Foraging Ecology and Welfare Assessment of Zoo Animals

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Zoo Animals".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 March 2026 | Viewed by 118

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
Interests: animal welfare; zoo animals; ethology; enrichment; physiology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Zoological institutions have increasingly prioritized animal welfare, recognizing that this commitment is not only a moral imperative but is also essential for achieving their educational, conservation, and research goals. The growing commitment of zoos and aquaria to ensuring and enhancing animal welfare is reflected in the implementation of innovative management practices. These include the development of environments that meet the animals’ physical and behavioral needs, along with the adoption of policies and procedures aimed at enhancing their overall well-being. For example, one promising strategy is the application of principles from foraging ecology to the care of zoo-housed animals, which can positively impact their behavior and welfare, as well as aiding in evaluating exhibit space and design. In this context, the assessment of animal welfare has become critically important for modern zoological facilities.

This Special Issue aims to cover all aspects of animal welfare and its assessment in zoos and aquaria, with particular emphasis on foraging ecology and behavior-based feeding strategies.

We welcome the submission of original research articles and review papers. Relevant topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Animal welfare;
  • Animal welfare assessment;
  • Ethology;
  • Enrichment strategies;
  • Ethical issues and concerns;
  • Foraging ecology;
  • Zoo animal nutrition.

We look forward to receiving your valuable contributions.

Sincerely,

Dr. Giovanna Marliani
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • animal welfare
  • zoo animal
  • ethology
  • enrichment
  • feeding strategy

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Published Papers

This special issue is now open for submission.
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