Animal Facilities

At Hartpury, we are fast establishing ourselves as a globally-recognised centre for animal science, behaviour and welfare.

We are continually developing our animal facilities, which are prioritised to enhance your student experience. They are used for behavioural observations and for impact-driven research, to help solve real-world issues. With new science and the latest technology, our animal laboratories and animal collection enable you to explore ground-breaking new methods to help us understand and research animals like never before.

Animal Collection

As a Hartpury student, you'll have access to over 70 domestic and non-domestic species on-site. There aren’t many places that you’ll have access to invertebrates, reptiles, livestock and exotic species.

We have several different animal areas on campus which you can access:

The Animal Management Centre works as a purpose-built teaching space, that houses a wide range of reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates to diversify your practical experience. It also has a fully stocked aquatics room with a variety of tropical and cold-water fish and semi aquatic species including axolotls, crayfish and amazon tree milk frogs.
The Walled Animal Garden is home to our small mammals such as rodents, chinchillas, rabbits, guinea pigs, skunk, prairie dogs, meerkats as well as tortoises and aviaries. It also features a three adaptable teaching spaces for outstanding practical sessions.
At the orchard paddocks you can find wallabies, llamas, poultry and rare Bagot goats.

You'll also have access to the domestic species on our commercial farm and horses in our world-class equine facilities, including our Equine Therapy Centre.

Animal Science laboratories

Our Animal Science laboratories and Veterinary Nursing Centre have specialist equipment for teaching and research. They are the perfect hub for you to learn more about anatomy and physiology, including dissections, as well as gather important data for your dissertations and postgraduate research.

The facilities in our labs include a thermal imager, new magnifiers and binocular and trinocular microscopes, dietcheck software, a veterinary haematology analyser, and a microplate reader.

You could be using the labs to examine the cause, transmission, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases or even examining the process of microbial infection.

Dog Agility Arena

The dog agility arena can be used within practical teaching sessions to gain a deeper insight into canine training, fitness, the human-animal bond, as well as health and safety. You could also use the dog agility arena to provide material for your dissertation or postgraduate research. Equipment includes; a first contact A-frame, dog walk and seesaw, along side jumps, tunnels, 12 weave poles and a break away tyre.

Cotswold Dog Spa

We have a commercial canine hydrotherapy centre on-site - The Cotswold Dog Spa. Owned and run by a Hartpury graduate, many of the current staff also studied at Hartpury.

The Cotswold Dog Spa provides students with opportunities for work experience and helps bring your learning to life. You are able to see the work of the spa and come in contact with dogs undergoing rehabilitation, as well as experiencing a working business on site.

Cotswold Dog Spa