Transcript here - Unitec

The Zoo Industry
For Certificate in Animal Care
NSCI3750
Unitec Institute of Technology
“Today more and more of
us live in cities and lose
any real connection with
wild animals and plants.”
Sir David Attenborough, 2004
What are zoos here
for?
philosophy of core zoos…….
“must behave and structure
themselves in such a way that
they are perceived as part of the
global movement of concern for
the environment and the
maintenance of biodiversity”
Mullen & Marvin, 1999
A survey conducted by the
World Association of Zoos
and Aquariums, in
collaboration with national
and regional zoo and
aquarium associations,
showed that annually more
than 700 million people visit
zoos and aquariums
worldwide and are thus
potentially exposed to
environmental education.
Zoo Biol 29: 1–4, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss,
Inc.
The number of visitors
to zoos in the USA and
Canada exceeds the
combined annual
attendance of baseball,
American football and
hockey (Hanna, 1996:76).
>12,000,000 to Mexico City Zoo
What’s the Problem?
30-100 million species
Huge number in rainforests
Most live in limited ranges
50% of rainforests already destroyed
Maybe 15 million species already
gone
The vast majority of extinctions since
1500AD have occurred on oceanic
islands, but over the last 20 years,
continental extinctions have become
as common as island extinctions
25% of all species
predicted to be
extinct by 2025
20,219 Species
Threatened
www.iucn.org; 2012
Extinction rates are typically
1000 x or more above normal
background extinction rates
Out of 3.6% of
species
described so
far (1.9M)
Which Group is Most
Threatened?
AMPHIBIANS
41% of all species are threatened or above
Reasons for Endangered Species
•Habitat loss – 86-88% of threatened birds and mammals
•Over exploitation – 33% of mammal species, 30% birds
•Pollution – 29% of amphibians
•Disease – 17% Amphibians
•Invasive Species – 67% Birds
Bottom Line
Zoos are here for:
Prevention of Extinction and
Preservation of Biodiversity
CONSERVATION
Definition of Conservation
Conservation is the securing of long-term
populations of species in natural
ecosystems and habitats wherever
possible.
WAZA, Building a Future for Wildlife The
World Zoo and Aquarium Conservation Strategy
What were these general
roles?
 The original 4
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Conservation
Education
Research
Recreation
 The umbrella role
 Best practice animal welfare
New Roles
 World Zoo and Aquarium Conservation
Strategy 2005
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Original 4 (focus on advocacy as education)
Ethics and Animal Welfare
Partnerships, Collegiality and Politics
Sustainability
Partnerships
Science and Research
Communication
Wild Populations
Captive Wild
Animal Facilities
Education and
Training
Population
Management
Sustainability
Ethics and Welfare
CAGES OR
HABITATS?
What’s the
difference?
What do you think of
when you hear the word
CAGE?
Cages
Small
Bare
Boring
Bars
Lonely
Unnatural
Prison-like
Anything good about
cages?
SAFE!!!
For the animals
and visitors
Anything good about
cages?
Some
animals
use their
cage
naturally
Anything good about
cages?
For some animals,
their cage holds their
world together!
What problems
does this cause
in zoos?
Animals like to behave in a
similar way as they would in
the wild
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Find their own family and friends
Investigate their environment
Find their own food; when they want to
Eat natural types of food
Sleep when they want to
Use their natural way of getting about
Feel safe
Experience different things
Have Fun!!
If they can’t behave
naturally…
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Aggression
Less breeding
Parents that cannot bring up their young
Become sick
May try to hurt themselves
Do strange unnatural behaviours
Not active
STRESSED!!!
So what do
zoos do about
it?
Good Zoos try to provide
HABITATS
And if you
can’t provide
the wild
exactly……
……give
them
something
similar
Variety
+
Change
Choice
Control
=
Challenges
It’s all about the
poo.
Isn’t it??
The
Zookeeping
Professional
What makes a zookeeper?
So how does a zookeeper
achieve the zoo objectives
on a day-to-day basis.
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Observation
Recording
Talks
Research
Behavioural
enrichment
Monitoring
Cleaning
Pest control
Communication
Feeding and
prep
• Security and
policing
• Conditioning &
training
• Action issues
• Management of
people and animals
• Maintenance
• Health care
• Self assessment
• Involvement in
extra-zoo activities
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Diet formulation
Health and safety
Human first aid
Customer service
Self development
Walk the walk
Go that bit further
?
?
?
?
Take the Zoo Roles as a Base
Recreation
How can a zookeeper help visitors enjoy their visit?
Conservation
How can zookeepers get involved in conservation?
Education
What role does a zookeeper have in education within
zoos?
Research
What research can zookeepers be involved in?
“Ultimately, a zoo animal’s worth is measured
by how its life in captivity has helped us to
understand how better to look after others of
the same species and by its contribution to the
conservation of the species. If an animal lives
and dies in a zoo and no records are kept, all
that are left are memories; which gradually
fade”
Take the Zoo Roles as a Base
•Ethics and Welfare
•Sustainability
•Partnership and
Collegiality
How Does Zoo Animal
Husbandry Differ From Pet
Animal Husbandry?
List some differences
Some Ideas
 Responsibility of
various staff
 Containment
 Maintenance
standards
 Safety (of staff)
 Exotic Diets
 Natural behaviours
and enrichment
Some Ideas
 Training and conditioning
 Environmental impacts of
zoo animals and waste
 Pest control
 Recognition of health
issues
 Zoonoses and quarantine
 Breeding success and
control