Zoo World Research Articles

Putting zoo animal cancer into perspective.

As part of a comparative research agenda that promises insights that help extend the human lifespan and combat cancer, cancer prevalence in zoo animals has received recent attention. Here, we want to draw attention to a principle of cancer research that was introduced into the zoo world as early on as 1933, but that seems to have gone somewhat forgotten: Cancer is mainly a disease of old age, and therefore studies aiming at identifying taxa that are particularly susceptible or resistant to cancer must control for whether the respective zoo populations are 'old.' In a comparative context, 'old age' cannot be measured in absolute terms (e.g., years), but only in relation to a species' maximum lifespan: Species that achieve, across zoos, a higher mean lifespan as a percent of their maximum lifespan are 'older.' When applying this metric to former as well as more recently published data on cancer prevalence, it appears that those species that become relatively old in zoos-in particular, the carnivores-have a relatively high cancer prevalence. Any improvement in animal husbandry-which reduces premature deaths-should, by default, lead to more cancer. Cancer in zoo animals, like any other old-age condition, might therefore be embraced as a proxy for good husbandry. Rather than following a sensationalist approach that dramatizes disease and death per se, zoos should be clear about what their husbandry goals are, what relative longevities they want to achieve for which species, and what old-age diseases they should therefore expect: in the end, one has to die of something.

Apex and ApeTouch: Development of a Portable Touchscreen System and Software for Primates at Zoos.

Simple SummaryZoos are increasingly looking at technology-based enrichment as a way to improve the welfare of primates in their care. Touchscreen tasks are an option that have a long and established history of usage by primates in research settings as well as a history in zoos. However, the barrier-to-entry is high for new zoos interested in adopting the primate touchscreen method. There are no pre-built and zoo-specific hardware and software options available, so zoos must assemble touchscreen systems on their own and write their own software or use pre-existing research-based software that is not ideally suited to zoo settings and applications. To remedy this, we developed a pre-built portable touchscreen system named Apex along with easy-to-operate primate software named ApeTouch; both are available for zoos to acquire. Our system and software offer enrichment, research, and husbandry applications. To illustrate the utility of these tools, we report on a training study with four species of zoo-housed macaques using the Apex machine and ApeTouch software.We report on the development and testing of a portable touchscreen apparatus and accompanying software program for primate enrichment, cognitive research, and husbandry applications. For zoos considering using technology to bolster scientific efforts or enhance the welfare of primates in their care, touchscreen activities offer a solution that has a long and proven record of primate use in laboratory settings as well as a history of usage in the zoo world. We review the options that are available for zoos to build their own touchscreen systems and we offer as an alternative our pre-built apparatus, Apex, and primate software suite, ApeTouch, both of which are tailored for use in a zoo setting. The efficacy and utility of these tools are demonstrated in a training study with four macaque groups of different species that were previously naïve to touchscreens. All of the groups in the study learned to use the device and displayed a consistent engagement with the touchscreen tasks over 95 daily sessions of exposure. In the final stage of the training, two of the four groups displayed an above-chance level performance on a numerical sequencing task.

Is Animal Welfare an Internationally Understood Concept in the Zoo World? Thematic Analysis of Two Regional Groups of Zoo Staff.

Simple SummaryIn order to ensure we do not speak at cross-purposes, common understandings and definitions are useful. However, there is no universal definition of animal welfare. Structured interviews with a sample of European and Chinese zoo staff aimed to explore their perceptions and understanding of the term ‘animal welfare’, and the use of animal welfare frameworks in a zoological context. Thematic analysis demonstrated that all interviewees used similar descriptors when discussing animal welfare including describing animal feelings and emotions. Animal welfare frameworks were considered useful across both regions. However, different frameworks were suggested by interviewees in Europe to those in China. Chinese zoo staff expressed the importance of leadership in animal welfare in Chinese zoos. These findings suggest a common understanding of the concept of animal welfare, and the usefulness of animal welfare frameworks across geographically and culturally diverse regions.Universal frameworks for zoo animal welfare have been suggested. However, there is little evidence of a cross-cultural understanding of zoo animal welfare. This paper reports themes emerging from a qualitative study of international (European and Chinese) zoo professionals on zoo animal welfare issues. Structured telephone interviews were conducted with eight Chinese and eight European zoo staff, covering aspects of zoological animal welfare, conservation and zoological husbandry practices. These qualitative data were thematically analysed, and key themes generated. This paper describes three themes relating to ‘What is animal welfare’ ‘Animal welfare frameworks’ and ‘The human element in animal welfare’. This analysis indicates that the concept of animal welfare has cultural equivalence across Europe and between Europe and China, and that zoo staff are familiar with welfare frameworks. In China, a need for senior leadership and motivating staff to improve animal welfare emerged.

