From November 22-24, undergraduate team Brook Friend, Amelia Lively, Maddie Pinkerton, Molly Sprankle, and Brietta Latham, along with individual graduate student Shannon Kelley, competed in the annual American Veterinary Medicine Association (AVMA) Animal Welfare Assessment Contest hosted by Colorado State University. This is an international competition where students had the opportunity to learn about and assess the welfare of diverse species in both live and compared scenarios. Additionally, students also had the chance to meet and listen to a keynote presentation given by Dr. Temple Grandin. Graduate student Shannon Kelley placed 4th overall and placed 1st on the live assessment individually in the graduate division. A record 244 participants representing 25 universities competed in live and computer-based assessments of animal welfare in a variety of settings at the 19th annual AVMA Animal Welfare Assessment Contest.
Species covered in the 2019 contest included:
- Broiler Chickens
- Laboratory Zebrafish
- Captive African painted dogs
- Live Assessment: Livestock Sheep Slaughter
*Contestants evaluated sheep in lairage, facility design, data/records, and effectiveness of captive bolt positioning. Live animal slaughter will not be assessed.