Crucial but Neglected: Limited Availability of Animal Welfare Courses in Education of Wildlife Researchers
Animal welfare is a subject of increasing scientific and ethical concern in today’s society, crucial for the well-being of animals used in research and the integrity of scientific data. Equipping researchers in the life science disciplines with a science-based knowledge of animal welfare, behaviour, physiology, and health is, therefore, essential. Nevertheless, previous studies evaluating animal […]
By Bits and Pieces: The Contributions of Zoos and Aquariums to Science and Society via Biomaterials
Scientific research has long been recognized as one of the four pillars of the zoo or aquarium mission, alongside recreation, conservation, and education. This study sought to quantify a sample of zoos’ participation in scientific research via the provision of biomaterials from animals to outside scientists and the associated training of undergraduate and graduate students […]
Feeding Enrichment in a Captive Pack of European Wolves (Canis Lupus Lupus): Assessing the Effects on Welfare and on a Zoo’s Recreational, Educational and Conservational Role
This study investigated the effects of two feeding enrichment programs on the behaviour of a captive pack of European wolves (Canis lupus lupus) and their correlation with both zoo visitors’ interest towards the exhibit and their overall perception of the species. Behavioural data (exploration, stereotypies, social interactions, activity/inactivity rates) were collected on four male wolves […]
A Global Review of Animal-Visitor Interactions in Modern Zoos and Aquariums and Their Implications for Wild Animal Welfare
We provide an initial insight into the occurrence and characteristics of animal-visitor interactions (AVIs) involving captive wild animals within zoos and aquaria. Using information provided online via official public websites of modern zoos and aquaria, we found that AVIs were provided by the majority of facilities. Our study revealed that a variety of AVI types […]
Farm Manager Involvement in an Equine on-farm Welfare Assessment: Opportunities for Education and Improvement
Previous work surveying equine professionals has suggested ignorance to be a primary cause of poor welfare within the industry, highlighting the importance of improving educational opportunities for industry stakeholders. This may be achieved through on-farm assessments designed to evaluate facilities and share resources with farm owners. While used extensively for evaluating production animal facilities, equine […]
Why Zoos and Aquariums Matter: Assessing the impact of a visit to a zoo or aquarium
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Stimulating Natural Behavior in Captive Bears
Brown bears (Ursus arctos) in zoos are often kept under sub-optimal conditions and have behavioral time-budgets that differ from their wild counterparts. We conducted 2 experiments using novel feeding conditions for captive European brown bears (scattering food rather than piling and increasing feeding frequencies from 3 to 6/day) in the Bear Forest (BF), a 2-ha […]
The Effect of Zoo Visitors on the Behaviour and Welfare of Zoo Mammals
There is evidence that the presence of the visiting public affects the behaviour of zoo-housed mammals. Understanding the effect of visitors is important in improving animal welfare, achieving zoo conservation goals, increasing visitor education/entertainment, and facilitating interpretation of data on zoo animal biology. A series of studies and experiments focusing on the effect of zoo […]
Do zoos and aquariums promote attitude change in visitors? A critical evaluation of the american zoo and aquarium study
Modern-day zoos and aquariums market themselves as places of education and conservation. A recent study conducted by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA) (Falk et al., 2007) is being widely heralded as the fi rst direct evidence that visits to zoos and aquariums produce long-term positive eff ects on people’s attitudes toward other animals. […]