Re-Assessing the Importance of Evidence-Based Inputs for Positive Zoo and Aquarium Animal Welfare Outputs
Rose, Paul (University of Exeter. Psychology Department)
Manteca Vilanova, Xavier (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Ciència Animal i dels Aliments)

Data:	2025
Resum:	The welfare of animals in zoos has come under increasing scrutiny as public awareness grows around the biological needs of captive species. It is also becoming clear that promoting positive welfare experiences upholds population management and conservation aims. This paper re-evaluates current welfare frameworks in zoological institutions, advocating for evidence-based practices, multi-dimensional welfare metrics, and greater emphasis on species-specific needs, as well as the importance of input-based approaches to assess the welfare of zoo animals. By evaluating the limitations of current welfare practices (e. g. , a lack of species-specific assessment protocols or sound husbandry evidence to base measures on) and presenting potential areas for improvement, this paper identifies ways that sound baselines for meaningful zoo animal welfare outputs can be created. Although current welfare policies from large zoo membership organisations stipulate assessment of welfare outputs as key to improving animal welfare standards, such outputs can only be positive if inputs are species-specific and relevant to the animals being housed. Practices such as the use of environmental enrichment (for example) need to be further refined to ensure they provide meaningful outputs (for the individuals) from the inputs that create them. Understanding the animal's needs to ensure that the goal of enrichment is clear benefits both the animal who is provided with the enrichment and the human caregivers as husbandry and management becomes easier. A focus on welfare outputs is commendable and (especially when considering emotional outputs) is indeed a gold standard to aim for, yet we must not lose sight of striving for improvements to housing, husbandry, and species-specific care. Without such fundamental support from correct inputs, outputs are unlikely to be truly (or meaningfully) positive. Therefore, consistent re-examination of inputs is required to make sure they uphold an individual's attainment of good welfare.
Drets:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Llengua:	Anglès
Document:	Article de revisió ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Matèria:	Evidence-based practice ; Welfare inputs ; Welfare outputs ; Welfare assessment ; Environmental enrichment ; Species-specific husbandry
Publicat a:	Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens, Vol. 6 Núm. 2 (june 2025) , p. 32, ISSN 2673-5636

DOI: 10.3390/jzbg6020032

17 p, 849.3 KB

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