Zoos

Coming Soon: Year Five of HRC's Animal Tracker

HRC Admin — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 10:45:00 -0800

We’re getting ready to launch year five of HRC’s Animal Tracker annual survey of the public opinions and behavior of adults in the U.S. This year’s survey, which will field in March, addresses opinions toward various social movements, who people trust to provide information about animal welfare, opinions about the adequacy of animal protection laws, attitudes toward the importance of animal welfare in various situations, and the frequency with which people discuss animal protection issues. We asked the exact same questions in 2008 and 2009 and will be able to analyze changes over time. When the results are available in April, we’ll also refresh the Animal Tracker graphing tool so that the results will be easy to access and interpret.

Visitor Behavior in Zoos: A Review

Carol L. Glasser — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 09:15:21 -0800

This study is a review of studies that evaluate the behavior, personality, and characteristics of zoo visitors. The author argues zoos are a good place for researchers to observe human-animal interactions and suggests ways to make this field of study more cohesive.

Feline Conservation Federation Census Documents Less than 3,000 Tigers in America

Carol L. Glasser — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 08:45:00 -0700

The Feline Conservancy Federation conducted a census of all tigers in the U.S. They used the Freedom of Information Act to obtain all USDA and state wildlife organizations' records on the matter and sought out information from private "owners" and sanctuaries as well. They found a total of 2,884 tigers in the U.S. in captivity.

Releasing Wild Success

Carol L. Glasser — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 08:45:00 -0700

This report details the opinions and behaviors of zoo-goers based on a survey of 505 U.S. adults who visited zoo attractions in 2011.

Enrichment and Individual Differences Affect Welfare Indicators in Squirrel Monkeys (Saimiri sciureus)

Carol L. Glasser — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 08:45:00 -0700

Researchers created five different living conditions for five different groups of monkeys to assess the effects that various welfare indicators have. They also investigated how individual animals' personalities influenced the effect of various welfare indicators. This study confirms that animals in captivity need to be given more enriched living conditions and that individuals' needs and personalities should be taken into account when evaluating if they are being provided adequate living conditions.

Perception vs. Reality for Chimpanzees

Che Green — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 10:45:00 -0700

Chimpanzees are an endangered species, but does seeing them in commercials, ads and other media portrayals make people think they don't need protection? A recent study looked at how public perceptions are influenced by media images.

Research Shows Damaging Influence Of Media On Public Perceptions Of Chimpanzees

Carol L. Glasser — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 08:45:00 -0700

This article highlights a research study investigating the effects that media portrayals of chimpanzees have on the public's understanding of the species. The study relied on digital images portraying chimpanzees in different ways, and then surveyed respondents' beliefs and attitudes after viewing the images.

Visitor Effects on Zoo Orangutans in Two Novel, Naturalistic Enclosures

Carol L. Glasser — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 08:45:00 -0700

Based on observation of orangutans in zoos with "naturalistic enclosures," researchers studied how human presence influenced the behavior of the orangutans. Specifically, they investigated the effects of the number, sound levels, and proximity of human visitors to the orangutan residents.

How Abnormal Is the Behaviour of Captive, Zoo-Living Chimpanzees?

Carol L. Glasser — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 08:45:00 -0700

This study sought to identify the prevalence of abnormal behavior among captive chimpanzees living in zoos. The study is based on 1,200 hours of observation of 40 chimpanzees living in zoos in the United States and United Kingdom.

The Public Face of Zoos: Images of Entertainment, Education and Conservation

Kmunsell — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 08:45:00 -0700

Zoos often participate in conservation, research, education, and entertainment. Consequently, this research examined the websites of 54 different zoos worldwide in an effort to analyze the outward public image of these zoos, which primary emphasized the entertainment aspect of the animals.