Handling and Training of Wild Animals: Evidence and Ethics-Based Approaches and Best Practices in the Modern Zoo

Abstract

There is an ethical responsibility to provide all animals living in human care with optimal and positive well-being. As animals living in zoos and aquariums frequently interact with their human caregivers as part of their daily care routines, it is both relevant and essential to consider the impact of these interactions on animal well-being. Allowing animals to have choice and control in multiple areas of their lives, such as by providing opportunities for them to voluntarily participate in their own care through, for example, positive reinforcement training, is an essential component of good animal well-being programs. This review aims to describe evidence-based approaches, ethics, and best practices in the handling and training of the many taxa held in zoos and aquariums worldwide, drawing from work in related animal care fields such as laboratories, farms, rescue, and sanctuaries. The importance of ongoing animal well-being assessments is discussed, with a particular focus on the need for continued review and refinement of processes and procedures pertaining to animal training and handling specifically. Review, enquiry, assessment, evaluation, and refinement will aim to dynamically support positive well-being for all animals.

A Reexamination of the Relationship between Training Practices and Welfare in the Management of Ambassador Animals

“…Aversive management methods—negative reinforcement and positive punishment—can mislead a handler into believing their coercive strategies are successful because effective punishment can reinforce the punisher [ 20 ]. Research shows capture and handling can be stressful for most ambassador animals, including reptiles [ 18 ]. Studies have shown that aversive training methods negatively affect animal welfare and that there is no evidence that aversive training methods are more effective than reward-based training [ 14 ].…”

“…Knowing the science provides a good foundation, with the recognition that some individuals will be more adept at understanding and applying the training concepts than others. The goal should be for all personnel working with ambassador animals to participate in ongoing education to refine their knowledge and training skills so as to achieve greater consistency [ 18 ]. The ultimate goal should be to create an institutional memory in training competency, where every person working with ambassador animals can apply their skills equally to every animal in the collection.…”

“…Effective punishment reinforces the punisher, who is, therefore, more likely to punish again in the future, even when antecedent arrangements and positive reinforcement would be equally, or more, effective. Punishment is not more effective than using positive reinforcement when training animals [ 18 ].…”

“…An outstanding advancement in animal welfare is growing through the use of positive reinforcement by zoological staff to teach animals to voluntarily participate in critical medical and husbandry behaviors [ 17 , 18 , 48 ]. Animals are now learning to voluntarily participate in full body inspections, injections, blood draws, and hoof trims, while avoiding the experiences associated with being restrained, darted, and anesthetized for these necessary procedures [ 18 ]. This is relevant to ambassador animals because these animals have traditionally been presented while being held by an interpreter who restrains the animal in some fashion.…”

“…These standards also include descriptions of the value of ambassador animals in audience engagement, delivering educational messages, enrichment, and planning. However, there is little mention in these standards of how ambassador animals should be trained to participate in programs, even though inappropriate training methods are associated with significant negative impacts on animal welfare [ 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 ]. Furthermore, there is a dearth of published empirical research or theory that can inform best practices for specifically meeting the welfare needs of ambassador animals being handled in programs.…”