Cheek to cheek to cheek – First evidence of cooperative breeding in the White-cheeked Turaco Tauraco leucotis (Rüppel, 1835) from Opel-Zoo Kronberg

On 8th January 2009 an 11-year old Kirk dikdik female gave birth to a twin pair at Adventure Zoo Hannover. It was the first published twin birth in the zoo world. The origin of the parents was Tanzania. Both fawns are males. Only one of the fawns is still living at Hannover. The second one died before birth. The birth weight for the living dikdik fawn had been 680 g, for the dead twin 570 g. The birth proceeded in early morning hours. The living dikdik male by now is one of the breeding males of the Hannover Zoo.

Zur ersten Zwillingsgeburt beim Zwergrüsseldikdik Madoqua kirkii (Günther, 1880) im Erlebnis-Zoo Hannover am 8. Januar 2009

On 8th January 2009 an 11-year old Kirk dikdik female gave birth to a twin pair at Adventure Zoo Hannover. It was the first published twin birth in the zoo world. The origin of the parents was Tanzania. Both fawns are males. Only one of the fawns is still living at Hannover. The second one died before birth. The birth weight for the living dikdik fawn had been 680g, for the dead twin 570g. The birth proceeded in early morning hours. The living dikdik male by now is one of the breeding males of the Hannover Zoo.

Editorial: Research in Zoos

Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Alfred-Kowalke-Strasse 17, D-10315 Berlin,GermanyE-mail: direktor@izw-berlin.deThere are already signs that research in zoosand aquariums has begun totakeona sense ofurgency. Throughout the zoo world, profes-sionals have always been aware of the social,nutritional and welfare benefits to be gainedfor their animals by a better understanding ofthe biology of the ‘beasts in their care’ (e.g.Hosey et al., 2009; Kleiman et al., 2010).Indeed, the contribution of biological researchonzooanimalstoourunderstandingofanimallife histories has beensubstantial and not beenfully appreciated to this day (Hofer et al.,2005). Prompted in part by the zoos andaquariums themselves, partly by the type ofstaff they employ, by the staff in associatedinstitutions, partly by regional, national orinternational zoo and aquarium associationconservation or research strategies (WAZA,2005; Reid et al., 2008; Penning et al., 2009)and governmental legislation (Council Direc-tive, 1999), and not least by academic scien-tists (e.g. Dehnhardt et al., 2001), researchwithin zoos has not only increased in breadthand depth, as demonstrated by the contents ofthis volume, it has also found exciting newways of establishing constructive and closecollaborations with academic institutions. Theurgency arises from an increased generalawareness of the loss of biodiversity andthe urgentneedtoconserveit, and the impactsof climate change on individual speciesand habitats (Barnosky, 2009), together withthe anticipated scale of impact in the futureas calculated by the increasing number ofsignificantly more sophisticated climate pro-jections and analyses (IPCC, 2007; Hansen,2009; Loarie et al., 2009; Met Office, 2010).Therefore, ‘Time’ can be considered as thehidden underlying theme running throughthis communication, our introduction of thearticles in this volume of the InternationalZoo Yearbook; time’s passage; time’s impor-tance; what is done with it; how we areconstrained by it; how much time does some-thing take to do; what can be done in time?These important questions are all intrinsic tothe articles of this volume. As members ofinterlinked zoological communities in differ-ent parts of the world, some of us may thinkthat not much change has taken place in theenvironment in which we live over the pastdecades or longer; others of us have seendramatic changes brought about by war, en-vironmental destruction, weather or disease.Today, all are now aware that changes areunder way – whether the seas are beingemptied of sustainable fish stocks (FAO,2010) or the weather appears to show ‘excep-tional modifications of natural variation’(Slingo, 2011): too much snow too early,longer summers, rains not coming when theyshould, for too short a time or too long.As a zoo community, we have becomeused to looking 100 years into the future andarranging the planning of our conservationbreeding efforts on that time scale (Lacy,

