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...

New book available September!

Personal stories and beautiful images of ageing individuals brightening the start of each chapter and remind us that what we do must be in the best interest of the animal and be at the heart of their care.

We are thrilled about our edited volume - all about Optimal Wellbeing of Ageing Wild Animals in Human Care, by Sabrina Brando and Sarah Chapman DVM. A remarkable group of experts, practitioners, and thought-leaders have contributed and we are currently in the process of proofreading.

SUMMARY

Many wild animals in human care live longer than their wild counterparts because of modern care and wellbeing programmes, leading to a growing demographic of ageing animals. This handbook is dedicated to their care. As an innovative expert publication, it integrates all aspects of professional care, including topics such as behaviour, ethics, environmental enrichment, training, veterinary care, nutrition and habitat design. Each animal is unique in their prefer...

Collaborations with Zoo de Bordeaux-Pessac in France

The whole team at AnimalConcepts is delighted to continue collaborating with Zoo de Bordeaux-Pessac, in France, in its transition and transformation over the coming years in the space of animal, human, and planetary wellbeing.

"I met Sabrina more than 15 years ago, and at that time I made a promise to myself: one day I will collaborate with her. In February 2022 that we materialized this with a 3-day visit to do an audit of the zoo. Very quickly I decided on starting a long-term collaboration as change takes time and we have a lot to do. Her interest and expertise in animal, human, and planetary wellbeing allow us, beyond the animals that hold a fundamental place in our professions, to address more broadly the wellbeing of our team, community and planet. It is through our new philosophy that we aim to continue and develop our practices in the direction of better living together and respecting the planet we share. I am convinced tha...

Flying bamboo?

A free paper from the AnimalConcepts team is available open access and you can download it below.

This paper is part of the book Transforming food systems: ethics, innovation and responsibility by Donald and Ann Bruce, and discusses the challenges zoos face to be more environmentally-conscious and make decisions in regard to the sourcing of food for both animals and people. This paper also highlights the efforts undertaken by zoos to mitigate these challenges.

Abstract

Contemporary zoos, aquariums, sanctuaries, and other facilities housing animals in human care (hereafter zoos) are concerned with their core values of animal wellbeing, education, and nature conservation. There is a wide variety of species living in zoos worldwide, spanning across many different taxa, which results in an enormous diversity of diets – each bringing its own set of challenges. Meats, fishes, insects, fruits, vegetables, and browse are some, among many, of the necessary components for prov...

A new paper resulting from a collaboration between AnimalConcepts, the University Federal de Minas Gerais in Brazil, and the University of California in the USA is now available. The open-access article can be downloaded below.

The present study aimed to identify common joys and stressors experienced by zoo professionals working in a variety of roles ranging from junior animal care staff to curators. While many of those who care for non-human animals professionally identify their work to be purposeful, meaningful, and intrinsic to their calling and values, there can be downfalls to their chosen careers. Through a survey of 311 zoo and aquarium professionals, the present study identified common themes about their lack of ability to feel empowered to do their best for animal welfare. We identified a link between staff welfare and perceptions of animal welfare, highlighting areas that organisations can target to improve the ability of their staff to care for animals by taking better care...