Welfare-friendly enclosure design

Welfare-friendly enclosure design. Chosen species: Asian Elephant.

The Asian Elephant. Figure 1: Elephant in wild (WWF, n.d ).

Males usually live alone however can sometimes form small herds whereas females are much more sociable and tend to form herds of related females which are led by the oldest (WWF, 2020) Almost a third of the Asian elephant population live in captivity, mainly in Thailand, Myanmar and India. They are increasingly being used in the tourism industry, with unpleasant methods used to make them tame enough to interact with humans regularly (National geographic, n.d ) In many of the countries where there is still a wild population, this is often in numbers of just a few hundred in small, fragmented herds (Fauna & Flora International, 2022) Asian elephants face many threats to their survival with the biggest threats being human conflict and habitat loss, however poaching is increasingly affecting numbers in the wild (Fauna & Flora International, n.d ) Due to this, they are listed as endangered on the IUCN red list.

[Audio] Just to name a few. Elephants are believed to be very intelligent creatures, which can be seen by the many different ways they have been trained to perform activities or tasks and how they can easily understand many verbal commands ( Irie and Hasegawa, 2009) Other aspects that have been studied that suggest high intelligence are: tool use, emotional capabilities, memory ( Bates, Poole and Byrne, n.d ) Their high intelligence and cognitive abilities are often used as one of the main arguments against keeping them in captivity, simply being put that they are too clever.

[Audio] The need to exhibit normal behaviours, the need for a suitable environment, the need to be protected from pain, the need for a suitable diet, the need to be housed with or apart from other animals.

Typical enclosures and possible effects on welfare:.

Another concern of current enclosures relates to space once again but also design of enclosure and substrates used. EAZA best practice guidelines says to “ provide choice to the elephant, allowing elephants to explore and investigate a range of substrates within their enclosure” (EAZA, 2020) however there are no specific requirements given One study conducted showed that foot problems are the single biggest health problem in captive A sian elephants, which was put down to a combination of lack of exercise and improper or excessively moist substrates ( Veasey , 2006) Herd size is an also a major welfare concern when it comes to elephants in captivity. AZA recommends keeping herds of 6-12, however, a study published in 2009 found that out of 194 zoos, just under half of Asian elephants were kept in groups of 5 or fewer (Rees, 2009) Even if zoos were meeting suggested herd sizes, in the wild herds of 5-25 are the average and they are extremely sociable, so limiting their social group is highly likely to impact welfare (Schaffer et al., 2019).

Previous research on elephant enclosures. One study conducted at Oregan zoo over a 4 year period, assessed the welfare of Asian elephants before, during and after being moved to a much improved enclosure. The new enclosure was 4 times the size of the previous and included; multiple outdoor yards, feeding enrichment and much more that was not featured in the old enclosure ( Glaeser et al., 2021) The results showed improved welfare through: increased walking distances, increased foraging and increased social opportunities ( Glaeser et al., 2021) Another study carried out in 2016, looked at 68 accredited zoos that hold elephants, to understand which environment factors have the biggest impact on welfare (Meehan et al., 2016) The results determined that social (herd size) and management (enrichment) factors had the biggest effect on welfare of the elephants and that housing (enclosure size) was less influential than expected (Meehan et al., 2016).

scratch.pdf.

scratch.pdf. Size of female indoor enclosure = 2000sq.ft Size of bull indoor enclosure = 1500sq.ft Size of outdoor female enclosure = 6000sq.ft Size of outdoor bull enclosure = 2000sq.ft Size of veterinary centre = 3000sq.ft.

How the enclosure design promotes good welfare: Use of variety of substrates including grass, sand and hay to mimic natural environment and promote good foot health Water features and mud baths to allow for displaying of natural behaviours such as bathing and for drinking, as well as being a natural temperature control method elephants use Ramps in to water for ease of in and out access Trees and forest area to encourage foraging and to provide shade and privacy from public view Puzzle feeders as a source of feeding enrichment, variety of foods provided Veterinary centre to carry out health checks, allow for private birthing and provide privacy for unwell elephants Double door systems for safety of keeps and to prevent escape.

How welfare will be assessed. Welfare can be assessed using a number of methods, to gain the most information on welfare status it is best to use a combination of measuring behaviour and physiology ( Wolfensohn et al., 2018) Behaviour will be measured by recording normal and abnormal behaviours that are displayed. This will help to assess welfare as behaviour is commonly the most obvious indicator of whether an animal is thriving or suffering (Hill and Broom, 2009) Physiology will be measured by recording changes in : Heart and respiratory rates, adrenal responses, neurotransmitters as well as carrying out regular health checks on the herd and autopsies on deceased animals. These are all useful tools in measuring welfare (Hill and Broom, 2009).

references. 2021. IUCN red list . [image] Available at: <https:// www.iucn.org /news/species-survival-commission/202108/shrinking-spaces-worlds-largest-land-animal> [Accessed 11 March 2022] . Animallaw.info . n.d. Overview of UK Animal Protection Legislation | Animal Legal & Historical Center . [online] Available at: <https:// www.animallaw.info /article/overview- uk -animal-protection-legislation> [Accessed 12 March 2022] . Animals. n.d. Asian Elephant | National Geographic . [online] Available at: <https:// www.nationalgeographic.com /animals/mammals/facts/ asian -elephant> [Accessed 10 March 2022] . Bates, L., Poole, J. and Byrne, R., n.d. Elephant cognition. Current biology , [online] (18), pp.1-3. Available at: <https:// www.cell.com /current-biology/ pdf /S0960-9822(08)00503-4.pdf> [Accessed 11 March 2022] . COHN, J., 2006. Do Elephants Belong in Zoos?. BioScience , [online] 56(9), p.714. Available at: <https:// academic.oup.com /bioscience/article/56/9/714/262884> [Accessed 12 March 2022] . Elephants.com . 2003. AZA STANDARDS FOR ELEPHANT MANAGEMENT AND CARE . [online] Available at: <https:// www.elephants.com / pdf /AZA%20Elephant%20Standards%201.pdf> [Accessed 12 March 2022] . Fauna & Flora International. 2022. Asian elephant . [online] Available at: <https:// www.fauna-flora.org /species/ asian -elephant/> [Accessed 10 March 2022]. Hill, S. and Broom, D., 2009. Measuring zoo animal welfare: theory and practice. Zoo Biology , [online] p.n /a-n/a. Available at: <https:// www.researchgate.net /publication/26882778_Measuring_zoo_animal_welfare_Theory_and_practice> [Accessed 23 March 2022] . IRIE, N. and HASEGAWA, T., 2009. Elephant psychology: What we know and what we would like to know. Japanese Psychological Research , [online] 51(3), pp.177-181. Available at: <https:// onlinelibrary.wiley.com / doi /full/10.1111/j.1468-5884.2009.00404.x> [Accessed 11 March 2022] . n.d. 5 welfare needs . [image] Available at: <https:// www.preloved.co.uk /blog/animals/how-to-rehome-a-pet-responsibly/> [Accessed 12 March 2022] . n.d. Herd of Asian elephants . [image] Available at: <https:// psmag.com /environment/researchers-create-first-data-based-elephant-map> [Accessed 13 March 2022]. Glaeser , S., Shepherdson, D., Lewis, K., Prado, N., Brown, J., Lee, B. and Wielebnowski , N., 2021. Supporting Zoo Asian Elephant ( Elephas maximus ) Welfare and Herd Dynamics with a More Complex and Expanded Habitat. Animals , [online] 11(9), p.2566. Available at: <https:// www.mdpi.com /2076-2615/11/9/2566> [Accessed 13 March 2022]..

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