Assessing Nonhuman Animal Welfare in a New Exhibit: Environmental Effects on Physical and Behavioral Well Being

Abstract

Defining nonhuman animal welfare has been a challenge for zoo professionals. Even more challenging is assessing the welfare of the animal collection. With the opening of the new Nature's Neighborhood children's zoo, the study attempted to assess animal well being, comparing welfare measures prior to moving animals into the new facility versus 1, 3, and 5 months after opening. Some animals are part of the zoo's education collection, traveling to schools and other venues for educational programs—considerably different from an all-day, year-round exhibit. In addition, many animals moved from smaller, off-exhibit enclosures to larger, more enriched enclosures. Study animals included 4 domestic cats and 1 cockatoo. This research aimed to determine if individual animal welfare differed from one environment to the other and whether the methods would be applicable on a broader scale, using behavioral, physical, and physiological measures. This study examined the effects of the exhibit, visitors, and noise on animal welfare measures, such as behavior, coat or feather condition, body condition, weight, and fecal consistency. The results showed no effect of the new environment on physical well being. However, a relationship was observed between visitor levels, noise, and animal behavior. All animals initially experienced a significant increase in time spent resting and in self-directed behaviors as visitor numbers and noise levels increased. These results suggest that there was an acclimation period for these animals in their new environment. All animals appeared to adjust to their new surroundings, as the frequency of these behaviors returned to their baseline levels within 3 months. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)