Psychology and Animal Welfare

Abstract

We believe that zoos with scientific credibility can be trusted to do the right thing on behalf of the animals. To keep management on the empirical side, evidence-based managers, scientific staff, and outside collaborators should be at the table when important decisions are made. In his iconic book Man and Animal in the Zoo, Hediger revealed the extent that the field of psychology had influenced his thinking about wildlife in the zoo. Hediger recognized that the principle challenge for the captive animal is its relationship to humankind, and he made this a specialized topic within the interdisciplinary field of zoo biology. Psychological science, broadly applied, may have more potential to advance zoo standards and practices than any other scientific discipline. The fundamental preference of quality over quantity is a principle first articulated by Hediger, based on early field studies of birds. Research on laboratory colonies of nonhuman primates has addressed space as an independent variable, confirming that quality of space is more important than quantity. As zoos began to build more naturalistic exhibits they began to provide for species-appropriate social organization. To enable a naturalistic social network, all credible zoos today design exhibits for larger groups. Social composition in captivity should always be based on our knowledge of social organization in nature. Personality can no longer be ignored as a factor in zoo management. Clearly, the foundation of superior design is behavior, and wellness/welfare issues loom large as design priorities. To establish the connection between design and welfare, we should gather evidence through post-occupancy evaluations of new exhibits.