Nordens Ark - a university conservation field station

Nordens Ark is a non-profit foundation aiming to provide self-sustainable viable populations of threatened species through conservation breeding and reintroduction programmes. In 2001, an important decision was made to be part of a scientific society with close contacts to universities, and to appoint a professor in conservation biology as the scientific leader. Together with the universities, new programmes were developed where traditional academic knowledge could be combined with the experience and practical hands-on knowledge of the zoo world. Components of these programmes are held at Nordens Ark on a contracted basis. Nordens Ark has developed international research schools together with Gothenburg University, and conservation aspects of threatened wild animal species and domestic breeds provide the overarching theme. Nordens Ark has successfully taken part in breeding and reintroduction programmes for, among others, the White-backed woodpecker Dendrocopos leucotos, the Peregrine falcon Falco peregrinus, the Lesser white-fronted goose Anser erythropus, the Green toad Bufo viridis and the Fire-bellied toad Bombina bombina. Nordens Ark has also been contracted by national and international conservation authorities or organizations to ensure that the best possible conservation measures are taken when conflicts arise between infrastructure projects and the conservation of threatened species.

Zoos: Conservation or exploitation?

Captivity should be the last resort in any attempt to conserve threatened species. However, for many species we are now at this point, particularly when we consider the lower vertebrates such as amphibians. Zoos have the potential to play a leading role in the conservation (as opposed the exploitation) of this often-neglected taxa. However, in order to do this will require two significant mind-shifts within the zoo world. Firstly we need to distinguish between those species which we maintain for exhibition purposes (i.e. large mammals) from those which have an important conservation role (e.g. amphibians) and be willing to discuss this openly with our visiting public. Second we must recognise that while educating children about the natural world is of value, our biggest impact on wildlife conservation will be through training conservation professionals worldwide and building their capacity to conserve their own wildlife.

Population management of rhinoceros in captivity

Captive‐breeding programmes are important components of conservation strategies for rhinoceros. Rhinoceros in zoos can serve as (1) genetic and demographic reservoirs to reinforce wild populations as the need and opportunity occur, and (2) ambassadors to increase public awareness and support, especially financial, for conservation of wild populations. However, for these functions, rhinoceros in captivity must be managed scientifically and co‐operatively to produce viable populations. Population‐management programmes for Black rhinoceros Diceros bicornis, White rhinoceros Ceratotherium simum and Indian rhinoceros Rhinoceros unicornis are operating in various regions of the zoo world, especially North America [Species Survival Plans (SSP)] and Europe [European Endangered Species Programmes (EEP)]. Analyses indicate that rhinoceros populations in captivity are achieving variable levels of viability. In SSP and EEP populations Black rhinoceros and White rhinoceros are genetically but not demographically satisfactory, while Indian rhinoceros is healthy demographically but limited genetically. Improvement is needed and could be achieved through better management.

Zoo World Order: Rock and Roll as Humanities

Zoo World Order: Rock and Roll as Humanities

Event Calculus Reasoning Through Satisfiability

We present an implemented method for encoding reasoning problems of a discrete version of the classical logic event calculus in propositional conjunctive normal form, enabling the problems to be solved efficiently by off-the-shelf complete satisfiability (SAT) solvers. We build on the previous encoding method of Shanahan and Witkowski, extending it to support causal constraints, concurrent events, determining fluents, effect axioms with conditions, events triggered by conditions, gradual change, incompletely specified initial situations, state constraints, and release from the commonsense law of inertia. We present an alternative classical logic axiomatization of the event calculus and prove its equivalence to a standard axiomatization for integer time. We describe our encoding method based on the alternative axiomatization and prove its correctness. We evaluate the method on 14 benchmark reasoning problems for the event calculus and compare performance with the causal calculator on eight problems in the zoo world domain.

