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8 - Measuring Welfare through Behavioral Observation and Adjusting It with Dynamic Environments

from Part II - Captive Care and Management

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 December 2018

By
Jason V. Watters ,
Bethany L. Krebs  and
Eridia Pacheco
Edited by
Allison B. Kaufman ,
Meredith J. Bashaw  and
Terry L. Maple
Allison B. Kaufman
Affiliation:
University of Connecticut
Meredith J. Bashaw
Affiliation:
Franklin and Marshall College, Pennsylvania
Terry L. Maple
Affiliation:
Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens
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Summary

Recent years have seen accrediting organizations and their members calling for programs that employ techniques to assess and ensure the welfare of animals living in zoos. Watching animal behavior remains a commonly used approach to assessing animal welfare in captive settings. The two most widely utilized approaches to behavioral assessments of animal welfare are measures of animals’ overall behavioral repertoires and measuring the presence, absence, or intensity of specific indicator behaviors. Here, we discuss the benefits and drawbacks of different approaches to behavioral assessments of animal welfare and suggest several new directions for such assessments in zoo settings. We also discuss the influence of environmental enrichment on animal welfare and methods for best utilizing dynamic enrichments to improve animal welfare.
Type
Chapter
Information
Scientific Foundations of Zoos and Aquariums
Their Role in Conservation and Research
 , pp. 212 - 240
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2019

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