Mapping Shade Availability and Use in Zoo Environments: A Tool for Evaluating Thermal Comfort

Abstract

For many species in zoos, particularly megafauna vulnerable to heat stress, shade is a key environmental resource. However, shade availability has received comparatively less attention than other aspects of the zoo environment. In this study, we share a simple low-cost approach that we applied to document shade availability across 33 zoo enclosures. We then combined these assessments with behavioral observations of enclosure use and shade-seeking behavior during summer months in a case study focused on Sichuan takin (Budorcas taxicolor tibetana) (n = 3), a large cold-adapted bovid. Behavioral observations were conducted before and after installation of a shade sail for the takin. Results indicated that shade availability varied widely across zoo enclosures, with the percent of shaded space ranging from 85 % to 22 % across enclosures during summer months. Shade was a dynamic resource and increased throughout the year and fluctuated across the day, with the least shade available midday. Takin showed general preferences for shaded areas near the walls of their enclosure but were observed using newly available shade from the shade sail after its installation. These accessible methods can be easily applied to assess shade within existing enclosures, evaluate enclosure modifications, and provide guidance for the design of new enclosures.

Do zoo‐housed primates retreat from crowds? A simple study of five primate species

“…We invite other researchers looking to quantify welfare changes associated with visitor presence to consider incorporating space use, and specifically distance from visitors, in their studies. The approach described here is a relatively simple method of gathering data, and the location of animals and their distances from a point of interest in their environment is an objective measurement that can be used to consider animal comfort in many contexts (e.g., Ross et al, 2009 ; Sherwen et al, 2015 ; Wark et al, 2020 ; Williams et al, 2021a , 2021b ). While welfare is complex, and an animal's environment and experiences variable, there is a benefit to simple measures that can provide insight into important topics, and we hope that future work will continue to investigate this measure.…”

Do Birds of a Feather Always Flock Together? Assessing Differences in Group and Individual Zoo Enclosure Usage by Comparing Commonly Available Methods

“…Individual differences in motivation for specific behaviour patterns (e.g., differing degrees of hunger, or the need to bathe and preen) may account for this. Choosing to socialise with particular conspecifics [24,38] or to regulate internal physiology [39], or move away from visitor presence [26,40] or from the presence of other species in the enclosure [41], will also cause individual specific patterns in enclosure use.…”

The Welfare of Domestic Goats (Capra hircus) in a Zoo-Based Animal-Visitor Interaction Program

“…To determine whether the number of visitors present in the grooming yard predicted whether the goats chose to be in the yard or in a retreat space, we dichotomously categorized goat location as either in the grooming yard or in a retreat space to use as the dependent variable in a mixed-effects logistic regression model that included subject as a random factor, and temperature and weather (sunny, cloudy, rainy) as continuous and categorical fixed effects, respectively. Temperature was determined using the Weather Channel iOS app (following Wark et al, 2020). Temperature and weather were included to account for the possibility that goats or people were more likely to be in the yard under certain weather conditions (such as warm sunny days).…”