Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

Zoological institutions often use shows or educational presentations as a form of visitor education on species and nature conservation. Nevertheless only 2% of current animal welfare literature is dedicated to the impact of shows on animal welfare, even though shows can influence welfare
through multiple factors. Visitor numbers during show, training methods used for participation in a show, zookeeper interactions during shows, housing of show animals or whether shows are enriching can all influence welfare. Bird shows are among the most advertised presentations on
zoological institutions’ websites, yet empirical data on the effect of birds’ engagement in a show on their welfare is lacking. This study investigated behavioural data of nine birds of five different species in two different zoological settings to see whether behaviour changed on days birds
participated in a show and days they did not participate. To further investigate the effect of show, behaviour was compared between before and after show. Behavioural changes are used as an indicator for animal welfare. Birds showed an increase in active and natural behaviours on show days, compared to no-show days, indicating enhanced welfare. Abnormal behaviours increased on show days, however comparisons between before and after show, suggests that these behaviours were mainly anticipatory, since they decreased after show. For one individual anticipatory
behaviour seemed to escalate into frustration, indicating that results differed between different species and individuals. Overall, this study suggests that bird shows can have a neutral to positive effect on bird welfare, depending on bird species and individual. To further enhance the welfare of ambassador birds, future research should specifically focus on what it is that motivates different
bird species and individuals to participate in a show.