Partial fin-clipping is a non-lethal sampling technique commonly used to sample tissue for molecular genetic studies of fish. The effect of this technique was tested on seahorses (Hippocampus spp.) as they have several peculiar biological characteristics when compared with other fish and are on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Partial fin-clipping of the seahorse dorsal fin was evaluated on Hippocampus kuda. The fish were assessed for short-term effects (fin re-growth time) as well as the longer term effects (growth and mortality) of partial fin clipping over a four month period. Total fin re-growth occurred between 2 and 4 weeks with no significant difference observed in the fin re-growth time between sexes. There was no significant difference between the mortality rate/growth rate of clipped versus unclipped seahorses. Results indicate partial fin-clipping has no significant effect on seahorses, and should be considered as a useful method for tissue sampling.

Felids are commonly housed in zoological collections worldwide. While aspects of their behaviour are well studied, there remain questions on best practice husbandry including during reproduction and breeding scenarios. In 2016, the Zoological Society of London's (ZSL) London Zoo held a pair of Sumatran tigers (Panthera tigris sumatrae) for the purpose of breeding. While they are believed to be solitary in the wild, many collections maintain their tigers in pairs, with some keeping pairs together during parturition and rearing periods. The aim of this study was to investigate the social interactions between a male Sumatran tiger and cubs when housed in a shared enclosure. The data were collected using CCTV footage in the indoor enclosure for the tigers. The CCTV footage ran continuously throughout the day and night, allowing a more holistic overview of behaviour. These 24-hour recordings were split into 6 equal hour ranges to calculate behaviour activity budgets and proximity of the male from the cubs. Data were analysed using a Chi-squared test for association to determine differences between individual behaviour. Overall, the male spent longer than expected engaging in guarding behaviour of the cubs. The male also regularly engaged in affiliative behaviours directed towards the cubs. No cub-directed aggression was observed from the male toward the cubs. Overall, this suggests that maintaining a male tiger with its progeny may be feasible as a management approach in some zoological collections, provided the male's personality is compatible, and alternative accommodation is available.

Globally, zoological collections may host public events after usual opening hours including festivals, special tours and evening events, in order to generate income. During the summer of 2014, The Zoological Society of London held a series of nine evening events during which zoos' opening hours were extended, with entertainment offerings such as tours and visitor events provided.This study investigated the effect of evening events on the behaviour and enclosure use of five Sumatran tigers (Panthera tigris sumatrae) at ZSL London Zoo. Instantaneous focal sampling was utilised to collect behavioural data and enclosure zone occupancy.Measures of visitor density, crowd noise volume and flash photography data were collected to identify their effect on behaviour and enclosure use. Overall, there was a significant decrease in feeding, locomotion and playing, and a significant increase in resting during event evenings. The event behaviours stretching, spraying, rubbing, flehmen and glass banging also occurred significantly more often during events than on control evenings. There was a significant difference in enclosure use between evening event and control nights, with tigers using distant zones more frequently during events. These data suggest that overall, event nights could influence the behaviour of zoo-housed tigers. In addition to altering their behaviour, tigers appear to exercise choice in space use to reduce the impact of visitor presence during evenings. Future studies should explore these potential impacts across a wider range of felids and investigate the effects of the different stimuli produced by visitors. This information can therefore be used to inform planning of effective mitigation strategies.