Aholis(cVeterinaryapproachtocap(vewildlifewelfare

DrHeatherJ.BaconBScBVScCertZooMedMRCVSJeanneMarchigInterna(onalCentreforAnimal

WelfareEduca(onUniversityofEdinburgh

Theroleofthemodernzoo?

Whyisgoodwelfaresoimportant?

•  Conserva(on– Popula(onsmustbefitforbreedingandreintroduc(onpurposes,poorwelfarecanleadtostress,suppressionofimmunefunc(onandadecreaseinreproduc(vefitness

Whyisgoodwelfaresoimportant?

•  Educa(on– Animalsshouldexhibitnaturalbehaviourstoeducatethepublicabouttheirnaturalhabits

Whyisgoodwelfaresoimportant?

•  Research– Healthyanimalsexhibi(ngnaturalbehaviourscangiveusvaluableinforma(ononhowtheirwildcounterpartsliveandbehave

“Theroleoftheveterinarianisessen/al”•  Adequateveterinarycare:“Promo/ngananimal’shealthandwelfare…providingguidanceandadvicebasedonbestprac/ce.Theveterinarianshouldhavetheauthorityandresponsibilityformakingjudgementsregardinganimalwelfare.”

•  Governanceandcommunica(onarevital

OIEWorldOrganisa(onforAnimalHealth

Whatiswelfare?

“Goodanimalwelfareimpliestheabsenceofpain,

fear,andhunger;enablesahighlevelofbiologicalfunc/oning(i.e.,normalgrowth,freedomfrom

disease);and(morecontroversially)enablesanimalstoexperienceposi/veemo/onal

experiencessuchascomfortandcontentment”

Fraseretal.1997

“...animalsexperiencingenhancedwelfareshouldbefreeofbehaviorsthatareabnormalorindica/veoffearandfrustra/on.They

shouldac/velyexploreandinteractwiththeirenvironmentanddemonstrateadiversityofbehaviorsimilartothattypicallyobservedin

thewild..”

Posi(veReinforcementandenvironmentalenrichment:enhancinganimalwell‐being

JournaloftheAmericanVeterinaryMedicalAssocia(on

FiveFreedoms

•  1.FreedomfromHungerandThirst‐byreadyaccesstofreshwaterandadiettomaintainfullhealthandvigour.

•  2.FreedomfromDiscomfort‐byprovidinganappropriateenvironmentincludingshelterandacomfortableres(ngarea.

•  3.FreedomfromPain,InjuryorDisease‐bypreven(onorrapiddiagnosisandtreatment.

•  4.FreedomtoExpressNormalBehaviour‐byprovidingsufficientspace,properfacili(esandcompanyoftheanimal'sownkind.

•  5.FreedomfromFearandDistress‐byensuringcondi(onsandtreatmentwhichavoidmentalsuffering.

PhysicalHealth

•  Preven(veVsProac(ve•  Nutri(on•  Biosecurity•  Howmuchdowildlifespeciesdemonstratephysicalpain?– Osteoarthri(s– Dentaldisease– Oculardisease

Behaviouralhealthanddrives

•  Animalsexperiencestrongneurobiologicaldrivestofulfilcertainself‐rewardingbehaviouralac(vi(esevenifallphysicalneedsaremet

Howdoweknowwhatanimalsneed?

Mostofthe(me…

…Wedon’t

Opportuni(estomaketheirownchoices

DefiningbehaviourNaturalbehaviourhasbeendefinedasabehaviourthatis“typicallyobservedinthewild;itisadap(veintheevolu(onarysense…(i.e.)hasevolvedbynaturalselec(onwhichallowsanindividualtosurvivemoreeasilyinitspar(cularenvironmentandsogivesitabederchanceofleavingoffspringthanananimalnotsoadapted”(Poole,1988b,p.3).

Unnaturalbehaviourisdefinedasabehaviourthatis“notseeninthewild.Notallunnaturalbehavioursareregardedasabnormal,however,astheymaypromotesuccesswithinthecap(veenvironment”(Poole,1988b,p.3‐4).

DefiningBehaviourNormalbehaviourwill“promote the success and survival of the individualanditsgene(ccontribu(ontothepopula(on”andis“clearly appropriate to the par(cular situa(on”. Itmay also “be either natural or unnatural” (Poole,1988b,p.4).

Abnormalbehaviourisdefinedasabehaviourthatis“rarely seen in wild popula(ons and does notpromote the success and the survival of theindividual or its close rela(ves (i.e. it does notincreasefitness). Itappearsnot tobegoaloriented,sothat its func(on isnotapparent.” It“may includeelementsofnormalac(vi(es,buttheyareperformedinaninappropriatefashion”(Poole,1988b,p.4).

AbnormalBehaviours–amentalhealthissue?

