Optimal Wellbeing of Ageing Wild Animals in Human Care
Covers all aspects of professional care to support and assess optimal wellbeing
Bundles best practices and scientific philosophies
Illustrative and carefully designed with personal stories of ageing individuals
This book is dedicated to all ageing animals everywhere and the people who care for them. Winnie the Pooh was wise (as always), let’s all take his advice to heart and listen to animals as well as talk to them.
Buy the bookAbout this book
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 preferences, physical and emotional needs. Ageing animals may change their behaviour, alter the use space, and may also experience events and their relationships with their carers differently than they used to. The ageing process and death of an individual can be a significant event for others in their group, as well as the human carers.
This book consolidates best practices for supporting and assessing optimal ageing animal wellbeing. It describes practical and science-informed approaches and philosophies regarding the care of ageing wild animals in zoos, aquariums, sanctuaries, universities and laboratories in a single source. This is an invaluable reference for veterinarians, animal care professionals, animal welfare researchers and students, and anyone with an interest in caring for animals.
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.
Get my copy
Table of contents (15 chapters)
- Front Matter
- Holistic Approaches to Optimal Wellbeing of Ageing Wild Animals
Sabrina Brando, Sarah Chapman - Aging Gracefully: Compassion for Nonhuman Animal Elders
Joachim Nieuwland, Franck Meijboom - The Importance of Meaningful Record-Keeping in Caring for Ageing Wild Animals
Max Norman, Sarah Chapman, Sabrina Brando - Facility Design for Ageing Wild Animals
Jon C. Coe - Environmental Enrichment for Ageing Animals in Zoos
Julian Chapman - The Role of Learning and Training for Ageing Animal Care and Wellbeing
Sabrina Brando, Debra Marrin - Supporting Geriatric Zoo Animal Welfare Through Nutrition
Francis Cabana, Amy Plowman - Veterinary Care of Ageing Animals in Zoos: Description of a Proactive Approach
Sarah Chapman, Phillipa Dobbs - Pain: Physiology, Recognition, and Management in Zoo Animals
Heather Bacon - Physiotherapy and Management of the Musculoskeletal Health of Ageing Wild Animals in Human Care
Matthew Shackleton, Louise Lefrere - Euthanasia of Geriatric Zoo Animals: Decision-Making and Procedure
Sarah Chapman, Julian Chapman, James Chatterton - The Longevity Legacy: The Challenges of Old Animals in Zoos
Andrew C. Kitchener - Mourning-Like Behaviour in a Malayan Sun Bear
Friederike Schmitz, Simone Schehka - Caring for Elderly Wild Animals: The Human Experience
Sabrina Brando, Mickey Gjerris, Nicola Field, Lynette Hart - The View from Beyond the Fence: Ageing Zoo Animals and Communicating with the Outside World
Philip Knowling - Back Matter
I would love to read & action these topics!
Meet some of the elderly individuals you will meet in the book 💚
Seeing the book being used out in the wild is wild!
Thank you for all the positive feedback and how you use the book and how you adapt the content to suit the animals in your care and at your organisation. Seeing the book out in the wild, making a difference - that is its whole purpose.
We have messages and photos from Japan, Portugal, the USA, Canada, and on location at conferences. Thanks for sending them, it is really a delight.
Do you have the book? Send us a photo - bonus points if the photo features an elderly animal, you, and the book!
Meet Henry
Henry is a 113-year-old Tuatara living in Invercargill, New Zealand, and he has his own Kaitaki (guardians). The Ngati Koata are the guardians of the Tuatara, and they permitted us to use this photo of Henry on the cover of the book. Ngā mihi - thank you.
The photo is by Lindsay Hazley, who is the Senior Living Species Officer, and who is also the person who assists with the day-to-day care of the Tuatara in Invercargill.
For this project, we also liaised with Zealan Simpkins, who is the CEO of Ngati Koata, and who are the Kaitaki of the Tuatara.
Ngāti Koata Trust is the Official site of the Ngāti Koata Trust - He Tangata, He tupuna, He taonga He Taiao.
Meet the editors
This book was edited by Sabrina Brando and Sarah Chapman, and by nature, a collaborative effort. We want to thank all the wonderful co-authors for their contributions to bringing this book into being, including all the individual animal stories such as Jade, Rupert, and Haha. We also want to thank our editor Annette Klaus and the team at Springer Nature for their support and the invitation to create this book.
Sabrina Brando
Sabrina Brando is a changemaker at INTERBEING AnimalConcepts & PhD Researcher, uniting people and organisations on 6 continents through interconnected consultancy, events, and online platforms that combine wellbeing for peoples, other animals, the greater community of life, and the planet we share.
Dr Sarah Chapman
Co-owner of Chapman Zoo Consultancy, qualified as a veterinarian in June 2000, Sarah is an experienced zoo veterinary surgeon with a background in working with mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates in several large zoos in the United Kingdom.
Sabrina and Sarah at the 2nd seminar on Optimal wellbeing for ageing wild animals AnimalConcepts organised, hosted by the Allwetterzoo Münster in Germany, in 2017.
Sabrina and Sarah in Spain in 2024, celebrating the publication of the book, next to a giant vulture outside a local vet clinic, could not have been more perfect and fun!
Caring for elderly animals in human care is a responsibility bringing a range of joys and sorrows, as editors we are grateful for all who contributed to the co-creation of this resourceful and engaging book.
This book illuminates ageing animals and puts forth the importance of a holistic approach interconnecting all aspects of their care. The ultimate aim is supporting a good life and a good death. The late global spiritual leader Thich Nhat Hanh describes connection as interbeing. “To inter-be and the action of interbeing reflects reality, we inter-are with one another and with all life.” Our relationship and care for animals, past, present, and future, is at the heart and the purpose of this book. Together with all contributors we invite you take action for the benefit of ageing animals.
8 January 2023
Arès, France
Reading to start reading & doing!
Purpose and values
We are committed to helping all people care for other animals, planet, and for themselves
One Care
We are committed to animal, human, and planetary wellbeing
Diversity, Inclusion, & Equity
We are dedicated to creating a more diverse, equal, and inclusive world for all
Connect with us
Do you have a question? A suggestion or idea you want to share? Use the contact form we will get back to you shortly! You can also email us on sbrando(@)animalconcepts.eu
Contact us