Feasibility and validity of the Animal Welfare Assessment Grid to monitor the welfare of zoo-housed gorillas Gorilla gorilla gorilla
Feasibility and validity of the Animal Welfare Assessment Grid to monitor the welfare of zoo-housed gorillas Gorilla gorilla gorilla
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DOI：
10.19227/jzar.v9i4.607
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发表时间：
2021-01-01
影响因子：
1.3
通讯作者：
Duchateau, Marie Jose H. M.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Brouwers, Stijn P.;Duchateau, Marie Jose H. M.
动物园需要监控他们的动物，以评估动物福利政策在多大程度上带来了足够的福利。由于动物园通常不可能从结构上测量皮质类固醇浓度或进行广泛的行为观察，动物园通常依靠其看护人使用调查来评估动物福利。动物福利评估网格（AWAG）允许动物园根据饲养员评级量化和可视化动物福利。该工具以前曾用于监测动物园饲养动物的福利，但动物园管理员尚未实际使用。因此，福利的两组西部低地大猩猩每天监测三个月的看护人使用AWAG评估其可用性和可靠性。同时进行行为观察，以验证饲养员对动物福利指标的评级。这项研究表明，AWAG可以用来得到一个很好的指示个人或群体的福利，并确定潜在的福利问题。从长期来看，福利似乎相对稳定，这表明没有必要进行日常福利审计。与研究人员在以前的研究中回顾性地进行的评估相比，Keepers的评估捕捉到了福利方面更微妙的变化。评分员间的可靠性是好的，但照顾者的分数并不总是符合行为观察的数据。额外的培训、定期的员工会议和更长的观察时间很可能会增加守门员评级的详细程度。
Zoos need to monitor their animals in order to evaluate to what extent animal welfare policies result in adequate welfare. Since it is usually not feasible for zoos to structurally measure corticosteroid concentrations or conduct extensive behavioural observations, zoos often rely on their caretakers to assess animal welfare using surveys. The Animal Welfare Assessment Grid (AWAG) allows zoos to quantify and visualise animal welfare based on keeper ratings. This tool has previously been used to monitor the welfare of zoo-housed animals, but it has not yet been used in practice by zookeepers. Therefore, the welfare of two groups of western lowland gorillas Gorilla gorilla gorilla was monitored daily for three months by caretakers using the AWAG to assess its usability and reliability. Behavioural observations were conducted simultaneously to validate keeper ratings of animal-based welfare indicators. This study demonstrated that the AWAG can be used to get a good indication of the welfare of an individual or group and to identify potential welfare issues. Welfare appeared to be relatively stable in the long term, which indicates that it is not necessary to perform daily welfare audits. Keepers' assessments captured more subtle changes in welfare compared to assessments made retrospectively by researchers in previous studies. Inter-rater reliability was good, but caretakers' scores did not always correspond with data from behavioural observations. Extra training, regular staff meetings and longer observation times will most likely increase the degree of detail of keeper ratings.