Effects of the Presence of Zoo Visitors on Zoo-Housed Penguins
A special issue of Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens (ISSN 2673-5636).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2025) | Viewed by 2443
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Zoos, as vital institutions for public education and recreation, play a crucial role in wildlife conservation. Penguins are one of the most popular animals for zoo visitors around the world. However, penguins are a highly sensitive and social species, and the presence of zoo visitors could stress captive penguins. Although increasing evidence has revealed that the presence of visitors could have negative, neutral, or even positive influences on the behavior of penguins, the effects of the presence of zoo visitors on zoo-housed penguins remains a complex and poorly understood area. Investigations on possible influencing factors, including penguin species, visitor behavior, number of visitors, characteristics of penguin enclosures, and different seasons (molting or breeding) may provide us with a deeper understanding regarding visitor–penguin interactions. In addition, little is known about the effects of long-term visitor presence on the physiological conditions and reproduction outcomes of captive penguins.
The aim of this Special Issue is to present the latest research on the effects of zoo visitors on the following aspects of zoo-housed penguins:
- Animal welfare;
- Behavior;
- Reproduction;
- Physiological parameters;
- Implications on the design of penguin enclosures;
- Implications on captive penguin management strategies.
Dr. Jingle Jiang
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-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly 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 1200 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
- penguins
- visitor effects
- human–animal interactions
- behavior
- welfare
- reproduction
- physiological parameters
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
