Incorporating stakeholder perspectives into the assessment and provision of captive elephant welfare

Chadwick, CL, Williams, E ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4492-1605, Asher, L and Yon, L, 2017. Incorporating stakeholder perspectives into the assessment and provision of captive elephant welfare. Animal Welfare, 26 (4), pp. 461-472. ISSN 0962-7286

Preview

Text PubSub9280_Williams.pdf - Post-print Download (623kB) | Preview

Abstract

Recent concerns over the welfare of elephants in UK zoos have implications for their future in captivity, and it is clear that improvements in welfare should be made. Evidence suggests that the knowledge of experienced stakeholders is vital to captive animal welfare assessment. However, there have been few attempts to consult with zoo personnel and other stakeholders on the assessment of elephant welfare, and much of their valuable knowledge of routine husbandry has not been captured in the published literature. As part of a research project commissioned by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, open response focus groups and workshop discussions were conducted with representatives from 15 UK elephant-holding facilities, and other experts in the welfare and behaviour of captive or free-ranging elephants. Participants described three broad categories of welfare indicators: behavioural, physical and physiological. Resources perceived to be of importance to elephants included aspects of the physical environment, such as feeding opportunities and appropriate substrate, and aspects of the social environment, including group size and relatedness. The data obtained during this study can be used to develop an elephant welfare assessment strategy, informed by the knowledge and expertise of experienced stakeholders, and for consideration of potential changes to guidelines for managing elephants in captivity. Our approach to capturing the views of those who work closely with captive species could be applied elsewhere, in order to draw upon the extensive knowledge of expert stakeholders and consider ways to improve the welfare of captive animals.

Item Type:	Journal article
Alternative Title:	Stakeholders’ perspectives of elephant welfare [running title]
Publication Title:	Animal Welfare
Creators:	Chadwick, C.L., Williams, E., Asher, L. and Yon, L.
Publisher:	Universities Federation for Animal Welfare (UFAW)
Date:	November 2017
Volume:	26
Number:	4
ISSN:	0962-7286
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.7120/09627286.26.4.461 DOI
Divisions:	Schools > School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences
Record created by:	Jill Tomkinson
Date Added:	31 Oct 2017 10:25
Last Modified:	01 Nov 2018 03:00
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/31932

Actions (login required)

Edit View

Statistics

Views

Downloads