Behavioural Impact of Captive Management Changes in Three Species of Testudinidae

Turner, Jessica T.; Whittaker, Alexandra L.; McLelland, David J.

doi:10.3390/jzbg3040041

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 43 publications

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“…Temperature plays a key role, as reptiles and amphibians are cold-blooded animals [12,15]. If the air temperature is too low or too high, they can not thermoregulate properly, leading to discomfort and illness [1,16,17]. At fairs, animals are housed primarily in small plastic containers that sometimes do not even allow them to stretch (Figure 1).…”

Section: Animal Welfare During Exotic-pet Fairsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of Animal Welfare at an Exotic Animal Fair in Poland: A Focus on the Quality of Exhibition Containers for Reptiles and Amphibians

Zieliński,

Nawłatyna,

Wójcik

et al. 2024

Animals

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Given the growing number of events involving exotic animals, it is crucial to prioritize the well-being of the animals involved. This study aims to evaluate the quality of animal presentation at a selected fair in Poland and assess the level of animal welfare evident in the exhibition boxes, contributing to the ongoing dialogue on this important issue. The evaluators used a five-point Likert scale and a Yes/No system to analyze the living conditions during the fair, including the size of containers, presence of substrate, and environmental enrichment. They also assessed the occurrence of visual abnormal postures and behaviors to gauge the overall level of welfare. To ensure the reliability and consistency of the data and minimize potential bias, each evaluator repeated the rating process three times, with a three-week interval between each session. An average value was then calculated for each aspect. A total of 818 animals were present at the fair, with 688 being reptiles (84.11%) and 130 being amphibians (15.89%). This study revealed that the provision of substrate scored higher for reptiles compared to amphibians, while the size of containers for amphibians received higher ratings than those for reptiles. Visual abnormalities in posture and behavior were more common in reptiles than in amphibians. Display containers for snakes received the lowest ratings and showed more visual abnormalities in posture and behavior, raising concerns about their welfare. Despite the presence of environmental enrichment, the overall level of animal welfare was assessed as being medium/low. Pearson’s correlation coefficient indicated good reliability among the evaluators during the assessment process, with most assessments showing values > 0.8. Despite existing regulations for exhibitors, neglect remains prevalent. These findings highlight the potential negative impact of animal exposure at fairs on animal welfare. Display containers were often inadequately sized for the animals, particularly for snakes, chameleons, monitor lizards, and salamanders.

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Section: Animal Welfare During Exotic-pet Fairsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of Animal Welfare at an Exotic Animal Fair in Poland: A Focus on the Quality of Exhibition Containers for Reptiles and Amphibians

Zieliński,

Nawłatyna,

Wójcik

et al. 2024

Animals

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Predictors of animal sponsorship to support zoo‐based conservation activities

Doarks,

Arbuckle

2024

Conservat Sci and Prac

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Public donations are an important form of fundraising for zoos and are used to support conservation activities. Understanding what influences zoo animal sponsorship by the public is crucial if zoos are to optimize strategies for increasing income from sponsors. Using sponsorship data obtained from seven diverse zoos within the UK, we used a phylogenetically informed approach to investigate predictors of the number of sponsors a species receives. We found no support for an effect of body mass, conservation status, solitary versus group housing, phylogenetic distance from humans, daily activity patterns, or the diet of the species on the number of sponsors a species attracts. However, we found strong phylogenetic signal, suggesting that particular groups of animals attract disproportionate sponsorship attention (but the specific species within these groups is of limited importance). Moreover, we found support for species with common names that are found toward the start of the alphabet having more sponsors. This is likely driven by the common practice of listing species that can be sponsored in alphabetical order when presenting them to potential sponsors (with people being more likely to choose species near the start of a list). Interestingly, the lack of effect of body mass, phylogenetic distance, and conservation status contrast with previous work on non‐zoo conservation preferences, suggesting possible differences between motivations of zoo and non‐zoo conservation donors, or between animal sponsorship and other forms of conservation involvement. We suggest two strategies for maximizing sponsorship for zoo animals. If zoos manage sponsorship income as a collective pool then allowing sponsorship of a range of species within particularly well‐sponsored animal groups should improve uptake. Alternatively, if zoos allocate sponsorship income to the specific species sponsored, then funding may be effectively diverted to priority species simply by altering the order of lists of animals which can be sponsored.

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Fundamental Knowledge on Forgotten Species: An Exploration of Data from Rarely Studied Captive Animals

Descovich

Kemp

Rendle

2023

JZBG

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Behavioural Impact of Captive Management Changes in Three Species of Testudinidae

Cited by 3 publications

References 43 publications

Assessment of Animal Welfare at an Exotic Animal Fair in Poland: A Focus on the Quality of Exhibition Containers for Reptiles and Amphibians

Assessment of Animal Welfare at an Exotic Animal Fair in Poland: A Focus on the Quality of Exhibition Containers for Reptiles and Amphibians

Predictors of animal sponsorship to support zoo‐based conservation activities

Fundamental Knowledge on Forgotten Species: An Exploration of Data from Rarely Studied Captive Animals

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