title: Activities in German-speaking countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) to transform school education with the objective of increasing student awareness of animal welfare issues.
abstract: While harmful live-animal procedures in primary and secondary schools are illegal in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and classroom dissections are either illegal or at least unpopular, there is a relatively new trend in German-speaking schools to handle animal welfare issues by means of voluntary animal welfare lessons. This began in the 1980s, and there is now a growing number of (at this point, more than ten) organisations in German-speaking countries offering such classes and/or well-prepared teaching aids. Apart from outlining the legal situation for animal use in education and training, the different educational concepts for animal welfare as a subject in schools are presented.
authors.affiliation: Erna-Graff-Stiftung für Tierschutz, Berlin, Germany. erna-graff-stiftung@t-online.de
authors.forename: Joerg
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Luy
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Grune
mesh_terms: D000827:Animal Welfare; D000818:Animals; D001317:Austria; D001364:Awareness; D004493:Education; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D013557:Switzerland