Member Perceptions of the One Health Initiative at a Zoological Institution

Abstract

Zoological institutions play an important role in promoting the goals of the One Health movement. We launched the Institute for Conservation Medicine (ICM) at the Saint Louis Zoo in 2011 to advance the goals of One Health. In 2016, we distributed a survey to Zoo members to evaluate member awareness and understanding of One Health and to provide direction for future communication and actions from the ICM. We hypothesized that Zoo members would be aware of One Health and care about infectious disease issues. Survey results showed Zoo members primarily cared about chronic, non-infectious diseases and their associated economic costs, with participants ranking their top three health issues of concern for humans as nutrition/obesity/diet (49%), costs of health care (48%), and cancer (37%). Zoo members were interested in the roles of zoos in One Health and found them important, but were less aware of the Saint Louis Zoo’s actions that did not directly relate to animal welfare. Only 6% of members had awareness of the term “One Health” and 16% were aware of the term “Conservation Medicine.” These results suggest that zoos may do better to tailor One Health messaging to align with member interests. Messaging and programming from the Saint Louis Zoo will now include the direct benefits to human health that zoos offer, in addition to the ICM’s more ecologically focused activities. This study offered valuable insight into how Zoo members view One Health and may serve as a template to help zoological institutions develop and promote One Health.

Conservation medicine and One Health in zoos: Scope, obstacles, and unrecognized potential

“…Our primary target respondent for the survey was zoo veterinarians. Our justification for targeting zoo veterinarians was twofold: (1) the CM/OH movement largely emerged within the veterinary community (Aguirre et al, 2002; LeBoeuf, 2011); and (2) zoo veterinarians have been informally engaged in CM/OH projects for decades (Conde et al, 2011; Deem, 2007, 2015; Padda et al, 2018; Vitali et al, 2011). We used the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians (AAZV) listserv to compile our survey invitation pool.…”

“…Many zoos, as well as other conservation organizations (e.g., Bat Conservation International, World Wildlife Fund, Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Program etc. ), are advocating for a more holistic approach to conservation that balances the interdependent needs of animals, humans, and ecosystems (Olney, 2005; Padda et al, 2018; Robinette et al, 2017; Vitali et al, 2011). In working toward this objective, zoos are revamping existing conservation programs, with a shift toward multidisciplinary initiatives that embrace the concepts of conservation medicine (CM) and One Health (OH; Deem, 2007, 2015; Mallinson, 2003; Vitali et al, 2011).…”

“…Zoo veterinarians, and their allied professionals, have been participating in CM/OH activities for several decades (Conde et al, 2011; Deem, 2007, 2015; Padda et al, 2018; Vitali et al, 2011). The scope of projects that zoo veterinarians have undertaken span wildlife health monitoring, disease outbreak response, wildlife translocation & reintroduction, cross‐species disease prevention, and biodiversity protection (Deem, 2007, 2015; Padda et al, 2018; Vitali et al, 2011; Warren, 2006). These contributions to wildlife health and conservation research have strengthened the CM/OH movement of today and have spawned novel research partnerships between zoos and outside agencies.…”

Changes in human health parameters associated with an immersive exhibit experience at a zoological institution

“…One Health is an initiative based on the understanding that the health of all life is inextricably linked and involves multi-disciplinary collaboration to optimize the health of people, animals, and the environment [19,20,22]. In the last decade, many Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) institutions have been participants in this initiative [21,23,24]. For instance, numerous zoos focus on the conservation of animal species and wildlife habitats, both important for ecosystem health and resilience, through their efforts both with collection animals as well as in situ with animals throughout the world [21,23,25,26].…”

“…In the last decade, many Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) institutions have been participants in this initiative [21,23,24]. For instance, numerous zoos focus on the conservation of animal species and wildlife habitats, both important for ecosystem health and resilience, through their efforts both with collection animals as well as in situ with animals throughout the world [21,23,25,26]. Additionally, naturalistic exhibits of animals and well-maintained natural green spaces on zoo campuses may provide health benefits for zoo visitors as has been demonstrated previously [27,28].…”