animal wellbeing
Animal wellbeing and the phoenix zoo
what is animal wellbeing?
Animal wellbeing is the state of being comfortable, healthy and happy. This is achieved by giving animals lifelong opportunities to thrive. The word wellbeing ultimately answers the question we care about most: “Are our animals happy?”
about animal wellbeing
The wellbeing of animals in our care is our moral responsibility and is built into who we are as the Phoenix Zoo. The animals that call the Phoenix Zoo home serve as ambassadors to their wild counterparts, participate in Species Survival Plans (SSP’s) or breeding plans and inspire our guests to care for their conservation and the natural world. By providing the best care for the animals at the Zoo and ensuring optimal animal wellbeing, our animals are able to better contribute to SSP’s or breeding plans and inspire our guests by engaging in species-appropriate behaviors.
We strive to ensure that our animals not only survive, but thrive in our care.
The Phoenix Zoo has a process for assessing animal wellbeing. Our staff assesses both inputs (things we provide the animal) and outputs (the animal’s response). Assessing both inputs and outputs allows us to determine how well we are providing for the animal and how the animal is responding to our management.
Providing for our animals and ensuring their wellbeing is built into the core of what the Phoenix Zoo promotes and practices. We will continually work to assess and adjust our management to ensure the animals are thriving in our care. What works for one individual, species or individuals of the same species may not work for another, which is why we assess and look at all animals critically to determine where, or if, any changes need to be made.
Staff at the Zoo are dedicated to ensuring optimal animal wellbeing. All staff members take part in providing for the animals through daily responsibilities, communication and collaboration. The Zoo’s Animal Welfare Committee works to address wellbeing concerns when they arise.
Promoting optimal animal wellbeing is essential to the core of who the Phoenix Zoo is and what we do.
The Phoenix Zoo’s five opportunities to promote animal wellbeing include:
– Promoting optimal animal health
– Promoting species-appropriate diets
– Promoting species-appropriate behaviors
– Promoting choice and control
– Promoting appropriate habits and environments
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Our vet care team works to provide preventative care for all animals that call the Phoenix Zoo home.
Our animal care staff works to train their animals in cooperative care behaviors. Cooperative care behaviors aid in the husbandry (care) of the animal, in monitoring their health and has the animal willingly participate in their care and healthcare.
- Examples include blood draw training, ultrasound training, weighing, open mouth, body checks, standing up, nail trims, etc.
All diets provided to the animals at the Phoenix Zoo are based on current scientific understanding, vet and nutritionist recommendations and industry standards.
The Zoo works with a consulting nutritionist to analyze the diets of the animals and make changes where needed.
All animals are provided with appropriate diets based on health, weight, individual needs, species’ needs and management practices.
The diets the animals receive are provided in a manner to encourage species-appropriate (or natural) foraging behaviors.
While the animals in our care do not have to worry about finding shelter, avoiding predators, finding food or finding mates, as these things are provided, the Zoo still works to encourage species-appropriate (or natural) behaviors in all of the animals as this is essential to their wellbeing.
Habitat design and features are used to promote species-appropriate behaviors, encouraging animals to investigate and navigate their environments in species-appropriate ways. All animals are housed in appropriate social settings to promote species-appropriate behaviors as well.
Behavioral enrichment (BE) is used to further promote species-appropriate behaviors.
- BE is anything that stimulates the animal’s mind, encourages species-appropriate behaviors and provides new experiences for our animals.
- BE is purposeful, goal-oriented and behavior based. We look at the behaviors we want to encourage in our animals and how we can use specific items or experiences to promote them.
- BE is a process and requires collaboration. To provide BE to our animals, we use the S.P.I.D.E.R. framework.
- Setting Goals – Looks at natural and individual history to determine and prioritize behavioral goals.
- Planning – Determines BE that can be used based on the behavioral goal targeted. Approvals may be required and items may need to be built/acquired.
- Implementing – The BE item is introduced to the animal. Staff ensures that materials (if applicable) are readily available for the item to be added into rotation for the animal.
- Documenting – All enrichment sessions are documented, allowing staff to see trends in behavioral diversity, goals targeted and items used.
- Evaluating – All enrichment sessions are evaluated to determine how well the animal is able to achieve their behavioral goal utilizing the enrichment.
- Re-adjusting – Enrichment is only as beneficial as it is effective. If behavioral goals are not being met, we re-adjust to help make the animal more successful at engaging in the specific behaviors.
- Many departments contribute to our BE program.
- Horticulture provides plant material (browse, herbs/spices, logs, etc.).
- Nutrition Services provides food-based enrichment, presenting the animal’s diet in different forms such as ice treats, etc.
- Vet staff ensures the safety of the offered enrichment. They are a key component to approving enrichment items.
- Volunteers design, build and observe animals utilizing enrichment.
Animal training is used to aid in our animal care staff in providing the best care possible for the animals, but is also used to encourage species-appropriate behaviors as well.
Providing our animals with new experiences and multiple choices within their environment promotes optimal animal wellbeing by giving the animal control of their environment.
- Choices in temperature, substrates, enrichment opportunities, habitat features, diet and participation in interactions with staff allow our animals to control their environment and navigate as they see fit.
Many of the species that call the Phoenix Zoo home are accustomed to warm climates. Regardless, all animals are provided with cooling and heating options to aid them year round in Phoenix.
Animals are provided with appropriately sized habitats with multiple options of appropriate substrates, habitat features, cooling/heating and lighting.
In times of extreme heat, how do we ensure the wellbeing of our animals?
- All animals are provided with cooling options in their habitats and many animals are given the choice of being in their cooler night house areas during these times.
- Animals that are provided with pools and other water features regularly have the choice to cool off.
- Many of our habitats feature irrigation for the plant life, but this can also be used to aid in keeping the environment and the animal cooler in the summer.
- Animals are typically offered many forms of behavioral enrichment which aid in keeping our animals cool.
- Nutrition Services provide ice treats for many species across the Zoo. These ice treats are based on the diets our animals receive and food-based behavioral enrichment.
- Animals without pools and water features can have additions made to add aw supplementary option to cool down and enhance behavioral enrichment.
- Staff can build-in husbandry measures to ensure our animals stay cool.
- Staff continually assess animal behaviors to determine the animal’s needs.
- For some animals, being provided a “shower” by staff can aid in keeping cool.
