Access to Multiple Habitats Improves Welfare: A Case Study of Two Zoo-Housed Black Bears (Ursus americanus)

Bruno, Kelly; Hubbard, Cassidy; Lynch, Emily C.

doi:10.3390/jzbg4010010

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 46 publications

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“…Zoos should also consider the language they use and how they promote themselves. For example, using the term “habitat” for an animal’s enclosure ( Bruno et al, 2023 ) could be seen as disingenuous; a habitat is a biological system, where a species interacts with a myriad of biotic and abiotic interactions ( European Environment Agency, 2023 ). A zoo’s managed environment controls these interactions, and therefore explaining to visitors how specific aspects and resources of a habitat are replicated within an enclosure may be a more honest way of educating visitors on species’ ecology.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Five ways to wellbeing at the zoo: improving human health and connection to nature

Rose,

Riley

2023

Front. Psychol.

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Good mental and physical health go hand-in-hand when identifying factors that lead people to experience a better overall quality of life. A growing disconnect to the natural world is worsening the mental health of individuals in many societies. Numerous scientific publications have evidenced that being in nature and access to green and blue spaces positively impact upon humans’ physical and mental health. For many people, particularly those living in more urbanized areas, managed natural spaces and borrowed landscapes, such as those found in public parks, wildlife reserves and zoological gardens give the only opportunities for wider engagement with nature. Many zoos are designated green spaces and therefore human visitors can engage with native fauna and flora as well as exotic wild animals. This article reviews the UK Government’s “The Five Ways to Wellbeing” concept, applied to zoos and aquariums and thus suggests how zoos and aquariums can use this framework to promote positive nature-connectivity experiences for their visitors and promote good wellbeing. The Five Ways to Wellbeing are Connect, Be active, Take notice, Keep learning, and Give. We illustrate how zoos and aquariums could model their approaches to educational and engagement roles, as well as design initiatives to reach out to local communities via the Five Ways to Wellbeing concept. We show that many of the positive programs and works conducted by zoos and aquariums lend themselves to further engagement with the Five Ways to Wellbeing structure. By taking such a structured approach in the design, implementation and evaluation of their activities, zoos can expand their abilities in connecting humans with nature and further add value to their living collections of animals and plants. By including Wellbeing as a defined aim of the modern zoo, it will be clear to all of those involved in their work, visitors, workers, stakeholders, that zoos are working to promote, protect and preserve positive wellbeing outputs for humans and animals alike.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Five ways to wellbeing at the zoo: improving human health and connection to nature

Rose,

Riley

2023

Front. Psychol.

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Brown Bear Cognition and Welfare

Chambers,

O’Hara

2023

Animal Behaviour and Welfare Cases

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The welfare of large-brained wide-roaming carnivores in captivity has been of longstanding public and professional concern. Bears are one such example. Ursids have unexpectedly large relative brain sizes, indeed showing brain size increases similar to those observed in canids. Bears also have considerable space requirements, with extensive home range sizes seen in the wild. Species with complex requirements often face difficulties when placed in artificial environments. Cognitive enrichment, however, may work to ameliorate this by providing stimulating mental challenges for individuals living in zoological settings. This case study explores the proposed benefits of cognitive trials. To do so, we exposed 17 captive European brown bears ( Ursus arctos arctos ) housed in UK zoos to two experimental tasks (1) a puzzle box and (2) an object-manipulation set-up. A total of 14 of the bears voluntarily engaged with the puzzle box, while 15 individuals interacted with the object-manipulation set-up. The bears that failed to interact with the tests were likely dissuaded due to the collective nature of testing, a lack of motivation or fear of novel objects. Cognitive stimulation, such as that provided in our study, offers one means of improving the welfare of captive bears. We advocate the use of cognition studies for zoo-housed bears to enrich their lived-experiences when housed in zoological settings. Information © The Authors 2023

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Management Effects on Gastrointestinal Disease in Red Wolves (Canis rufus) Under Human Care: A Retrospective Study

Fontaine,

Campbell,

Opperman

et al. 2024

Animals

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Red wolves (Canis rufus) are the most critically endangered wolf globally, with over 95% of individuals living under human care. Gastrointestinal (GI) disease is one of the leading causes of death among adult red wolves under human care, yet links between management practices and this condition remain unclear. By integrating studbook data, survey-based husbandry information, veterinary records, and necropsy reports, our study explored the relationships between management practices and post-mortem diagnoses of GI mucosal disease among 36 adult red wolves between 2004 and 2022. For final diets fed for a minimum of 4 months before death, we report that wolves fed diets limited to only kibble were more likely to exhibit a greater severity of GI mucosal disease than those fed diets that integrated whole prey or other meat items. In addition, while living at their final facilities for a minimum of 9 months before death, wolves treated with a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug exhibited more severe GI issues than those who were not. Conversely, we found no effect of housing and life history traits on GI health. This study highlights the importance of evaluating management and veterinary protocols on red wolf GI health.

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Access to Multiple Habitats Improves Welfare: A Case Study of Two Zoo-Housed Black Bears (Ursus americanus)

Cited by 3 publications

References 46 publications

Five ways to wellbeing at the zoo: improving human health and connection to nature

Five ways to wellbeing at the zoo: improving human health and connection to nature

Brown Bear Cognition and Welfare

Management Effects on Gastrointestinal Disease in Red Wolves (Canis rufus) Under Human Care: A Retrospective Study

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