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Animals
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Scientific Advances in Zoo Animal Management
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Scientific Advances in Zoo Animal Management

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 February 2024) | Viewed by 20334

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ellen Williams

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Guest Editor
School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences, Nottingham Trent University, Southwell NG25 0QF, UK
Interests: elephants; animal welfare; animal behavior; zoo animals; social behavior; sleep behavior; personality; social network analysis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Courtney Collins

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Guest Editor
The School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences and The Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
Interests: zoo research; animal behavior; zoological education; visitor effects; human–animal interactions; envi-ronmental enrichment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As climate change, biodiversity loss and habitat degradation continue to worsen, zoos have become an increasingly important place of refuge for many animal species. In fact, zoos are in a position to make substantial contributions to conservation and conservation education, research and animal welfare. Zoo animal science has advanced significantly in recent years, and this continues to be an area of ever-advancing scientific knowledge.

The aim of this special issue of Animals is to provide a platform to share advances in the science of zoo animal management. Manuscripts that are scientifically rigorous, and investigate any aspect of zoo practices, are welcomed, but research which advances our understanding of lesser known species or taxa will be particularly important. Potential topics may include, but are not limited to, animal behaviour including social interactions, animal welfare, animal experiences, animal nutrition, visitor effects including human-animal interactions and husbandry practices including animal training. Compiling the current research surrounding zoo animal science will progress this area of research, enhance the care of captive animals and highlight under-studied areas of zoo science that require further investigation.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Ellen Williams
Dr. Courtney Collins
Guest Editors

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 behavior
  • social interactions
  • animal welfare
  • animal experiences
  • animal nutrition
  • visitor effects
  • human-animal interactions
  • husbandry practices
  • animal training