•  DisplacementBehaviors–arisingoutofconflictwhenananimalisdriventoperformtwobehavioursatthesame(mee.g.whenanaggressivekeeperoffersfoodtheanimalmaybeconflictedbetweenthefearofthekeeperandthedesiretogetthefood–ojendisplayedaslicking,grooming,locomo(onorvocalisa(on

•  RedirectedBehaviors‐ Activity directed away from the principle target and toward another less appropriate target E.g. redirected aggression – often seen in primates

Whatisstereotypy?

hdp://www.aps.uoguelph.ca/~gmason/StereotypicAnimalBehaviour/library.shtml

Whatisstereotypy?•  Repe((ve,invariantbehaviorpadernswithnoobviousgoalorfunc(on

•  Derivedfromnormalmotorpaderns

•  Developslowly;earlyonmaybemoreflexible

•  With(me,padernsbecomemorerigid

•  Eventually,theyareperformedevenwhenoriginals(muliisnotpresent

Whatcausesstereotypy?

•  Sub‐op(malenvironments•  Lackofsocialcontactors(mula(onasayounganimal– Fewerneurons,decreaseddendri(cbranchingandreducedsynap(cconnec(vity

•  Gene(cpredisposi(on•  Lackofopportunitytoexpressnaturalbehaviouraldrives

Whatcausesstereotypy?

•  Unavoidablestressorfear•  Lackofsensorys(mula(onandorbehavioralopportuni(esthatleadto:– Frustra(on– Conflict,etc.

•  Alwaysassociatedwithasub‐op(malenvironment

•  OnecommonfactorFRUSTRATION

Originsofstereotypy

•  FrustraHon‐Whenanindividualishighlymo(vatedtoperformabehaviorbutIsrestrictedfromdoingso.

•  Conflict–Whenanindividualismo(vatedtoperformtwoopposingbehaviorsatthesame(me.

•  Whatevertheoriginalreasonforrepea(ngthebehavior,repe((onstrengthenstheperformancebysensi(zingtheneuronalpathwaysinvolved!

Eustress�

MentalHealth‐Stress�S(muliorstressorscausinganaltera(ontoanorganisms’physiologicalhomeostasisand/or

psychologicalwell‐beingDistress�

Eustress�

• “GoodStress”• FightorFlightResponse• Abletoadapt,copeandregainphysiological+/‐psychologicalhomeostasis

Distress

• “BadStress”• Cumula(ve/ChronicStress• Unabletoadapt,cope,andfailtoregainphysiological+/‐psychologicalhomeostasis

ImportanceofMinimizingStressinCap(vity

“Recentadvancesinstressresearchhavenowleadtotherealiza(onthatcertainpreclinicalandclinicalsymptomsmayberesul(ngfromphysiologicalandpsychologicaldistressinthecap(veenvironment.Freedomfromdistressthusrepresentsanotheressen(alcomponentfortheestablishmentof

overallwell‐being.”

JournaloftheAmericanVeterinaryMedicalAssociaHon

BehaviouralManagementStrategies

•  Behaviouralmanagementallowsthedevelopmentofproac(vestandardsforthecareandpsychologicalwell‐beingofcap(veanimals

•  Behaviouralmanagementincorporatesappropriateveterinarycare,environmentalenrichment,training,animalbehaviourissues,andexhibitarchitectureandhusbandry.

BehaviouralManagementStrategies

•  Requiresaholis(candcoopera(veapproachfromveterinary,animalkeepingandmanagementstaff

Enclosuredesign

‘manystudieshavedemonstratedthatanimals’prefertheirenclosuresto

includecomplexity,variety,challengeandop(ons,ratherthanjustspace’

BIAZA

EnvironmentalEnrichment1.  Food

–  Scaderfeeding,smears

2.  Auditory–  Music,vocalisa(ons

3.  Tac(le–  Substrates,toys

4.  Cogni(ve–  Puzzlefeeders,coconuts

5.  Olfactory–  Essen(aloils,dung

6.  Visual–  Banners,flags,mirrors

Enrichment

EnrichmentCalendar

OperantCondi(oning

•  Canbeusefulasamanagementtool

•  Mustbeenjoyableandprogressive

•  Maybehelpfulasaneduca(onaltool

Humananimalinterac(onStaff Visitors

Rou(neHealthscreening•  Dailykeeperchecks•  Regularteammee(ngs

•  Rou(nevisualand/orphysicalscreening

VeterinaryInterven(ons

Pharmacology•  An(‐psycho(cs

– Haloperidol,thioridazine,risperidone,sulpiride.•  Anxioly(cs

– Diazepam,alprazolam

hOp://www.ivis.org/proceedings/eazwv/2004/Anaesthesia/Anesthesia2.pdf

Summary

•  Asveterinarianswearesponsibilitytoensurethephysical,mentalandbehaviouralhealthofouranimals

•  Thisrequiresaholis(c,integratedapproachamongstthedifferentzoostaff

•  Behaviouralproblemsmaybemul(factorialandcomplextoaddress

•  Preven(onisbederthancure!

Thankyou