For me, one of the great things about being a vet is that every day is different. During my career so far, I have treated all sorts of pets, horses and farm animals. But I have also been fortunate enough to work with a local safari park, where we truly were treating all creatures great and small. 

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My backstory:

If there was a lecture at vet school on how to give antibiotics to a lion, where to put a microchip in a rhino, how to blood sample a penguin or top tips for foot trimming a giraffe, then I must have missed it! Thankfully I found myself learning under the guidance of my then boss; and with support from a team of incredibly knowledgeable and dedicated keepers at the park. I had some amazing experiences and was privileged to see behind the scenes; to appreciate the planning and commitment that goes into keeping this collection of over 300 animals happy and healthy.

Keeping wild animals in captivity is not without its complications. With the best will in the world, it is not possible to recreate the exact natural environment of every wild animal in a zoo. Often animals are being kept on a different continent to where they would naturally live; so the climate is different, different food is available, ground conditions are not the same, and we cannot always provide as large an area for each animal to roam as we would like. So how do we protect wild animal welfare in zoos and parks?

What is animal welfare?

The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) defines animal welfare as “the physical and mental state of an animal in relation to the conditions in which it lives and dies”. The Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare, it says, “describe society’s expectations for the conditions animals should experience when under human control”.

The Five Freedoms are:

  • Freedom from hunger, malnutrition and thirst
  • Freedom from physical discomfort including heat stress
  • Freedom from pain, injury and disease
  • Freedom from fear and distress
  • Freedom to express normal patterns of behaviour

Wildlife parks, safari parks and zoos

In the UK, a zoo is defined as “any establishment where wild animals are exhibited to the public, apart from circuses and pet shops”. Safari and wildlife parks therefore are types of zoos and as such must be licensed under the Zoo Licensing Act 1981. This zoo licence is granted (and regularly reviewed) by the local authority following inspection; which is guided by the Secretary of State’s Standards of Modern Zoo Practice. These standards include details on the provision of appropriate food, water, environment, healthcare and the opportunity to express normal behaviour; as well as protection from fear and distress.

Is licensing an effective way of protecting animal welfare?

Licensing establishes standards and ensures regular inspection. However in my experience, it is not the main driving force behind the good welfare of any animal, be it wild, pet or farmed. Without licensing for pet ownership in the UK, we as owners strive to ensure our pets experience high standards of animal welfare because we want them to be happy, healthy members of our family and to thrive and enjoy life. In my experience, zoos are no different. 

I saw the incredible devotion and vast depth of knowledge that the park owner and animal keepers had. This was evident on an individual level, remembering each animal’s preferences and habits; on a species level, knowing their needs and natural behaviours; and on a global level, understanding how these animals fitted into the bigger picture of worldwide conservation and education.

Zookeepers are not in it for an easy life! 

Working outdoors in all weathers, on the good days when the sun shines and new life arrives at the park, as well as on the more challenging days when the rain is relentless and you’re shovelling the 15th wheelbarrow of… well, you get the idea, it’s not often a glamorous job. In my experience, keepers take great pride in ensuring high standards of animal welfare; and in constantly observing and learning about their chosen species and the individuals under their care. Spending each day making sure every need is met, keepers develop close bonds with their animals (as do many animals with their keepers). And when it comes to making end of life decisions, I can assure you that the heartbreak is as real for zookeepers as it is for you and I as pet owners. 

Zoos and parks exist for conservation and education; aims which can only be achieved by getting visitors through the door in large numbers. Aswell as engaging with them in a positive way. Zoos are open to public scrutiny in a way that, for example, owners of exotic/wild pets such as reptiles and birds are not.

As conservation is a global effort, zoos also collaborate with each other constantly; through BIAZA in Britain and Ireland, EAZA in Europe and WAZA throughout the world. This collaboration drives improvements in animal welfare by building connections for knowledge sharing and support between colleagues across the globe; many of whom are experts in their field. ABWAK (The Association of British and Irish Wild Animal Keepers) is another organisation which “seeks to achieve the highest standards of excellence in animal welfare, through communication, cooperation, training and development”. 

What does good animal welfare look like in a zoo or park?

Let’s look at the Five Freedoms of animal welfare in more detail to understand how zoos build on this foundation; including some specific examples from the park I worked with. 

1 – Freedom from hunger, malnutrition and thirst. 

In addition to providing an adequate quantity and quality of species appropriate food and water, zoos work hard to make this available in as natural a way as possible. For example hanging branches high up for giraffe or elephants to browse (eat the leaves). Or hiding lemur foods around their large outdoor habitat to encourage foraging. The food and eating preferences of individuals are considered and supplements are provided. For example hoof supplements for zebras, vitamins for sea lions, and joint supplements for aged elephants!

 2 – Freedom from physical discomfort including heat stress. 

Providing basic comfort, warmth and shade is a vital part of ensuring good animal welfare; especially when animals are living in a very different climate to where they would naturally be found. Working with a safari park in Britain, most animals I dealt with required heated environments. But the most significant impact I saw on animal welfare was that they were almost always given choice. Access to outdoor or heated indoor environments was usually by way of cat-flat type doors for the smaller animals such as lemurs and otters. And for the large mammals, mostly via strip curtain doors to keep the heat in. 