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 2005 KiB  
Article
Zoo Visitors’ Most-Liked Aspects of Elephant Encounters and Related Perceptions of Animals’ Emotions and Welfare States: A Pragmatic Approach
by Angela M. Lacinak
Animals 2024, 14(6), 923; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14060923 - 17 Mar 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3730
Abstract
Zoos strive to provide excellent welfare for resident animals, including those belonging to endangered species involved in captive breeding programs while addressing visitors’ concerns regarding the ethics of captivity. Zoos also rely on income and support from visitors to provide exceptional care for [...] Read more.
Zoos strive to provide excellent welfare for resident animals, including those belonging to endangered species involved in captive breeding programs while addressing visitors’ concerns regarding the ethics of captivity. Zoos also rely on income and support from visitors to provide exceptional care for their animal residents. It is essential, therefore, that zoos consider how visitors perceive their animals’ well-being, including physical and psychological welfare. This pragmatic, qualitative research explores the aspects of training-focused enrichment activities provided for a resident herd of African elephants (Loxodonta africana) that visitors liked/disliked, and it assesses perceptions of the animals’ emotions and welfare. Data were collected via surveys following live encounters at Zoo Tampa, Florida (USA). Reflexive Thematic Analysis generated key themes related to visitors’ most/least-liked aspects of the encounters, including proximity, elephant–caregiver relationships (ECRs), educational content, and teaching/learning opportunities for the elephants themselves. Participants in the research perceived the elephants as happy, content, calm, comfortable, engaged, excited, good, playful, and safe (among other emotional descriptors) and as having excellent welfare. Expressions of dislike referred to visitors’ inability to have contact with the elephants, such as via touching or feeding. While focused on one case-study zoo and a charismatic species, this study nonetheless provides zoos with insight into the impact that animal–caregiver interactions can have on visitors’ perceptions, and it offers a model that could be applied to other species and at other zoological institutions. These visitor experiences and visitor perceptions of animal welfare drive future visitor actions, including support for zoos. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Scientific Advances in Zoo Animal Management)
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22 pages, 921 KiB  
Article
An International Investigation of the Prevalence of Negative Visitor Behaviour in the Zoo
by Courtney Collins, Yotam Barr, Sean McKeown, Juan Scheun, Claudia Tay and Ruth O’Riordan
Animals 2023, 13(16), 2661; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13162661 - 18 Aug 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 5260
Abstract
Negative visitor behaviour is an understudied area of zoo research, even though negative actions can have serious implications for animal welfare. This research project investigated the prevalence of negative visitor behaviours at four different zoos. It included observations of visitors at seven different [...] Read more.
Negative visitor behaviour is an understudied area of zoo research, even though negative actions can have serious implications for animal welfare. This research project investigated the prevalence of negative visitor behaviours at four different zoos. It included observations of visitors at seven different taxa exhibits and three different types of enclosures. A modified version of behaviour sampling was used to record visitor behaviour and the activity of the animals, while a negative binomial regression was conducted to test the significance of several predictor variables against the number of negative behaviours observed. Negative visitor behaviour was relatively common, occurring in 57% of observations. Banging was the most commonly observed negative action. Negative behaviours were influenced by zoo (p < 0.001), species (p < 0.001) and the number of visitors present (p < 0.001). The charismatic species were the most harassed animals included in the study, while children were the most likely to engage in negative behaviour. Negative visitor behaviours occurred more frequently when animals were active and in close proximity to visitors. It is imperative for zoos to understand visitors’ behaviour so that they can effectively communicate with their visitors to minimise negative actions and promote better animal welfare. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Scientific Advances in Zoo Animal Management)
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12 pages, 2025 KiB  
Article
Point for Enrichment, Point for Welfare—Testing Use of a Laser Pointer with Arapaima gigas
by Eszter Matrai, Hau Yin Alfred Chan, Fung Ming Leung, Shaw Ting Kwok, Xiao Lin and Paolo Martelli
Animals 2023, 13(8), 1370; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13081370 - 17 Apr 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3100
Abstract
The arapaima (Arapaima gigas) is one of the largest freshwater fish species, known to exceed 3 m in total length. It is listed as Data Deficient by the IUCN. A. gigas is native to the Amazon River basin where they are [...] Read more.
The arapaima (Arapaima gigas) is one of the largest freshwater fish species, known to exceed 3 m in total length. It is listed as Data Deficient by the IUCN. A. gigas is native to the Amazon River basin where they are an important food source. Arapaimas are also farmed for meat and for live specimens in various South American and Asian countries. Despite decades of keeping the species in public aquariums, little is known of its behaviour and cognitive abilities. This pilot study provides baseline data on using a green laser pointer as environmental enrichment for this species under human care. The data collection included 18 observations before the use of the laser pointer (baseline) and 18 observations during the use of the laser pointer (test). Ten behaviours were monitored, investigating physical contact, activity pattern and habitat use by the fish. During the test, the fish significantly increased their presence in the tank, their level of activity and their use of the habitat. This pilot study provides valuable baseline data for further investigations demonstrating the value of a laser pointer as environmental enrichment for A. gigas under human care. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Scientific Advances in Zoo Animal Management)
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13 pages, 2148 KiB  
Article
Bamboo Plant Part Preference Affects the Nutrients Digestibility and Intestinal Microbiota of Geriatric Giant Pandas
by Ying Yao, Wenjia Zhao, Guilin Xiang, Ruiqing Lv, Yanpeng Dong, Honglin Yan and Mingxi Li
Animals 2023, 13(5), 844; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13050844 - 25 Feb 2023
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3227
Abstract
Bamboo part preference plays a critical role in influencing the nutrient utilization and gastrointestinal microbiota composition of captive giant pandas. However, the effects of bamboo part consumption on the nutrient digestibility and gut microbiome of geriatric giant pandas remain unknown. A total of [...] Read more.
Bamboo part preference plays a critical role in influencing the nutrient utilization and gastrointestinal microbiota composition of captive giant pandas. However, the effects of bamboo part consumption on the nutrient digestibility and gut microbiome of geriatric giant pandas remain unknown. A total of 11 adult and 11 aged captive giant pandas were provided with bamboo shoots or bamboo leaves in the respective single-bamboo-part consumption period, and the nutrient digestibility and fecal microbiota of both adult and aged giant pandas in each period were evaluated. Bamboo shoot ingestion increased the crude protein digestibility and decreased the crude fiber digestibility of both age groups. The fecal microbiome of the bamboo shoot-fed giant pandas exhibited greater alpha diversity indices and significantly different beta diversity index than the bamboo leaf-fed counterparts regardless of age. Bamboo shoot feeding significantly changed the relative abundance of predominant taxa at both phylum and genus levels in adult and geriatric giant pandas. Bamboo shoot-enriched genera were positively correlated with crude protein digestibility and negatively correlated with crude fiber digestibility. Taken together, these results suggest that bamboo part consumption dominates over age in affecting the nutrient digestibility and gut microbiota composition of giant pandas. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Scientific Advances in Zoo Animal Management)
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Review

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17 pages, 371 KiB  
Review
The Scent Enriched Primate
by Emily J. Elwell and Stefano Vaglio
Animals 2023, 13(10), 1617; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13101617 - 12 May 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3768
Abstract
Zoos worldwide play an important role in both in situ and ex situ conservation via efforts such as providing breeding programmes and reintroductions into the wild. Zoo populations are crucial as a buffer against extinction. However, a mismatch between the wild and zoo [...] Read more.
Zoos worldwide play an important role in both in situ and ex situ conservation via efforts such as providing breeding programmes and reintroductions into the wild. Zoo populations are crucial as a buffer against extinction. However, a mismatch between the wild and zoo environments can lead to psychological as well as physiological health issues, such as stress, boredom, diabetes, and obesity. These problems, in turn, can impact the reproductive success of individuals. Consequently, some primate species have reduced breeding success when housed in zoos compared to their wild counterparts. To prevent the onset of behavioural, physiological, and cognitive negative effects and to continually improve the welfare of their animals, zoos widely implement different types of environmental enrichment. There are many forms enrichment can take, such as feeding, puzzles and training, but sensory enrichments, including implementing the use of scents, are currently understudied. Scent enrichments are less utilized despite multiple research studies showing that they may have positive effects on welfare for zoo-housed animal species, including non-human primates. Despite being traditionally considered to be microsmatic, various lines of evidence suggest that olfaction plays a larger role in primates than previously thought. This review therefore focuses on scent-based enrichment and the specifics of captive primates. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Scientific Advances in Zoo Animal Management)
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