The wellbeing of undesired animals in zoos and aquariums

Compassionate zoo grounds for everyone: Care and regard for undesired animals

Written by Sabrina Brando and Max Norman

Who are undesired animals?

Zoos and aquariums are not only home to a myriad of species in human care, but also to a multitude of free-living wildlife species that call the facility grounds their home. Animal care facilities, thus, face the complex challenge of managing these so-termed ‘undesirable’ species that are not deliberately housed. These so-called "pest" species can include rodents, bird and insect populations that have the potential to damage property and infrastructure, spread disease, compromise animal wellbeing through injury, illness, or resource competition, and they may also pose risks to visitor and staff safety. Nonetheless, they have become reliant on our facilities as places of shelter, as a food source, and safe places from predation and other pressures of the outside world.

 

Compassion for all beings

While undesirable, these...

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Fight, flight, freeze, and fawn behaviour in animals

Fight, fight, or freeze?

Chances are, you’re familiar with the term “fight or flight”. These words have become ingrained in our understanding of how animals tend to react when feeling stressed or unsafe. The instinctive reaction to either face an aggressor head-on or turn and run to escape conflict, and the biological processes which accompany these responses, are well-known and well-discussed in the animal kingdom. We may also talk about the “freeze” response, where animals remain motionless to avoid drawing attention from a threat. Together, these mechanisms form a repertoire of protective behaviours which aim to manage threat responses and enhance survival either as part of predator-prey dynamics or as part of managing their social groups within their species. However, another response occurs which is often overlooked - the "fawn" response.

 

What is the fawn response?

Better described in studies of human trauma responses, the fawn response...

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New book and plans for 2024

 

Hello


We know we've been a bit quiet on emails lately, so thanks for your patience. Rest assured we've been busy in the background planning for 2024 so that you have the best possible resources to help you care for animals and for yourself.

Planning for 2024


Thank you for everyone who responded to our surveys recently. Collectively you voted to see more:

Conservation scientists and animal welfare speakers
How-to protocols and decision tree frameworks
Topics covering habitat design, cognition, animal behaviour and human wellbeing.
If these weren't your first choices, please don't worry. We've worked hard to include everyone's answers, with a range of interconnected topics that support animal, human and planetary wellbeing.

See the plans for 2024

Good news to end 2023 - our book is published!

Each animal is unique in their preferences, experiences and physical and emotional needs which can change as they age. This book covers science, ethics, and best practices for supporting...

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Last chance to have your say

 Last chance to have your say for 2024

 
Membership that helps you make a difference for animals, people, and the planet - now wouldn't that be something special...

The INTERBEING platforms highlight interconnection. They combine science, compassion, and community so that you have a toolbox of opportunities for positive change. You are supported to feel good while doing good for animals, people, the planet and yourself.


The four interconnected platforms include:

  • Regular webinars to learn from experts - but who do you want to hear from?
  • Tools and resources that put science into practice - but what's most helpful?
  • Topics that highlight interconnection - but what topics are interesting?


We're about to plan the platforms for 2024
You get to guide the decision making


Last chance to have your say

 

Not a member?

That's okay! We make a lot of free resources that you can access without being a member. Our goal is to make learning accessible, interesting and interconnected....

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Designing habitats that work

 Melody presented at the AICAS conference


By presenting at the Iberian Association of Wild Animal Caretakers (AICAS) ninth Congress, Melody:

  • Encouraged empathy: by asking "do you know what the animals in your care do, while you're not there?". Some participants noted that they had not thought about this much before.
  • Made learning and interconnection accessible: by presenting in Spanish more animal caregivers were able to consider the individual's needs of their animals, alongside their own wellbeing needs. Making important links between quality of work and quality of life for both.
  • Supported creativity: because despite the shared challenges of limited time and money, people started to ask...

"How can we re-design a habitat for it to be functional and positive from the animal’s perspective?"

Find out by listening to the podcast

 

Last week, The Animal Behaviour Management Alliance invited Sabrina to talk about animal wellbeing science and practice.


Sabrina...

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It matters how you do things

Hello friend,
You might start to see some tiny tweaks...

We all get way too many emails. Inboxes fill up, emails get ignored and content can be overwhelming. But when you get a great email, it's really rather satisfying.

Something that is actually helpful, interesting and meaningful.

Now that sounds like an email worth writing and reading.

 

We want our emails to be useful. We hope they already are, but we're also in the business of continued improvement! So you might start to see some tweaks and changes as we experiment with what works best.

We just want to say that if there are bits you like, something you find useful, or parts that aren't so great, then please hit reply and share your story. This space is for you.

We're really glad you're here.

How we do things makes a difference

What difference can you make today?
It matters how you think

Melody is presenting a talk in Spanish at the Iberian Association of Wild Animal Caretakers (AICAS) ninth Congress meeting. Key takeaways...

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You want a membership that continues to work for you - Survey

You want a membership that continues to work for you
 

Which is why we we're asking you:

What would you like to see more of in 2024?


The Animal, Human and Planetary wellbeing platforms, including Foundations, are designed for you. They should be an interesting place, full of support and help with how to actually put your learning into practice in the real world.

Which is why we're already looking ahead.

To make the platforms work as best as they possibly can for you, they need to be tailor-made and designed with care. Could you spare a couple of minutes to help us do that for you?

This survey won’t take long - we promise!

 HAVE YOUR SAY

Thank you!

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Coming to the Conferences?

We know that you are the kind of people who want to make improvements for people, animals and the planet.

To do that, we all need to be sharing with and learning from others. Conferences are exciting places to do just that. Which is why we’re off to Ohio! 

AnimalConcepts at AZA Conference 

Consider the animals that you care for.

What do they do when you're not around to watch them? 

We'll be presenting on this very topic at the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Annual Conference hosted by Columbus Zoo. We'll explore techniques and technologies to improve the experience of animals overnight and throughout their lifespan. We're also presenting two posters covering human wellbeing and food sourcing practices within zoos.

AnimalConcepts at AAZK Conference

The Keynote: How do you care?

How do you care for yourself as an individual. At a leadership level. And as a whole team or organisation. How do you care with compassion and lead with purpose?

Our...

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Sustainable practices at animal care organisations & sleep in the digital age

Sustainable practices at animal care organisations

Sustainability is becoming an increasingly important topic in the management of zoos, aquaria, and other animal care organisations,  recognising their responsibility to reduce their environmental impact and promote sustainable practices. Many organisations are involved in conservation, education and research, and sustainability is essential to the success of these efforts too. Visitors expect contemporary institutions to be leaders who promote sustainable practices and demonstrate their commitment to environmental preservation.

Animal care organisations play an important role in meeting the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Annually, AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums provide information about their green business practices through AZA’s Green Practices survey. The database created from this survey serves as a tool for members to document their staffing, the sourcing of local food,...

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Discovering urban green areas & wild animals in cities

The importance of urban green spaces

We know going for walks is a good idea to connect with the world around us, disconnect from work, get away from screens, enjoy time with family or friends, or do a bit of self-care by practising walking meditation. However, living in a busy city or an urban area does not always make this easy. Considering the high temperatures we are currently experiencing due to climate change, we might need to adjust the times we walk and where we walk. More and more towns and cities are planting and maintaining green spaces with trees and shrubs which are not only beautiful and soothing to look at but also provide immediate benefits. The air is cooler, you can sit in the shade, and everything becomes quieter which can help you feel more relaxed. Urban green spaces are important to your wellbeing, as well as other people, animals, and other vegetation sharing these spaces.

Urban green areas are vital components of cities and urban environments. These areas...

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