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BIAZA Domestic and Heritage Breeds Focus Group Member

This is an unpaid post for which you must have institutional support and your collection must be a BIAZA member.

The post is within the Domestic & Heritage Breeds Focus Group (DHBFG) which is part of The British & Irish Association of Zoos & Aquariums (BIAZA) Mammal Working Group (MWG). The Mammal Working Group sits within the Species Advisory Committee (SAC).

Species Advisory Committee objectives are as follows:

 a)          To ensure high standards of animal welfare, husbandry and management in BIAZA member zoos and aquariums, and encourage such standards elsewhere.

b)           To encourage the ex-situ conservation work of zoos and aquariums, and to ensure the fullest possible participation by BIAZA members.

c)           To liaise with and advise groups external to BIAZA on matters of animal welfare, husbandry and management affecting member zoos and aquariums.

The Domestic & Heritage Breed Focus Group aims to support the SAC through the following objectives:

• Identification of priority husbandry and care resources (e.g. care sheets) and development of those resources.
• Provision of necessary training events and documentation for keepers.
• Development of a forum or online space for networking.
• Amendment of relevant BIAZA policies and also the BIAZA Available and Wanted List to better support domestic stock acquisitions and dispositions.
• Carry out comms (e.g. online blog, conference presentations etc) to support and encourage BIAZA members with farm sections to work more closely with heritage breeds.
• Support development of new partnerships (e.g. RBST) to enhance BIAZA zoo contributions to heritage breeding.
   

ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES:     

• Support the DHBFG Chair in developing and communicating good practice in respect of domestic and heritage breeds care and welfare.
• Help in identifying and prioritising achievable objectives and evaluating their success, annually.
• Participate in regular (approx. quarterly) online DHBFG meetings to help drive progress in the group’s activities.
• Be prepared to represent the DHBFG at relevant events e.g. BIAZA Regional meetings, taxon working groups conferences etc.
• Liaise effectively with the BIAZA Office, SAC and MWG.
• Support DHBFG administration in a timely, professional and organized manner, e.g. any necessary minutes, agendas, delegate lists or presentations for meetings or training events.
• Remain up to date on current relevant issues and disseminate this information to the DHBFG and BIAZA Membership as appropriate.
• Participate in forums including on social media to enhance communications with respect to domestic animals.