Abstract
Simple SummaryThe objective of this exploratory study was to investigate through a qualitative thematic analysis the reflections of six animal protection and wildlife conservation non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Romania regarding the development of the first specialized master’s degree program in ethology and human-animal interaction in the country. The two research questions addressed in the study were (1) What are the needs of the participating NGOs that could be addressed by the first professional master’s program in ethology and human-animal interactions in Romania? (2) What are the expectations regarding the roles of the graduates of the program on the collaboration with the NGOs in addressing common problems in the area of human-animal interactions in Romania? The qualitative content analysis of the written reflections allowed the identification of two themes, which provided us valuable insights regarding the curriculum offerings and the pedagogical strategies that could respond to the expressed expectations. The first theme refers to the concerns expressed by the representatives of the NGOs over the animal welfare and human-animal interactions in Romania, which included seven categories of codes: concerns over stray animals, lack of education of general population on animal welfare and interactions with animals, maltreatment of animals, human-animal conflicts, lack of professional specializations in ethology and human-animal interactions, concerns over common global issues, and concerns over national nature conservation. The second identified theme refers to the expectations regarding the roles of the graduates of the master’s degree program, and it includes the following four categories: agents for change towards a responsible community, problem solvers, public policy-makers, and providers of competence-based expertise. This study aims to explore through a qualitative thematic analysis the reflections of six animal protection and wildlife conservation NGOs in Romania regarding the development of the first specialized master’s degree program in ethology and human-animal interaction (EHAI), in relation to the identified needs based on their experience in the field, as well as their expectations in terms of collaboration with the graduates of such a program in addressing the common problems in the areas of animal welfare and human-animal interactions (HAIs). The qualitative content analysis of the written reflections allowed the identification of two themes, which provided valuable insights regarding the curriculum offerings and the pedagogical strategies that could respond to the expressed needs and expectations. The first theme included seven categories of concerns expressed by the NGOs over the animal welfare and HAIs in Romania, i.e., concerns over stray animals, lack of education of general population on HAI and animal welfare, maltreatment of animals, human-animal conflicts, lack of professional specializations in HAI, concerns over common global issues, and concerns over national nature conservation. The second theme refers to the expectations regarding the roles of the graduates of the EHAI master’s program, and it includes four categories of codes: agents for change towards a responsible community, problem solvers, public policy-makers, and providers of competence-based expertise. The inclusion of Service-Learning as signature pedagogy in the EHAI program, in connection with the One Welfare approach, is discussed in relation to the needs expressed by the representatives of the NGOs.
Highlights
The development of academic interest in human-animal interactions (HAIs) is reflected in the increasing number of research publications in the field of anthrozoology, as well as by the number of Higher Education programs around the world
Theme 1—Concerns Identified by the non-governmental associations (NGOs) over Animal Welfare and HAIs in Romania
The concerns over stray animals were presented by the respondents in connection to the other main codes, especially with the lack of education regarding human-animal interactions: “The high number of animals in the streets is influenced by the size of abandonment and the size of absorption of shelter animals in the population, both dimensions being determined by the level of education and understanding of human-animal relations.”
Summary
The development of academic interest in human-animal interactions (HAIs) is reflected in the increasing number of research publications in the field of anthrozoology, as well as by the number of Higher Education programs around the world. In terms of competencies-based curricula, the Higher Education degree programs in the field of animal welfare, ethology, and anthrozoology that currently exist in the European space (and around the world) are usually highly connected with the professions of ethologists, conservation specialists, animal therapists, and animal behaviorists, which are framed within national and EU legislation (in the case of the EU countries), as well as regulations that are implemented by national boards of professionals. The collaboration between Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and the representatives of the community, such as non-governmental associations (NGOs) and other institutions (e.g., shelters, farms, zoos, and aquariums), can offer important insights on the community needs and on the applicability of research and education to real-world scenarios [2,4,6,7]. One of the most common and simple definitions of an NGO is “ . . . an organization, that is not owned, directed by of affiliated to any governmental organization, which espouses a variety of ideologies and causes and operates on a non-for-profit basis” [8]
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