Understanding impacts of zoo visitors: quantifying behavioural changes of two popular zoo species during COVID-19 closures

Williams, E ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4492-1605, Carter, A ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6216-2377, Rendle, J and Ward, SJ ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5857-1071, 2021. Understanding impacts of zoo visitors: quantifying behavioural changes of two popular zoo species during COVID-19 closures. Applied Animal Behaviour Science: 105253. ISSN 0168-1591

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Abstract

Visitors are normally a prominent and constant feature in a zoo animals' environment with more than 700 million people visiting zoos and aquariums worldwide, annually. Animal-visitor interactions can be enriching and stimulating and are now considered within the Five Domains of animal welfare assessment. Zoo closures as a result of COVID-19 provided a unique opportunity to monitor the impact of abrupt and prolonged removal of visitors on two popular zoo species. Data were collected at four facilities (n = 3 slender-tailed meerkats, n = 1 African penguin) during COVID-19 zoo closures and up to one month following reopening to the public. Meerkats showed increased positive social interactions, increased alert behaviours, and reduced environmental interactions in the first month post-opening, as compared to closure periods. They also used more of their enclosures during periods of closure and spent longer than would be expected in zones furthest from visitor viewing areas when facilities reopened. African penguins showed no behavioural change between open and closure periods. Enclosure usage during both observation periods was relatively even and no differences were observed in enclosure use between open and closure periods. These results will enable an advanced understanding of the impact that people have on the behaviour of zoo animals, which has ramifications for animals used in close encounters and other 'visitor experiences' in the future. Understanding relationships between animals and people is applicable in all managed animal settings. The results from this study are of practical use in managing visitor access to animals moving forwards, including enclosure location and design, to ensure a positive visitor experience that does not negatively impact animal behaviour.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	Applied Animal Behaviour Science
Creators:	Williams, E., Carter, A., Rendle, J. and Ward, S.J.
Publisher:	Elsevier
Date:	8 February 2021
ISSN:	0168-1591
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.1016/j.applanim.2021.105253 DOI S016815912100040X Publisher Item Identifier 1408028 Other
Divisions:	Schools > School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences
Record created by:	Linda Sullivan
Date Added:	15 Feb 2021 15:01
Last Modified:	08 Feb 2022 03:00
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/42303

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