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Sound at the zoo: Using animal monitoring, sound measurement, and noise reduction in zoo animal management
Author(s) -
Orban David A.,
Soltis Joseph,
Perkins Lori,
Mellen Jill D.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
zoo biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.5
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1098-2361
pISSN - 0733-3188
DOI - 10.1002/zoo.21366
Subject(s) - animal welfare , animal husbandry , sound (geography) , biology , welfare , environmental resource management , agriculture , ecology , acoustics , physics , environmental science , political science , law
A clear need for evidence‐based animal management in zoos and aquariums has been expressed by industry leaders. Here, we show how individual animal welfare monitoring can be combined with measurement of environmental conditions to inform science‐based animal management decisions. Over the last several years, Disney's Animal Kingdom® has been undergoing significant construction and exhibit renovation, warranting institution‐wide animal welfare monitoring. Animal care and science staff developed a model that tracked animal keepers’ daily assessments of an animal's physical health, behavior, and responses to husbandry activity; these data were matched to different external stimuli and environmental conditions, including sound levels. A case study of a female giant anteater and her environment is presented to illustrate how this process worked. Associated with this case, several sound‐reducing barriers were tested for efficacy in mitigating sound. Integrating daily animal welfare assessment with environmental monitoring can lead to a better understanding of animals and their sensory environment and positively impact animal welfare.