A CURRENT AND ETHICAL VIEW OF THE ROLE OF VETERINARY PROFESSIONALS IN WILDLIFE RECOVERY CENTERS
Abstract
Wildlife recovery centres play an essential role in biodiversity conservation, while also increasing animal welfare standards and promoting better health surveillance. This work provides a comprehensive analysis of how they operate in Spain, covering their legal framework, main management models and the most common species treated. The role of the veterinarian in these centers is explored in depth, where they perform a work that combines clinical, surgical, epidemiological, biosecurity, conservation and education functions. They also face decision-making very influenced by ethical dilemmas related to treatment, the need for euthanasia, or release into the wild. All of this requires assessing the individual well-being of the animal, its functional viability in nature, and the conservation of its populations. At last, proposals for improvement are put forward, focusing on specialised training, the integration of the “One Health” approach, the strengthening of research and the creation of standardized ethical and technical criteria.
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References
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