The welfare of wild animals in zoological institutions: are we meeting our duty of care?

Zoo animal welfare is a high priority for many institutions worldwide, with modern zoos now ensuring that animals are housed and cared for to the highest standards. However, in countries where this knowledge is not as available or understood, standards may be lower. The aim of this research was to investigate if there were common zoo welfare concerns across developing country zoos. Wild Welfare is a charity working globally to improve welfare for zoo animals and has an independent welfare audit that is carried out before any intervention occurs. The Wild Welfare Audit, consisting of 110 questions, covering nine topics, was completed at 11 zoos in seven developing countries (Brazil, Egypt, Libya, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam) following a Likert scale score (1–3). A principal component analysis was also performed to evaluate the audit questions. The results suggest that common areas of concern were animal behaviour, positive animal mental states and human health and safety. These themes were likely due to the lack knowledge and understanding that may be linked to historical and cultural differences. This research has helped to revise the welfare audit as well as inform future intervention strategies for improving developing country zoo animal welfare.

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using Zoo Welfare Assessments to Identify Common Issues in Developing Country Zoos

Ward

Williams

Groves³

et al. 2020

“…comm, October 2015) such as those outlined in Caring for wildlife, the WAZA animal welfare strategy [ 1 ]. The field of zoo animal welfare science has developed significantly over recent years [ 1 , 2 , 14 ], however these developments often seem to be region-specific and it is possible that as zoos in the Western world embrace technology and science in the assessment and improvement of animal welfare, we may further increase the distance between the activities and standards of the global zoo community as many countries struggle to provide good zoo animal welfare [ 15 ]. It may also be suggested that because of the varying standards of zoos around the world, the concept of a ‘Global zoo community’ is a challenging one, but in terms of assessing ‘standards’, the distinction is not so simple as accredited versus non-accredited zoos.…”

Section: Zoo Animal Welfarementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Such zoos are more likely to be located in countries where resources to provide for zoo animal welfare are restricted, and where technological and research advances in the fields of zoo animal welfare science and enrichment are limited. Whilst specific capacity-building of zoo professionals can be impactful [ 15 , 16 ], there are also cultural, resource-based and knowledge limitations: Knowledge of the diverse and complex needs of the species housed in zoos may contribute one barrier to the ability of zoos to provide good animal welfare [ 17 ]. Developments in animal welfare science have historically been biased towards the agricultural industry [ 18 , 19 ], whilst animal welfare in zoos has relied upon taking remedial action, once indicators of poor welfare are identified in zoo animals [ 17 ].…”

Section: Zoo Animal Welfarementioning

confidence: 99%

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

Bacon

2018

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.

“…Animal welfare is an all-encompassing concept and notoriously hard to measure, where the most accurate approach is to collect behavioral, physiological and cognitive data over a period of time and then weight the results to achieve some sort of meaningful overall picture of welfare [ 9 , 11 , 67 , 68 ]. Although modern zoos report that good animal welfare is a priority and central to their purpose [ 69 ], they often do not have the time or resources to measure welfare continuously and scientifically [ 70 , 71 ], bearing in mind that this is still a relatively new branch of science [ 9 ]. The application of cognitive bias testing to animals has been the one of the most significant discoveries in the last decade for animal welfare science due to its feasibility and success in reflecting affective states [ 36 , 72 ].…”

Section: Why Should Zoos Conduct Cognitive Bias Research?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Cognitive Bias in Zoo Animals: An Optimistic Outlook for Welfare Assessment

Clegg¹

2018

Simple SummaryCognitive bias testing has emerged as one of the most valid tools in measuring animals’ affective states, and while it has been extensively applied in farm and laboratory settings, only a few studies have taken place in zoos and aquaria. This review evaluates past cognitive bias studies on non-domesticated, “exotic” species kept in zoos or other settings and uses their experiences to make recommendations for establishing this research in zoos. The many variables inherent to functioning zoo environments will determine the scope and design of cognitive bias studies, but equally future efforts should be cognizant of the significant and unique benefits for the animals, managers, and scientists involved.AbstractCognitive bias testing measures how emotional states can affect cognitive processes, often described using the “glass half-full/half-empty” paradigm. Classical or operant conditioning is used to measure responses to ambiguous cues, and it has been reported across many species and contexts that an animal’s cognitive bias can be directly linked to welfare state, e.g., those in better welfare make more optimistic judgements. Cognitive bias testing has only recently been applied to animals and represents a key milestone in welfare science: it is currently one of the only accurate methods available to measure welfare. The tests have been conducted on many farm, laboratory, and companion animal species, but have only been carried out in zoo settings a handful of times. The aims of this review are to evaluate the feasibility of cognitive bias testing in zoos and its potential as a tool for studying zoo animal welfare. The few existing zoo cognitive bias studies are reviewed, as well as those conducted on similar, non-domesticated species. This work is then used to discuss how tests could be successfully designed and executed in zoo settings, which types of tests are most appropriate in different contexts, and how the data could be used to improve animal welfare. The review closely examines the many variables are present in the zoo which cannot be controlled as in other settings, termed here the Zoo Environment (ZE) Variables. It is recommended that tests are developed after consideration of each of the ZE Variables, and through strong collaboration between zookeepers, managers, and academic institutions. There is much unexplored potential of cognitive bias testing in the zoo setting, not least its use in investigating animal welfare in zoos. It is hoped that this review will stimulate increased interest in this topic from zoo managers, scientists, and industry regulators alike.