease prevention.
• Environmental enrichment: toys, hiding places, and social interaction.
• Inspection methodology: checklists, observation techniques, and record-keeping.
• Reporting: non-compliance issues and corrective action plans.
Practical sessions allow learners to apply inspection techniques in a simulated caged environment, practice identifying welfare issues, and complete inspection reports. Hands-on experience reinforces theoretical knowledge and builds confidence in conducting facility inspections.
Each delegate is assessed continuously throughout the course via daily exercises, scored practical assignments, and a final summative test at the end.
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.
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.
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.
| 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.
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.
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.
| Delegates | Discount |
|---|---|
| 5 | 3% off |
| 10 | 6% off |
| 15 | 9% off |
| 20 | 12% off |
| 25 | 15% off |
| 30 | 18% off |
| 50 | 30% off |
| 75 | 35% off |
| 100 | 40% off |
3% discount per 5 delegates, up to 40% off for 100+ delegates. Contact us for a custom group quote.
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