Animal Welfare, Ethics, Zoo History, So you want to be a zookeeper
AZA
-Association of Zoos and Aquariums -Network to connect zoo professionals
What are today's zoos based on? (5)
-Conservation -Animal welfare -Responsible breeding programs -Education -Research
Animal Welfare
-Measuring an animal's collective physical, mental, and emotional states over a period of time. -Measured from good to poor.
Responsibilities of AZA-accredited facilities? (2)
-Ensure well-being of animals. -Gain a greater understanding of the well-being of animals and advance animal welfare science
Physical Welfare Indicators (3)
-Body condition -Disease/injury -Mobility
Mental Welfare Indicators (3)
-Cognitive abilities -Stereotypic behaviors -Healthy relationships with conspecifics
Emotional Welfare Indicators (3)
-Fear -Aggression -Distress
Indicators of Good Welfare (6)
-Healthy -Comfortable -Well-nourished -Safe -Species-typical behaviors -Cognitive abilities
Animal Behavior Studies
-Scientific study of how animals interact with each other and their environment (Mixed-species enclosures, impact of public viewing, enrichment, and Training).
Ethograms
-Observations of animal behaviors over a certain period of time.
What do ethograms help to do? (2)
-Identify possible issues -Evaluate the success of solutions
Hormone Analysis (2)
-Measures stress hormones -Used in conjunction with animal behavior studies, ---Baseline before conclusions can be drawn
Samples for Hormone Analysis? (6)
Collected from: -Feces -Blood -Semen -Urine -Saliva -Feathers
What is a zoo?
An establishment that maintains a collection of wild animals for study, research, conservation, and displays to the public.
Examples of animals being kept throughout history. (6)
-Domestication -Religious purposes -Currency or gifts -Entertainment -Research -Conservation purposes
Mans relationship with animals (5)
-Food Source -Protection -Labor -Religion -Displays
Domestication
-Changing (genetically) a population to make it more suitable for human use over time. -Uses Artificial Selection
Artificial Selection
-Specific traits are selected and animals exhibiting those traits are bred. -Ex. Larger size, longer horns, calm behavior
Taming
Making an individual calmer, the first step to domestication
What to consider in domestication? (5)
-Diet (flexible) -Growth rate (fast) -Breeding (easy to breed in captivity) -Disposition -Social hierarchy
How is domestication achieved? (2)
-Raising young animals. -Self Domestication.
Self Domestication
the process of adaptation of wild animals to humans, without direct human selective breeding of the animals.
Menageries
an exhibition of live wild animals that has no detectable scientific purpose
Tower of London (3)
-Used as a prison and for entertainment by King Henry III. -Guests brought animals as gifts. -Animals were later transferred to the London Zoo
Carl Linneaus (3)
-Publication of Systema Naturae -Created the system for naming ranking and classifying organisms -Genus species
Carl Hagenback
-Panoramas -Several enclosures separated by hidden moats, so they look like one large enclosure
Taxon Advisory Groups (TAG)
Manages Conservation breeding of individual taxa
Species Survival Plans (SSP) (3)
-Population management -Supervising committee that coordinates breeding -Maintain sustainable populations of a species
Studbooks
detailed breeding records
Ethics
The disciplines dealing with what is good and bad with moral duty and obligation, a set of moral principles used to make decisions
Morals
personal views on what is right or wrong
What do ethics refer to?
the broad moral principles and application of morals to practical decisions
Examples of ethical issues in zoos (7)
-Captivity -Breeding/Surplus animals -Sources of diets -Behavior -Social structure -Animal shows -Euthanasia
Animal rights want to provide animals with what?
the same rights as humans
Animal rights viewpoint
it is ethically and morally wrong to use animals for any human purpose. (ex. food, clothing, research, entertainment, pets)
What are the five freedoms?
Freedom from:
Hunger and thirst
Discomfort
Pain, injury, or disease
To express normal behavior
Fear and distress
Freedom from hunger and thirst
access to fresh water and a healthy diet
Freedom from discomfort
Shelter and comfortable quarters
Freedom from pain injury or disease
Prevention or rapid diagnosis and treatment
Freedom to express normal behavior
Providing sufficient space, facilities, and companions when necessary
Freedom from fear and distress
provided by ensuring conditions and treatment that avoid mental suffering
What are the five opportunities to thrive?
Nutritionally complete diets (bring out natural feeding responses and behavior).
Comfortable living experiences with choices and control (promotes mentally and physically healthy behaviors)
Good physical health.
Provided quality spaces to live and appropriate social groupings.
Develop natural coping skills and avoid chronic stress
Captivity
-Condition of being imprisoned or confined -Now known as Under Human Care
Sterotypic Behavior
Abnormal and or repetitive behavior, is not observed in wild animals.
Examples of Steryotipic Behavior (4)
-Pacing -Feather Plucking -Regurgitatiton/re-ingestion -Blowing raspberries
Ways to stop Stereotypic Behaviors (4)
-Training -Enrichment -Proper social groups -Ample space
William Hornaday
Conservationist, believed that gorillas could never thrive in a zoo.
William Conway
-How to exhibit a bullfrog. -1968 -Bronx Zoo Curator
David Hancocks
-Development of landscape immersion exhibit techniques.
Tiergarten Schoenbrunn
World's oldest contintinuously existing zoo. (1750)
Jardin du Roi
Royal Botanical Gardens, Director was Buffon
Jardin des Plantes
-National Museum of Natural History -First public zoo -Second oldest continuously existing zoo.
Philidelphia Zoo
"America's First Zoo" 1874
Conservation
actions that substantially enhance the survival of species and habitats, whether in nature or outside the natural habitat
In-situ
"in nature"
Ex-situ
"outside the natural habitat" (ex. zoos)
Flight restriction/ID Markers (5)
-Feather clipping -Pinioning -Ear notching -Bands -Scute notching