Captive Animal Welfare
Chivalric Ethology seeks to understand animals' psychological and cognitive needs by applying scientific understanding and research with behavioural husbandry techniques to maximize captive animal welfare, well-being and social relationships. Behavioural research, sensory stimulation, preference testing, positive reinforcement training, natural-ability challenges and social and environmental enrichment are some of the tools used to help the animals.
Welfare is usually viewed as a spectrum that ranges from ideal through a tipping point of neutrality down to a rock bottom of extreme deprivation. An animal's individual welfare moves dynamically up and down this scale as a direct result of the stimulation, environment, treatment and internal conditions they are subjected to.
In the wild, animals can usually move away from negative environments and stimuli, seeking more hospitable and pleasurable conditions, thus also altering their internal, experiential perceptions. In captivity however, animals are bound to their location in greater or lesser degrees, often lacking the ability to take control of the situation and regain a higher level of welfare. In these cases, it is up to the human care-takers, whether keepers, owners, curators, vets, trainers, technicians or stockmen to provide the best possible conditions and to allow the animals as great a degree of freedom, choice and control as can be designed.
Welfare is usually viewed as a spectrum that ranges from ideal through a tipping point of neutrality down to a rock bottom of extreme deprivation. An animal's individual welfare moves dynamically up and down this scale as a direct result of the stimulation, environment, treatment and internal conditions they are subjected to.
In the wild, animals can usually move away from negative environments and stimuli, seeking more hospitable and pleasurable conditions, thus also altering their internal, experiential perceptions. In captivity however, animals are bound to their location in greater or lesser degrees, often lacking the ability to take control of the situation and regain a higher level of welfare. In these cases, it is up to the human care-takers, whether keepers, owners, curators, vets, trainers, technicians or stockmen to provide the best possible conditions and to allow the animals as great a degree of freedom, choice and control as can be designed.
The Problem
Zoochosis - boredom, isolation and sensory deprivation leading to poor welfare and impaired mental health. A mind without a purpose and sense of achievement is a very depleted and endangered mind. A litany of psychological disasters soon follows including chronic stress, stereotypies, behavioural disorders, anti-social behaviour, compromised physical health, reduced fecundity, reduced lifespan and learned helplessness. Boredom, chronic stress and stereotypies are negative factors that can arise for animals in captivity if their social and physical environments are not substantially enriched to become engaging and stimulating. All senses as well as minds and bodies should be targeted with objects, toys, foods, aromas, sounds, sights, surfaces, landscapes and companionship that is optimally enjoyable for their species. The Solution Three C's - Choice, Control, Challenge Excellent animal welfare goes beyond the basics of the 5 Freedoms to include Purpose and Achievement, Meaningful Relationships, Environmental Engagement and the Exposure to Pleasure (hedonic freedom). Reinstating this sense of purpose, engagement and achievement in animals leads to high satisfaction, active funksionslust, learning and improved mental and physical welfare. Naturally, fostering and protecting animals' welfare starts with the 5 Freedom basics and Behavioural Husbandry care which focuses on Environmental Enrichment and Positive Reinforcement Training. Choice - Allow animals to choose for themselves instead of being unempowered recipients of resources, whether they like or value them or not. Examples include zoopharmacognosy, preference testing, hedonic opportunities Control - Allow animals the freedom to make decisions, to access opportunities and make changes to environmental factors in their habitat/enclosure (light levels, waterfall flow, temperature, wind machine, wave machine). Offer self-operated enrichment devices and toys that can be played with a variety of ways. Challenge - Offer animals tasks that require deep engagement and effort to receive resources and rewards, just as they would need to do in the wild, to solve physical and mental problems. Allow animals the opportunity to work for their resources (contra-freeloading) and to be stimulated in leaning, trial and error and innovation. Enrichment - Provide animals with a vast and changing array of stimulating enrichments such as self-operated devices, social interaction, broad sensory exposure, food variety and location, aesthetic pleasures, cognitive engagement and physical objects and toys. Training - Provide Positive Reinforcement Training for mental stimulation, achievable challenge, learning (form of cognitive enrichment), co-operative behaviours (such as participating in veterinary procedures or crating and moving operations) and rewarding human-animal interaction. |