Future Of Technology And Zoo Animal Welfare
Future Of Technology And Zoo Animal Welfare
Will Technology Provide the Next Big Revolution in Zoo Animal Care and Welfare?
Stepping into the modern foyer of Nottingham Trent University’s (NTU) City campus, I felt a keen sense of anticipation. As Wild Welfare’s Communications Manager, I was there to attend a workshop that promised to unite my professional background with a long-standing personal passion. “Bridging Bytes and Behaviours: What is the role of technology in zoo animal welfare?” would offer a perfect blend, intersecting my technology-centric background with my enthusiasm for wildlife welfare.
The day commenced by meeting the 25 attendees, each representing a discipline or facility within the animal care and welfare sector, Samantha Ward, Professor of Zoo Animal Welfare and Legislation, the event organiser, offered a warm welcome and introduction. Professor Ward, a leading Animal Welfare Expert on Defra’s Zoo Experts Committee, set the tone for the workshop explaining our collective role at the event. She explained that our cumulative expertise would be crucial in shaping the development and application of technologies designed to enhance welfare outcomes for animals in zoological facilities.
When we think of zoos and aquariums, ‘technology’ isn’t often the first thing that springs to mind. For many years, animal facilities have remained relatively low-tech, with limited advancement or implementation of new technologies, both behind the scenes and front-of-house. Research scientists and lecturers from NTU then presented their visions of how cutting-edge technologies, including artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and robotics, could revolutionise the future of wildlife care and welfare. A brief look at their current implementation in farming and agriculture offered a compelling insight into their potential benefits for zoological facilities. The enthusiastic and highly knowledgeable NTU team did a fantastic job illustrating the possibilities of these technologies in zoo and aquarium settings. Our task was then to discuss and debate their far-reaching animal welfare implications and consequences.
In smaller groups, we delved into the current uses of technology within zoos and aquariums, critically assessing their impact, both positive and negative, on animal welfare. Throughout these discussions, we consistently referred to the Five Domains, a widely recognised framework for assessing animal welfare that considers an animal’s Nutrition, Health, Physical Environment, Behavioral Interactions, and Mental State, encompassing their overall physical and mental well-being.
From automatic temperature controls for reptile houses to remote access CCTV for monitoring animals out-of-hours, we realised that some basic, ‘off-the-shelf’ technologies are already firmly embedded in many modern zoo environments. Whether for monitoring purposes or easing the workload for care staff, these technologies are becoming more commonplace. However, their uptake remains limited, primarily due to financial barriers and a lack of technical understanding among staff and management.
At this point, it seemed quite a quantum leap to imagine these same institutions fully embracing such cutting-edge technologies as AI and robotics. Nevertheless, a sense of optimism emerged. Witnessing how robotic solutions allow farmed cattle to be automatically fed according to individual diet plans, and how Artificial Intelligence smartly adapts systems to consider the welfare of farmed fish, truly allowed us to visualise how these elements could improve the care and quality of life for species under human care in zoos and aquariums. We also considered that younger, ‘green’ keepers, the animal care staff of tomorrow, are generally rather tech-savvy and expect technology to be deeply integrated into every aspect of life, with their workplace being no exception. Perhaps we have good reason to be quietly optimistic about how these technologies may be embraced by zoos and aquariums in the near future?
The afternoon session focused on the requirements for monitoring and measuring welfare within a zoological environment, along with the limitations and obstacles for implementing new technologies. We investigated the possible negative welfare consequences of suggestions, such as how removing direct human interaction from key tasks like feeding or welfare monitoring might impact an animal’s emotional state, particularly for species that form particular bonds with their caregiving staff.
However, a general consensus emerged: most, if not all, of these ethical and practical husbandry issues are solvable. This would however require welfare to remain firmly at the forefront of all decision-making, including continuous, science-led monitoring, evaluation, and adjustment of practices.
The debates also highlighted the enormous hurdles zoos and tech developers face when considering the financial justification for implementing such technologies. Unlike farming and agriculture, zoos and aquariums aren’t financially incentivised to increase their animal stock yield or optimise produce output. Instead, proposed technology implementation would support animal well-being and automate manual tasks for keepers. These benefits are generally much more difficult to justify a large upfront cost for, as there’s little to no direct financial return on such investment. Instead it would require financial investment directly into care and welfare outputs.
I feel incredibly privileged to have been part of these discussions. With an enduring feeling of optimism, I hope that one day this study will mark the foundational beginnings for technology’s role in improving the care and welfare of animals in human care. I would like to extend our sincere thanks to Dr. Samantha Ward and NTU for hosting such a pivotal event. We eagerly await the publication of the paper based on the research findings.
In the meantime, Prof. Sam Ward is conducting a crucial Global Cultural Survey that is looking for animal care workers from across the world to complete a short survey. The survey explores how cultural attitudes underpin animal welfare practice and public engagement. All anonymous answers submitted will contribute to a new shared understanding that will undoubtedly inform our future animal welfare work at Wild Welfare.
So, whether you work with animals in Europe, Asia, the Americas, Africa, Australasia, or anywhere in-between, your voice counts! We strongly encourage you to get involved and submit your questionnaire online here: https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/ntusurvey/culture-and-animal-welfare-english-1
Source: Wild Welfare
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Disclaimer: The information produced by Infurmation is provided for general and educational purposes only and does not constitute any legal, medical or other professional advice on any subject matter. These statements are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease. Always seek the advice of your vet or other qualified health care provider prior to starting any new diet or treatment and with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. If you suspect that your pet has a medical problem, promptly contact your health care provider.
