Zoological Collections - Zoo Welfare and Enrichment

• The five animals needs:
  • suitable environment
  • suitable diet
  • freedom from disease and suffering
  • suitable social grouping
  • ability to show natural behaviours
• applies to any animal under the control of humans, domesticated and not in a wild state

• Covers:
  • selling animals as pets
  • cat and dog boarding
  • hiring out horses
  • dog breeding
  • keeping or training animals for exhibition
• does not cover activities already covered by:
  • The Welfare of Wild Animals in Travelling Circuses Regulations 2012
  • The Zoo Licensing Act 1981
• need to obtain a license for relevant activities
• having inspections by a qualified inspector
• Animal Welfare Act must be met
• Licence time goes on a 'risk based' system and can vary depending on factors such as previous success with obtaining a licence and complaints
• keeping or training animals for exhibition:
  • Also does not include military, police or sport animals
  • does include activities such as mobile animals exhibits
  • includes guidance on records, staff training, meeting the Five Animal Needs, Emergency procedures and group numbers

• animal physical fitness
• animal mental wellbeing
• increased animal success e.g., breeding
• prevent stereotypical behaviour
• public perception
• legislation

• by housing animals in the correct social groupings, as close as we can get to how they would live in the wild
  • e.g., matriarchal groups, solitary except for breeding, family groups, bachelor groups, correct sex ratios
• by feeding a nutritionally accurate and balanced diet
  • e.g., fresh fruit and vegetables, the right balance of meat and plant matter if omnivorous, the right quantities of food
• by housing prey species away from natural predator species
  • reduce stress to the animals
  • prey can smell the predators and vice versa
• allowing them to show natural behaviours
  • enough space
  • right social groups (social bonds)
  • correct feeding presentation method (e.g., browse, scatter feeding)
• freedom from suffering
  • keep an eye on social behaviour (e.g., agonistic behaviours)
  • allow the animal enough space to prevent stereotypical behaviours
  • regular health check and vet trips if required

• enclosure usage studies
• aggression
• stereotypical behaviours
• behavioural observations
• activity time budgets

• 'the practice of providing animals under managed care with stimuli as natural and artificial objects'

• welfare standards
• more natural time budgets
• provide mental and physical stimulation
• interesting customer view point
• reduces aggression
• Fun!

• expensive
• time consuming
• messy
• needs planning
• risks

• Naturalistic
• Behavioural
  • also known as environmental enrichment
• Social
• Sensory
• Mechanical
• Training
• Nutritional
  • novel food items/different presentation method
  • tongue puzzles, scatter feeding, browse

When designing enrichment for an animal we need to take into account:

• the animal's natural history and what behaviours you would like to encourage
• the food items you would want to use (if any)
• public perception
• health and safety aspects
• how would you measure the success of the item?
• enrichment plan taking into account
  • adaptation to natural habitats
  • effects on animals

• 'similar patterns of behaviour performed repetitively with no obvious function'
• normally abnormal behaviours
• caused by animals not being able to display natural behaviours or have enough mental stimulation
• once part of behaviour pattern they can be difficult to remove
• e.g., self-mutilation, pacing, rocking, water breaking, swimming or walking in circles, bar biting
• feeding disorders, over-grooming and self-mutilation can all be helped by enrichment