The 24/7 approach to promoting optimal welfare for captive wild animals

• Published in: Behavioural processes Vol. 156; pp. 83 - 95
• Main Authors: Brando, Sabrina, Buchanan-Smith, Hannah M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01.11.2018; Elsevier Science Ltd
• Subjects: 24/7 across lifespan; Animal care; Animal husbandry; Animal Husbandry - methods; Animal Welfare; Animals; Animals, Wild; Animals, Zoo; Birth to death; captive animals; Environment; ethics; habitat conservation; Habitat management; Habitats; Life cycles; Life span; longevity; natural history; Program Evaluation; Technology; wild animals; Zoo; Zoos; Animal welfare; 24/7 across lifespan; Birth to death; Zoo; Technology; Habitat management
• ISSN: 0376-6357; 1872-8308; 1872-8308
• DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2017.09.010

•New holistic conceptual framework in caring for captive wild animals 24/7 across lifespan is proposed.•Considers individual’s life cycle needs and preferences influenced by a range of variations.•An animal welfare assessment tool with 14 welfare criteria is proposed.•Highlights importance of habitat management and use of technologies. We have an ethical responsibility to provide captive animals with environments that allow them to experience good welfare. Husbandry activities are often scheduled for the convenience of care staff working within the constraints of the facility, rather than considering the biological and psychological requirements of the animals themselves. The animal welfare 24/7 across the lifespan concept provides a holistic framework to map features of the animal’s life cycle, taking into account their natural history, in relation to variations in the captive environment, across day and night, weekdays, weekends, and seasons. In order for animals to have the opportunity to thrive, we argue the need to consider their lifetime experience, integrated into the environments we provide, and with their perspective in mind. Here, we propose a welfare assessment tool based upon 14 criteria, to allow care staff to determine if their animals’ welfare needs are met. We conclude that animal habitat management will be enhanced with the use of integrated technologies that provide the animals with more opportunities to engineer their own environments, providing them with complexity, choice and control.