Models of Animal Wellbeing in Husbandry

  • Animal Husbandry

    • Husbandry = guide for the day-to-day care of an animal or species

    • Includes requirements for diet, nutrition, space, climate, internal rhythms, social interactions, reproduction, health, choice, and more

 

  • Informing Husbandry Decisions - Stakeholders

    • Stakeholder = any person or group who significantly affects or is significantly affected by a (wildlife/conservation/husbandry) decision

 

  • Primary Husbandry Stakeholders

    • Animals

      • Provide quality wellbeing and engage in natural behaviors and maintenance

    • Zoo Visitors

      • Balance having an enjoyable visit with educating about conservation

    • Keepers and Staff

      • Work to provide quality care for the animals in a safe, low-stress environment

 

  • Secondary Husbandry "Stakeholders"

    • Researchers

      • Where record data? How?

    • Plants and Flora

      • Edible? Injurious? Barriers? Aesthetic?

    • Environmental Impact and Sustainability

      • Being environmentally friendly in design

    • Health and Safety

      • Handling and work issues, emergency procedures

 

  • Past Wellbeing Model - The Five Freedoms

    • From Thirst, Hunger, and Malnutrition

      • Ready access to fresh water and diet to maintain full health and vigor

    • From Discomfort

      • Appropriate environment, shelter, and resting areas

    • From Pain, Injury, and Disease

      • Rapid diagnosis, treatment, and ongoing care

    • To Express Natural and Normal Behaviors

      • Sufficient space, proper facilities, and other individuals aligned with natural history

    • From Fear and Distress

      • Conditions avoid mental suffering

 

  • Shortcomings of the 5 Freedoms Model

    • Overlooks the interplay between natural and individual histories to inform husbandry, living spaces, and best emulating natural habitat

    • Natural History = how the animal typically behaves in its natural habitat

    • Individual History = everything that has happened to that specific individual

 

  • AZA Studbooks

    • Documents the pedigree and demographic history of each animal within AZA managed populations

    • All ex-situ births, deaths, and transfer information

    • Populations genetic and demographic identity

    • Works with TAGs and SSPs

 

  • Shortcomings of the 5 Freedoms Model

    • Heavily focused on a "stable state" vs the reality of constantly changing internal and external conditions

    • Homeostasis = combination of biological processes which serve to maintain an animal's body in a stable state to carry out necessary survival conditions

    • Allostasis = ability of the animal to make physiological and behavioral adjustments in response to predictable and unpredictable stressors

    • Freedom implies complete removal of "negative" experiences and states

    • At best zoos can minimize them - biologically inaccurate to achieve

    • Ex. hunger and pain "required" to elicit eating and avoidance of injury-inducing events …

 

  • Best Approaches to Measuring Welfare?

    • Animal functions, physicality, and mental states change over time, as do related perceptions and experiences - welfare is a continuum

 

  • Five Domains Model of Welfare

    • Facilitates welfare via observation, understanding, and assessment

 

  • Five Domain Components - Nutrition

    • What food is actually being eaten, evidence of feeding, quality and quantity of food (presented, prepared, stored), foraging opportunities available, considers growth rate, and access to sufficient and quality water

 

  • Five Domain Components - Environment

    • Considers habitat, décor, water quality, light spectrum, water flow and other internal/external factors (e.g., noise, vibration); encourage opportunities for self-maintenance

 

  • Five Domain Components - Physical Health

    • Rapid diagnosis and treatment of disease or injury, how animals cope with medical management, and increase the likelihood of healthy individuals through all life stages

 

  • Five Domain Components - Behavior

    • Encourage species-specific behaviors at natural frequencies and of appropriate diversity while meeting social and developmental needs of each species and individual; can exercise choice and control

 

  • Five Domains Components - Mental State

    • Survival-related aversive experiences are minimal, and comfort, pleasure, interest, confidence, and appetitive experiences are frequent

    • There is an accompanying positive or negative emotion/subjective mental state for each of the 4 physical/functional domains