Goal-oriented behavioural and environmental enrichment in aquarium species
Environmental enrichment is a common tool used in zoo and aquarium settings to provide mental and physical stimulation to animals under human care. This paper aims to present a primary approach to goal-oriented environmental and behavioural enrichment following a simplified version of the SPIDER method for a diverse range of aquarium-housed species. The aim of […]
Assessing the Psychological Priorities for Optimising Captive Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus) Welfare
The welfare status of elephants under human care has been a contentious issue for two decades or more in numerous western countries. Much effort has gone into assessing the welfare of captive elephants at individual and population levels with little consensus having been achieved in relation to both the welfare requirements of captive elephants, or […]
Calves’ motivation for access to two different types of social contact measured by operant conditioning
Calves housed individually have little opportunity for social contact. However, performance of social behaviour may constitute a need in calves. Slopes of demand functions (demand elasticity), generated by operant conditioning techniques, are used to measure behavioural motivation of farm animals. A methodological discussion concerns the way social contact should be provided in operant conditioning studies. […]
Consumer demand under commercial husbandry conditions: practical advice on measuring behavioural priorities in captive animals
In recent years, consumer demand studies have been used to objectively quantify the value that captive animals place on environmental resources. Considerable progress has been made in the development of effective methodologies to assess what resources are valued under controlled experimental conditions, but few of the findings from these studies have been implemented in commercial […]
The effect of substrate availability on behavioural and physiological indicators of welfare in the African cichlid (Oreochromis mossambicus)
Male African cichlids (Oreochromis mossambicus) establish territories on the substrate upon which spawning pits are dug, thus attracting females. The substrate, therefore, plays a very significant role in its lifecycle. The effects of substrate access on behaviour and physiology in captivity were assessed. Mixed-sex, all-male and all-female groups were observed for five days, with and […]
The Nature and Evolution of Behavioral Needs in Mammals.
Mammals are unique among vertebrates in experiencing a need to carry out behaviours which are not necessary for their immediate survival This poses questions as to the nature of these behavioural needs, how they evolved and their implications for the welfare of mammals in captivity. Evidence is provided to show that mammals carry out daily […]
On Comparing the Behaviour of Zoo Housed Animals with Wild Conspecifics as a Welfare Indicator
It is commonly assumed that animals suffer if they cannot perform behaviours seen in wild conspecifics. Although comparisons with the behaviour of wild conspecifics are a popular method of assessing the welfare of captive animals, their validity has not been fully assessed. Homeostatic models of motivation suggest that many behaviours are stimulus driven rather than […]
The concept of behavioural needs in contemporary fur science: do we know what American mink (Mustela vison) really need?
This paper discusses the ethical implications of applying the concept of behavioural needs to captive animals. This is done on the basis of analysing the scientific literature on farmed mink and their possible need for swimming. In the wild, American mink (Mustela vison) are semi-aquatic predators, lending initial support to the claim that captive mink […]