Representing the Zoo World and the Traffic World in the language of the Causal Calculator

The work described in this report is motivated by the desire to test the expressive possibilities of action language C +. The Causal Calculator ( CCalc) is a system that answers queries about action domains described in a fragment of that language. The Zoo World and the Traffic World have been proposed by Erik Sandewall in his Logic Modelling Workshop—an environment for communicating axiomatizations of action domains of nontrivial size. The Zoo World consists of several cages and the exterior, gates between them, and animals of several species, including humans. Actions in this domain include moving within and between cages, opening and closing gates, and mounting and riding animals. The Traffic World includes vehicles moving continuously between road crossings subject to a number of restrictions, such as speed limits and keeping a fixed safety distance away from other vehicles on the road. We show how to represent the two domains in the input language of CCalc, and how to use CCalc to test these representations.

Reading rock and roll: authenticity, appropriation, aesthetics

1. Modeling Authenticity, Authenticating Commercial Models, by Michael Coyle and Jon Dolan 2. Too Much Mead? Under the Influence (of Participant-Observation), by R. J. Warren Zanes 3. Fixing Madonna and Courtney: Sex Drugs Rock 'n' Roll Reflux, by Marilyn Manners 4. Ask Any Girl: Compulsory Heterosexuality and Girl Group Culture, by Patricia Juliana Smith 5. Do Doc Martens Have a Special Smell? Homocore, Skinhead Eroticism, and Queer Agency, by Ashley Dawson 6. Dr. Funkenstein's Supergroovalisticprosifunkstication: George Clinton Signifies, by Mark Willhardt and Joel Stein 7. I Have Come Out to Play: Jonathan Richman and the Politics of the Faux Naf, by John Alberti 8. This Is Fascism? (Raves and the Politics of Dancing), by Sean Portnoy 9. The Riot Grrrls and Carnival, by Neil Nehring 10. Time to Heal, Desire Time: The Cyberprophesy of U2's Zoo World Order, by Robyn Brothers 11. Even Better than the Real Thing: U2's (Love) Songs of the Self, by Atara Stein 12. Elvis Costello as Cultural Icon and Cultural Critic, by Pamela Thurschwell 13. Musical Cheese: The Appropriation of Seventies' Music in Nineties' Movies, by Kevin J. H. Dettmar and William Richey

World Zoo Conservation Strategy: a blueprint for zoo development

People need a sense of purpose, the setting of clear targets, the encouragement and support of others in striving for and achieving tasks that have been set. This is particularly true for zoo personnel, a profession which is often under critical attack, especially from those who have a philosophical difficulty in accepting the idea of animals in captivity. The zoo world, with its huge number of collections and in excess of 600 million annual visitors, represents a grossly under-utilized force for the conservation of endangered species, for the development of scientific knowledge and the increase of public awareness through environmental education programmes. With targets before them, zoos can better provide, maintain and develop their full potential for the good of conservation. The World Zoo Conservation Strategy (WZCS) is not a new beginning, but a codification of the existing activities of responsible zoos, with the purpose of reminding all zoos and their supporters of the Mission Aims, which they should embrace and develop. It forms a set of standards of activity against which zoos can judge themselves and be judged by others. Zoological collections' ability to achieve the obligations of the WZCS will depend on public support. The Strategy, whilst setting the activity priorities, is also one which will evolve to meet the changing demands of the conservation world.

The veterinary surgeon in the zoo world.

The veterinary surgeon in the zoo world.

New Developments in the Zoo World

New Developments in the Zoo World

ZOO AND AQUARIUM PUBLICATIONS

the following is a list of journals and periodicals published by zoos and aquaria throughout the world, followed by a list of zoos and aquaria that publish Annual Reports (see p. 485). Unless otherwise indicated, the name of the town after the name of the publication refers to the zoo or aquarium in that town. It is realized that the lists may be incomplete and the Yearbook Editor would welcome information about zoo and aquarium publications that have been omitted. At the end of the section there are two brief articles by the editors of Der Zoologische Garten and International Zoo News. These have been included as both these publications are very important in the zoo world.