More recently, the chimps there have been involved in a research project; giving them the option to trigger blasts of hot air into their indoor habitat by standing on a projection on the floor. This ability to have some control over their own environment has been shown to have a positive impact on an animal’s wellbeing, again improving welfare.

3 – Freedom from pain, injury and disease. 

By providing a good diet and environment, and applying strict disease control measures, zoos aim to keep their animals as healthy as possible. Just as with healthy humans or pets however, injury and illness can occur. This is where the keeper’s attention to detail and knowledge of their individual animals becomes key as they can pick up on signs of illness or injury very early on. 

With wild animals we do not always immediately intervene; as this process can cause stress to the individual and many wild animals will heal minor injuries well on their own. If intervention is necessary, the zoo will work closely with vets to ensure this aid is delivered promptly and effectively. As anyone who has ever tried to give pills to their cat can imagine, delivering penicillin to a lion is a challenging prospect. But again with the zookeepers’ knowledge and experience, even a novice zoo vet can manage this and make it out again in one piece! 

To deliver ever-improving animal welfare zoos take any opportunity to learn about the health of their animals; therefore following the death of any zoo animal there will be a post-mortem examination carried out. This is not only to confirm the cause of death; but also to learn any lessons we can about the rest of the group or future animals in our care. Likewise, animals that must be sedated or anaesthetised for any reason will often be blood sampled at the same time to help us build a better understanding of their individual and group health.

This is the real reason why we train animals to do things – not to impress the visitors!

Some animals are also “trained” in allowing their keepers and vets to carry out routine health checks. For example, the sea lions I worked with take great delight in opening their mouths on command, to let you check their teeth. (I recommend holding your breath when doing this!). Or turning their heads to allow you to examine their eyes. This training is not appropriate for every species but when applying sea lion eye drops, medicating a diabetic chimp with daily tablets or needing to examine the underside of an elephant’s foot, it can be extremely useful to have this level of cooperation. And it allows illness or injury to be identified earlier and treated with less stress all round; thus improving animal welfare.

4 – Freedom from fear and distress. 

Clearly this is a significant factor in the welfare of any animal. And in zoos and parks I would say this relates to both animal-animal interaction as well as human-animal interactions. It goes without saying that while they may naturally encounter one another in the wild, mixing antelopes with tigers or housing zebras with lions in a zoo is not going to end well for animal welfare.

However, attention is also paid to the dynamics within single species groups (to avoid fighting between individuals); keepers are trained in appropriate handling of their animals; veterinary intervention is considered carefully against the stress of handling for wild animals; and care is taken to provide every animal with some opportunity for respite from the glare of the public spotlight. When young animals are born, the group concerned are usually taken “off display” during this sensitive time. Although in my experience, it doesn’t take long for the young ones to develop a strong sense of adventure and curiosity!

5 – Freedom to express normal patterns of behaviour. 

This is a more difficult area to quantify and I believe it is one of the more challenging aspects of animal welfare to protect when wild animals are kept in captivity. Much is done to ensure normal behaviours are evident. And where they are not, plans are made to bring about change in whatever form is required. 

Elephants are perhaps the most obvious example here. Wild elephants may travel many miles in one day, in large and complex family groups. Recreating this in a zoo or park environment is sadly just not possible; and this does lead to concerns over elephant welfare in captivity. Elephants are also very long lived, often over 65 years of age. This poses challenges in terms of needing very long-term planning for their care. At the park where I worked, the absence of some normal behaviours in the elephants was the major motivation behind the years-long project of building a new elephant habitat, opened 10 years ago now. For the park it was a colossal investment, but where elephants are concerned this sort of effort is absolutely crucial to achieving high standards of animal welfare throughout their long lives. 

Massive – and expensive – changes, specifically designed to improve welfare

The original elephant house was quite bare, with individual pens, concrete floors, and restricted access to the outdoor habitat during icy weather. The three resident elephants didn’t lie down at all as the environment was not suitable for them to do so. And interactions between these individuals were negatively impacted, particularly during the winter. This was especially significant as the group were all individuals with specific behavioural difficulties recorded prior to arriving at the park. 

The “new” building is completely different, with a heated indoor habitat made largely of natural materials for the elephants to interact with; year-round free access to the outdoor are; 24 hour computer controlled food provision; 5 foot deep sand surface allowing the elephants to lie down comfortably; daily warm water sprays with free access to areas to mud wallow and dust bath; and a system of ceiling hoists enabling browsing and feeding from various heights. This much more comfortable environment improved the elephants’ welfare significantly. And this was evident in their increased display of natural behaviours and more peaceful interactions.

Conclusion

Without the work of zoos and wildlife parks in conservation, research, education and applying political pressure when needed, we simply would not still have all of the incredible species of animal that exist worldwide today. Ongoing monitoring of every aspect of animal welfare is vital to ensure the higher standards are always being pursued. However I believe that with the dedication of zookeepers, park owners and vets, collaboration between worldwide organisations, regularly updated zoo licensing protocols, and with the engagement of the general public; we can continue to protect animal welfare in captive wild animals in the UK in the future.

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