Optimal Wellbeing of Ageing Wild Animals in Human Care
Many wild animals in human care live longer than their wild counterparts because of modern care and wellbeing programmes, leading to a growing demographic of ageing animals. This handbook is dedicated to their care. As an innovative expert publication, it integrates all aspects of professional care, including topics such as behaviour, ethics, environmental enrichment, training, […]
How do we plan for the zoo exhibit of the future?
Zoos regularly build new exhibits, many of which cost millions of US dollars. It is important that exhibits deliver from an animal, visitor, and staff perspective. It is rare for zoo exhibits to be quantitatively assessed, including trialing of exhibit design, even though this is common practice in the museum sector. This paper highlights the […]
The Benefits of Increased Space and Habitat Complexity for the Welfare of Zoo-Housed King Penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus)
Zoos and aquariums accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums embrace animal welfare as a foundational principle of habitat design. Modern habitats are designed to provide animals with choices and agency over their environment, and to encourage species-appropriate behavior and space use. In 2016, the Detroit Zoological Society opened the Polk Penguin Conservation Center, […]
Effects of a modern exhibit design on captive tiger welfare
Offering captive animals larger, more complex spaces are thought to benefit their welfare. To this end, some zoos use trail systems linked to several enclosures. Since little is known about the effects of such designs on the welfare of captive carnivores specifically, we timed the behaviors exhibited by four tigers (Panthera tigris [Linnaeus]) given access […]
The use of biofloors in great ape zoo exhibits
The past several decades have seen significant progress in zoo exhibit design, with naturalistic spaces replacing many of the traditional concrete enclosures. Furthermore, research studying the impact of such exhibit design in terms of animal welfare and zoo visitor experience has increased. While this has been especially true for studies of zoo-housed great apes, the […]
Same Space, Different Species: The Influence of Exhibit Design on the Expression of Zoo-Housed Apes’ Species-Typical Retiring Behaviors
Wild chimpanzees frequently make arboreal nests, while wild lowland gorillas typically nest on the ground. We aimed to understand whether zoo-housed apes’ use of elevated spaces for retiring similarly differed between species and across exhibits. Using a pre-planned exhibit switch at Lincoln Park Zoo (Chicago, USA), we compared where (elevated or terrestrial) two groups of […]
Directions in animal enclosure use studies
Post Occupancy Evaluation is a powerful assessment tool for zoo enclosure design, which incorporates animal enclosure use as a key component. Many authors suggest that naturalistic enclosures are valuable for animals, but objective analysis is required to support this statement. Studies of zoo animal enclosure use have become increasingly popular in published literature, and best […]
Activity budget and spatial distribution of Bennett’s wallabies (Macropus rufogriseus) in open versus closed exhibit designs
Although many studies investigating the impacts of zoo exhibit designs on captive animals exist, none have been performed on how they influence the behavior and welfare of captive Bennett’s wallabies (Macropus rufogriseus). Here, we assess the impact of exhibit design on the activity budget and spatial distribution of Bennett’s wallabies. We compared animal behavior in […]
Achieving optimal welfare for the Nile hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) in North American zoos and aquariums
Compared to other megafauna managed in zoos and aquariums, the current state of welfare for the Nile hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) is poorly understood. Complex behavior and physiological characteristics make hippos a difficult species to manage. Thus, hippos in managed care are currently at risk for a decreased state of welfare. In an effort to assess […]
Comparison between 28 zoological parks: stereotypic and social behaviours of captive brown bears
In the present study we compared 33 enclosures in 28 parks, with a total of 66 bears. We chose direct observation of behaviour rather than surveys. Each enclosure was observed during one day; stereotypies and social relationships were qualitatively noted in types and amount. The connections of behaviour with bears characteristics and types of management […]