Welfare Metrics Applied

Abstract

Zoo and aquarium specialists have a long history of modifying inputs such as exhibit design, space restrictions, feeding schedules, social housing conditions and enrichment in an effort to improve animal welfare. Providing an animal with preferred resources is an important component of ensuring welfare, but may not meet the goals of all welfare interventions. Thus, it is important to note the difference in measuring preference and motivation and the implications of the findings from these different types of tasks. Zoo animals are frequently moved to new enclosures, or husbandry routines are changed in an effort to improve positive welfare. By systematically measuring hormone levels before and after a change, and in conjunction with other behavioral measures, we can unravel the underlying hormonal changes associated with positive welfare. The zoo community needs to continue developing its own rigorous techniques for measuring welfare, and we have pointed out some of the substantial challenges associated with this goal, and some potentially useful measures that are specific to zoos. Zoo research design is often hindered by small sample size, and one way to overcome this issue is to perform multi-institutional studies or survey multiple institutions. Another useful tool for zoo scientists is meta-analysis based on the existing literature. As a community, if we continue to run well designed studies and publish our results, we can continue to discover, test, and export useful measures and approaches to assessing animal welfare.