I conducted a 6 week environmental enrichment program for the hamadryas baboons as part of my final year dissertation at university and studied the effects on the animal's behaviour. Even though their overall health improved, fighting amongst the males decreased, the begging behaviour almost completely stopped and the evironment allowed for them to display natural behaviours - the day after my study was completed the zo removed everything. The reason - it was quicker to just put the food in a pile rather then scatter feed. They also removed the hay piles because the keepers had to sweep it all back into a pile every morning.
The zoo keepers told me to give the monkeys unopened bags of crisps and popcorn as enrichment - not something as a welfare student I actually listened too though!
The first thing that needs addressing is education - of the public AND the "keepers". Why not look at designing posters explaining WHY you shouldn't feed the animals or WHY you shouldn't bang the glass etc. These can be translated into different languages and people might pay more attention if they know the reason behind the rules. "If you give the animal's carrier bags, they'll eat them, choke and die and then there won't be any animals left" works better then "Don't feed the animals".
Little leaflets offering education about the different animals would help as well. Feeding guides, enrichment programs, enclosure design... It could all be done as a project that could be given to the zoo to offer alternatives to what they already have and do.
All of these will help improve the animals lives without costing anything.
Personally, the animal I feel deserves the most attention at the moment is the crocodile.
I conducted a 6 week environmental enrichment program for the hamadryas baboons as part of my final year dissertation at university and studied the effects on the animal's behaviour. Even though their overall health improved, fighting amongst the males decreased, the begging behaviour almost completely stopped and the evironment allowed for them to display natural behaviours - the day after my study was completed the zo removed everything. The reason - it was quicker to just put the food in a pile rather then scatter feed. They also removed the hay piles because the keepers had to sweep it all back into a pile every morning.
The zoo keepers told me to give the monkeys unopened bags of crisps and popcorn as enrichment - not something as a welfare student I actually listened too though!
The first thing that needs addressing is education - of the public AND the "keepers". Why not look at designing posters explaining WHY you shouldn't feed the animals or WHY you shouldn't bang the glass etc. These can be translated into different languages and people might pay more attention if they know the reason behind the rules. "If you give the animal's carrier bags, they'll eat them, choke and die and then there won't be any animals left" works better then "Don't feed the animals".
Little leaflets offering education about the different animals would help as well. Feeding guides, enrichment programs, enclosure design... It could all be done as a project that could be given to the zoo to offer alternatives to what they already have and do.
All of these will help improve the animals lives without costing anything.
Personally, the animal I feel deserves the most attention at the moment is the crocodile.
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