Final May 22 Bes Practice Camel Book_web_part1 - Rural Solutions ...

Definitions and TermsPest animal – native or introduced, wild orferal, non-human species of animal thatis currently troublesome locally, or over awide area, to one or more persons, either bybeing a health hazard, a general nuisance,or by destroying food, fibre, or naturalresources (Koehler, 1964).Welfare – an animals’ state as regards itsattempts to cope with its environment(Broom, 1999). Welfare includes the extentof any difficulty in coping or any failure tocope; it is a characteristic of an individualat a particular time and can range fromvery good to very poor. Pain and sufferingare important aspects of poor welfare,whereas good welfare is present whenthe nutritional, environmental, health,behavioural and mental needs of animalsare met. When welfare is good suffering isabsent (Littin et al., 2004).Humane Vertebrate Pest Animal Control –the development and selection of feasiblecontrol programs and techniques thatavoid or minimise pain, suffering and distressto target and non-target animals (RSPCA,2004).Best Practice Management – a structuredand consistent approach to themanagement of vertebrate pests in anattempt to achieve enduring and costeffectiveoutcomes. ‘Best practice’ isdefined as the best practice agreed at aparticular time following consideration ofscientific information and accumulatedexperience (Braysher, 1993).27All animals, including pest animals, must be handled in a way that avoids or causes the least possible pain or suffering.