Abstract

Professional veterinarians are one of the most affected
professions when it comes to killing animals. However,
in some situations the opinion about the acceptance
of killing of animals differs between people, which can
cause a dilemma for the executing person. In a pilot
study based on questionnaires, veterinarians from dif-
ferent working fields and students of different branches
stated their acceptance of killing of animals in diverse
concrete situations. The result clearly demonstrates a
higher acceptance of killing of animals among veteri-
narians with longtime experience in contrast to other
groups and the almost same acceptance among agri-
cultural students. The acceptance increased with age,
however, we could not find a gender specific difference
except of within a narrow age interval. The variability
of acceptance within the same profession group differs
between the situations. Veterinarians should be aware
of their different thinking about killing of animals in
some situations compared to other people and should
know the reason of such differences. This is important
not least to protect themselves and their opinion and
to contribute to their societal responsibility by their
veterinarian activity.