Assessment of Welfare in Zoo Animals: Towards Optimum Quality of Life.

ABSTRACT: Zoos are required to maintain a high standard of animal welfare, and this can be assessed using a combination of resource-based and animal-based indices usually divided into behavioural indicators, physiological indicators and clinical/pathological signs. Modern animal welfare assessments should aim to encompass positive affective states and the indicators that are useful in assessing these are discussed. When developing factors to be scored for each species, there is huge variability in the available information about the natural biology for some zoo species and even less information concerning those animals in captivity. Wild baselines are not always the most accurate indicator of what is right for an animal in captivity, which makes the identification of factors to include within specie

SUBMITTER: Wolfensohn S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6071229 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature