Measuring the Effects of Animal–Visitor Interactions on Animal Welfare in Zoos

Dear Colleagues,

As zoos strive to balance their goals of visitor entertainment, education, and conservation, human–animal interactive (HAI) experiences have become increasingly popular. At best, HAI activities can be educational and fun for visitors and enriching for animals. However, there is little measurable evidence to support claims of this, and if not properly implemented and monitored, HAIs can negatively impact animals and even cause reduced welfare. It is paramount to evaluate the welfare of all animals involved in HAI experiences in zoos and demand that the highest possible welfare standards are met. To date, there is a lack of comprehensive literature assessing the welfare of animals involved in HAI activities in zoos.

This Special Issue encourages submissions from researchers working in this area in a wide variety of settings and including a broad range of species. Additionally, studies which specifically consider welfare assessment techniques and quantify HAI outcomes are welcomed.

Research areas may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Formal and informal human–animal interactive experiences in zoos;
• Studies on the zoo visitor effect in zoos.

The scope of this Special Issue is broadly interpreted and could include research in zoos, aquariums, wildlife parks, or other settings which have visitors. Human–animal interactions are also broadly interpreted to include formal or informal HAIs, as well as ambassador animal programs, animal training, or more casual forms of interaction.

Dr. Courtney Collins
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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-anonymized 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.