We’re proud to offer a well‑equipped Animal Welfare Centre to support your learning.
Our purpose‑built facility is home to over 130 different species, giving you the chance to work closely with everything from tiny invertebrates to exotic mammals.
These facilities mean our students get to:
- Work hands‑on with an exceptional range of species
- Learn in environments that reflect real workplaces
- Have expert staff guide your journey
- Develop confidence, independence and employability
- Becoming genuinely work‑ready
Care for a wide range of species
One of the biggest advantages of studying in our Animal Welfare Centre is the diversity of species you’ll work with.
From tiny assassin bugs to meerkats, we give you opportunities to house, care for and handle a wide range of animals.
The centre promotes best practice in all aspects of animal husbandry and our species include:
- Domestic species such as rabbits and guinea pigs
- Exotics including primates, sugar gliders and dwarf mongoose
- Reptiles and amphibians including frogs, lizards, tortoises and snakes
- Birds from parrots and cockatiels to finches and doves
- Aquatics including tropical, freshwater and cold‑water species
We work in partnership with other organisations to grow our collection and keep our range of species broad and industry‑relevant.
Learn to work like a professional
We run the centre to commercial standards, so students get a greater understanding of what the animal care industry is all about.
The centre is Balai Approved, which ensures that facilities are maintained to the highest standard and allows the movement of animals between other collections.
We also use the state-of-the-art system ZIMS, which is used globally by all large animal collections and to produce detailed reports including stock lists, relationship reports and daily notes on our animals.
We are currently a member of the Pet Care Trust, hold a Pet Shop licence and are in the process of applying for a Dangerous Wild Animal licence so that the range of species we keep can be increased.
Contributing to Global Conservation
Our Animal Welfare Centre doesn’t just support learning on campus, it plays an active role in real‑world conservation.
As proud partners of Nature’s SAFE, Europe’s leading wildlife cryo‑biobank, we work alongside scientists to help protect endangered species for future generations.
By contributing to the preservation of living cells and tissues from threatened animals, we’re helping to support future conservation and restoration programmes.
Our specialist facilities
Home to scorpions, millipedes, tarantulas, newts, frogs, mantids and more, this centre supports learning in conservation and amphibian husbandry – a skill that’s increasingly important due to threats like the Chytrid fungus.
Our Aquatic Centre offers a wide range of modern, industry‑standard tanks, similar to those found in aquatic retail settings. You’ll learn how to test water quality, set tank conditions and care for species including tropical fish, cold‑water fish and the endangered Asian yellow pond turtle.
Indoor and outdoor aviaries house a variety of birds, including canaries, lovebirds, budgies and parrots, giving you real insight into avian care and flight‑space management.
Our specialist rooms include controlled environments for reptiles, amphibians and small mammals. These spaces give you first‑hand experience of heating, lighting, enclosure design and behavioural observation.
Larger mammals such as Kune Kune pigs, llamas, alpacas, Bennett’s wallaby and rhea are housed in purpose‑designed paddocks that mimic real industry environments.
Our animal accommodation includes small mammal housing, rodent rooms and additional specialist spaces to support varied learning and animal needs.
The twilight centre is a group of walk-in exhibits in a reversed light cycle room, housing rats, sugar gliders and an Asian palm civet.
Learning guided by experts
Our Animal Welfare Centre is run by a dedicated team of technicians, keepers and specialist staff with strong industry backgrounds.
Our team work together with our students to ensure that:
- The animals we keep reflect real industry sectors
- Students build relevant, practical, work‑ready skills
- Every animal receives high‑quality care, every day
Watch our video with Centre Manager Dean Sharman‑Frost as he explains more about his team and how they genuinely care about both student development and animal welfare.
Ready to take your next step?
Explore our animal welfare courses at Moulton College.
