Is interactive technology a relevant and effective enrichment for captive great apes?

Kim-McCormack, Nicky N.E.; Smith, Carolynn L.; Behie, Alison

doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2016.09.012

Cited by 31 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 70 publications

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“…In some cases, the application of technology in the field of zoo animal enrichment may fail to account for species-specific ecology and thus may fail to address the underlying motivation for the behavioral problem it is aiming to fix. However, technology may also provide useful opportunities to enhance welfare when applied appropriately [ 75 ]. As with any enrichment approach, evaluation of success is necessary [ 25 ].…”

Section: Zoo Animal Welfarementioning

confidence: 99%

Behaviour-Based Husbandry—A Holistic Approach to the Management of Abnormal Repetitive Behaviors

Bacon

2018

Animals

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Simple SummaryThis paper outlines some of the barriers to implementing improved zoo animal welfare in practice, and proposes a new strategy for the development of behavioral husbandry routines focused on the management and mitigation of abnormal repetitive behaviors. Focusing on enhancing zoo animal welfare by integrating aspects of ecology, ethology and clinical animal behavior into a practical and comprehensive approach to behavior-based husbandry.AbstractThe field of zoo animal welfare science has developed significantly over recent years. However despite this progress in terms of scientific research, globally, zoo animals still face many welfare challenges. Recently, animal welfare frameworks such as the five domains or five needs have been developed and suggested to improve the welfare of zoo animals, but without practical guidance, such tools may remain abstract from the daily experience of zoo animals. Similarly specific practical strategies such as those for enrichment development exist, but their lack of holistic integration with other aspects of animal husbandry and behavioral medicine means that overall, good zoo animal welfare may still be lacking. This paper outlines some of the barriers to implementing improved zoo animal welfare in practice, and proposes a new strategy for the development of behavioral husbandry routines focused on the management and mitigation of abnormal repetitive behaviors. Focusing on enhancing zoo animal welfare by integrating aspects of ecology, ethology and clinical animal behavior into a practical and comprehensive approach to behavior-based husbandry.

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Section: Zoo Animal Welfarementioning

confidence: 99%

Behaviour-Based Husbandry—A Holistic Approach to the Management of Abnormal Repetitive Behaviors

Bacon

2018

Animals

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“…With this growth in research, animal–computer interfaces used in zoo contexts have also increased; predominantly for enrichment purposes [ 10 , 11 , 12 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 ] and to allow animals to control their activities and environment [ 22 , 23 ]. Here, we define (environmental) enrichment as interventions that enhance the animals’ habitat in ways that support species-appropriate behaviours, introduce stimulating change and complexity in and better control over the environment, or provide cognitive challenges [ 24 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Music for Monkeys: Building Methods to Design with White-Faced Sakis for Animal-Driven Audio Enrichment Devices

Piitulainen

Hirskyj-Douglas

2020

Animals

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Computer systems for primates to listen to audio have been researched for a long time. However, there is a lack of investigations into what kind of sounds primates would prefer to listen to, how to quantify their preference, and how audio systems and methods can be designed in an animal-focused manner. One pressing question is, if given the choice to control an audio system, would or could primates use such a system. In this study, we design an audio enrichment prototype and method for white-faced sakis that allows them to listen to different sounds in their regular zoo habitat while automatically logging their interactions. Focusing on animal-centred design, this prototype was built from low fidelity testing of different forms within the sakis’ enclosure and gathering requirements from those who care for and view the animal. This process of designing in a participatory manner with the sakis resulted in an interactive system that was shown to be viable, non-invasive, highly interactive, and easy to use in a zoo habitat. Recordings of the sakis’ interactions demonstrated that the sakis triggered traffic audio more than silence, rain sounds, zen, and electronic music. The data and method also highlight the benefit of a longitudinal study within the animals’ own environment to mitigate against the novelty effect and the day-to-day varying rhythm of the animals and the zoo environment. This study builds on animal-centred methods and design paradigms to allow the monitoring of the animals’ behaviours in zoo environments, demonstrating that useful data can be yielded from primate-controlled devices. For the Animal-Computer Interaction community, this is the first audio enrichment system used in zoo contexts within the animals own environment over a long period of time that gives the primate control over their interactions and records this automatically.

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“…Great ape enrichment increasingly uses computer technology; this includes touchscreens (via a static computer monitor or computer tablet), projected images, and embedded microchips (Perdue et al, 2012; Kim-McCormack et al, 2016). A review of published great ape enrichment focusing on “digital enrichment” up to 2016 (Kim-McCormack et al, 2016) reported six studies on orangutans Pongo pygmaeus , three on chimpanzees, and none on bonobos Pan paniscus or gorillas Gorilla gorilla gorilla. There were a further 27 cited studies on technology without a focus on enrichment; for example for pure animal cognition research.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High-Tech and Tactile: Cognitive Enrichment for Zoo-Housed Gorillas

et al. 2019

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The field of environmental enrichment for zoo animals, particularly great apes, has been revived by technological advancements such as touchscreen interfaces and motion sensors. However, direct animal-computer interaction (ACI) is impractical or undesirable for many zoos. We developed a modular cuboid puzzle maze for the troop of six Western lowland gorillas ( Gorilla gorilla gorilla ) at Bristol Zoo Gardens, United Kingdom. The gorillas could use their fingers or tools to interact with interconnected modules and remove food rewards. Twelve modules could be interchanged within the frame to create novel iterations with every trial. We took a screen-free approach to enrichment: substituting ACI for tactile, physically complex device components, in addition to hidden automatic sensors, and cameras to log device use. The current study evaluated the gorillas’ behavioral responses to the device, and evaluated it as a form of “cognitive enrichment.” Five out of six gorillas used the device, during monthly trials of 1 h duration, over a 6 month period. All users were female including two infants, and there were significant individual differences in duration of device use. The successful extraction of food rewards was only performed by the three tool-using gorillas. Device use did not diminish over time, and gorillas took turns to use the device alone or as one mother-infant dyad. Our results suggest that the device was a form of cognitive enrichment for the study troop because it allowed gorillas to solve novel challenges, and device use was not associated with behavioral indicators of stress or frustration. However, device exposure had no significant effects on gorilla activity budgets. The device has the potential to be a sustainable enrichment method in the long-term, tailored to individual gorilla skill levels and motivations. Our study represents a technological advancement for gorilla enrichment, an area which had been particularly overlooked until now. We wholly encourage the continued development of this physical maze system for other great apes under human care, with or without computer logging technology.

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Is interactive technology a relevant and effective enrichment for captive great apes?

Cited by 31 publications

References 70 publications

Behaviour-Based Husbandry—A Holistic Approach to the Management of Abnormal Repetitive Behaviors

Behaviour-Based Husbandry—A Holistic Approach to the Management of Abnormal Repetitive Behaviors

Music for Monkeys: Building Methods to Design with White-Faced Sakis for Animal-Driven Audio Enrichment Devices

High-Tech and Tactile: Cognitive Enrichment for Zoo-Housed Gorillas

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