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Zoo Animal Welfare

Capuchin Monkey in Zoo Environment

Zoo animal welfare is part of the broader category of animal welfare. It involves the maintenance of the ethical treatment, overall health and well-being of zoo animals. The existence of zoos in general is a topic that has been controversial in terms of animal ethics and whether or not they do more harm than good.

The question of whether or not the animals are thriving or just surviving is has been the question raised by animal rights groups. Often zoos are put in a negative light by some of these groups such as PETA, who have written more than one article that comments on "dismal" living conditions and poor animal welfare, also suggesting that the sole purpose of a zoo is for human entertainment. This is due to the fact that animals kept in zoos are typically exotic animal species, removed from their natural habitat and put into a smaller, simulated one.

There are others who argue the benefits of zoos, and disagree with the statement that human entertainment is the only reason they exist. They claim that zoos are necessary in the conservation of endangered species. They state that by having these animals in zoos, they are receiving all of the care they would need and are also being protected from poaching, while also raising public awareness and potentially funds to help maintain the species within and outside of the zoo. In protecting these animals, they are preventing biodiversity loss.

How is Zoo Animal Welfare Assessed?

The Five Freedoms

Zoo Employee Giving an Elephant a Treat

There are zoos out there that claim think that having an animal that is healthy, lives long and reproduces is sufficient in demonstrating that they practice good welfare for their animals, however these criteria are only part of the overall assessment of animal welfare. In 1965, the UK Government created a core concept in the world or animal welfare known as the five freedoms. The five freedoms was originally created for livestock, however it has been applied to all animals including zoo animals.

The Five Freedoms Include:

1. Freedom from hunger and thirst

2. Freedom from discomfort

3. Freedom from pain, injury and disease

4. Freedom to express natural behavior

5. Freedom from fear and distress

The five freedoms apply to each species within the zoo individually, as each of them have their own unique needs. In order to meet the requirements of each of the five freedoms each animal needs to have the appropriate nutrition and access to clean water, enough space along with places to rest, veterinary care, enough environmental enrichment and space to express natural behaviors and also places they can hide to get away from people and other animals.

Stereotypies

Stereotypies are repetitive behaviors performed by animals that have no apparent goal or function. Stereotypies can be used as a welfare indicator for zoo animals, in looking at whether or not they are occurring. The presence of stereotypic behaviors is usually an indication that one of the needs of the animal is not being met, usually the inability to perform a specific behavior. There are two main categories of stereotypies expressed in zoo animals; oral and locomotor.

Oral Stereotypies

Oral stereotypies include over-grooming (which can lead to hair loss, repetitive tongue movements or biting an object repeatedly. Oral stereotypies are typically seen in captive ungulates like zebras for example, thought to be caused by the inability to perform foraging behavior and graze plant materials. Most of the time ungulate zoo animals are fed highly concentrated meals such as grains to ensure they are getting the proper nutrition, but lack in forages which would be part of their natural diets.

Video of a Siberian Tiger Pacing in Enclosure

Locomotor Stereotypies

Locomotor stereotypies are very commonly seen in zoo animals, especially in the captive carnivores. Pacing is especially prevalent in carnivores, and it is thought to be caused by spacial requirements not being met, along with the inability to perform natural behaviors. In the wild, carnivores travel long distances to hunt for prey to consume however in captivity, the animals are provided with their meals. This eliminates the need for any hunting behaviors completely, motivating the animal to pace back and forth to make up for the lack of traveling and walking they would do in the wild. That, along with the space these carnivores have in the zoo compared to in the wild, may explain the presence of these pacing behaviors.

While people use stereotypies as an indication of poor welfare, it has also been reported that in some cases that an animal will continue to perform the stereotypic behavior even after being moved to a more suitable environment. This occurs if the animal had been performing the behavior over a long period of time and eventually it becomes part of their everyday behaviors. There have also been a few instances where an animal has picked up a stereotypic behavior from another, learning it and performing it despite nothing actually being inadequate in it's environment.

Enhancing/Enriching Environment to Improve Welfare

Environmental enrichment is a good way to improve welfare conditions. It involves creating an environment that promotes the expression of natural behaviors of the captive animals, which in turn decreases the amount of aggression and stereotypic behaviors. They are also a good way to promote positive social interactions between the animals, as well as physical activity.

Polar Bear Playing With a Container Provided for Environmental Enrichment

Different ways that can be used to enrich the environment of zoo animals is by providing live plants with the artificial ones that can be used for shade or for a barrier.

Adding a variety or rocks, plants and tall trees also adds dimensions to the animal's environment, making it more interesting for them to explore.

Implementing puzzle feeders is another thing that zoos have started doing, making it more difficult to obtain their food right away. This is to simulate the conditions in the wild, making the animals work and put effort into obtaining their food as opposed to just giving it to them. For example, some zoos will freeze foods in ice so that the animal has to work on breaking it apart and getting it out before actually eating.

Keeping various species of animals from the same habitat in the same enclosure, as long as they are compatible and will all be safe, is another way of enriching the environment and making it more similar to a wild setting.

Also taking advantage of scents and other senses to encourage various natural behaviors like stalking or hunting can benefit the zoo animals psychologically.

Providing toys and other items for the animals to manipulate can also provide another source of entertainment, keeping the animals physically active as well as mentally stimulated.