Why the “Visitor Effect” Is Complicated. Unraveling Individual Animal, Visitor Number, and Climatic Influences on Behavior, Space Use and Interactions With Keepers—A Case Study on Captive Hornbills

Rose, Paul; Scales, Jake; Brereton, James Edward

doi:10.3389/fvets.2020.00236

Cited by 41 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…The visibility levels are not consistent, but they do trend with seasonal fluctuations in golden mantella activity [50]. The return of visitors triggered a decrease in the visibility of golden mantella initially; the increase in September may have been caused of 16 by an environmental influence on their activity levels, and similar situations have been noted in other studies [19].…”

Section: Potential Extraneous Influences On Amphibian Enclosure Usagesupporting

confidence: 47%

“…An overlooked area of amphibian wellbeing in the zoo is the presence of visitors and their potential effects on behaviour and welfare. Visitor presence has been recorded as influencing enclosure usage in other taxa [18], but any "visitor effect" needs to be measured and evaluated alongside other environmental influences occurring at the same time, e.g., weather conditions [19,20]. Visitor presence may reduce the amount of usable space in the captive environment and consequently reduce the animal's ability to perform a full behavioural repertoire [21].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Bold Frogs or Shy Toads? How Did the COVID-19 Closure of Zoological Organisations Affect Amphibian Activity?

Boultwood

O'Brien

Rose

2021

Animals

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Amphibians are an understudied group in the zoo-focussed literature. Whilst commonly housed in specialist exhibits and of real conservation value due to the global extinction crisis, amphibian welfare is not often investigated empirically in zoo settings. The limited research that is available suggests that enclosure design (structure, planting and naturalistic theming) has a positive impact on the time that amphibians will be on show to visitors. However, the categorisation of any “visitor effect” (i.e., influences of visitor presence on amphibian activity and time on display) is hard to find. The COVID-19 pandemic forced the closure of zoological organisations in the UK for several months from March 2020, with gradual re-openings from the summer into autumn and winter. This event provided a unique opportunity to study the effect of the lack of visitors, the presence of essential zoo staff only, the wider return of organisational staff, and then the return of visitors over a prolonged period. This project at WWT Slimbridge Wetlands Centre assessed the number of individuals of six species of amphibian—common toad (Bufo bufo), common frog (Rana temporaria), smooth newt (Lissotriton vulgaris), pool frog (Pelophylax lessonae), golden mantella (Mantella aurantiaca) and golden poison dart frog (Phyllobates terribilis)—visible to observers under different conditions. All amphibians were housed in a purpose-built indoor exhibit of individual enclosures and were recorded when visible (as a proportion of the total population of the enclosure) during closure, the return of extra centre staff and visitor periods. The results showed species-specific differences in visibility, with some species of amphibian being more likely to be on view when the presence of people at their enclosure was less likely or in smaller numbers. Such differences are likely related to the specific camouflage or anti-predation tactics in these focal species. Further study to quantify amphibian sensitivity to, and perception of, environmental change caused by public presence (e.g., light levels and sound) would be useful welfare-themed research extensions. Our results can help inform husbandry, collection planning and amphibian enclosure design to reduce any noticeable visitor effects, and provide a useful benchmark for further, more complex, welfare assessment measures.

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Section: Potential Extraneous Influences On Amphibian Enclosure Usagesupporting

confidence: 47%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bold Frogs or Shy Toads? How Did the COVID-19 Closure of Zoological Organisations Affect Amphibian Activity?

Boultwood

O'Brien

Rose

2021

Animals

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“…As animals in the zoo are exposed to the presence of numerous people on a daily basis, consideration of any related impacts on behaviour should be measured when attempting to infer a welfare state [100]. The visitor effect is highly influenced by other variables (e.g., weather, temperature, pres-ence of animal care staff, season and time of day [32,101,102]), and it is important for these variables to be recorded at the same time as the animal's behaviour to provide context to any potential influence of visitors. Comparative analysis of independent contrasts can also be used to help analyse species differences in behavioural responses [103] by controlling for non-independence caused species' evolutionary relatedness.…”

Section: Applying These Methods and Approaches To Practice: Using Observational Data To Audit Welfarementioning

confidence: 99%

Conducting Behavioural Research in the Zoo: A Guide to Ten Important Methods, Concepts and Theories

Rose

Riley

2021

JZBG

Self Cite

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Behavioural research in zoos is commonplace and is used in the diagnosis and treatment of potential husbandry and management challenges. Robust methods that allow valid data collection and analysis constitute an evidence-based approach to animal care. Understanding behaviour is essential to improving animal management, and behavioural research is therefore popular, with a wide choice of behavioural methodologies and theories available. This review outlines ten methodological approaches, concepts or theories essential to zoo science that are based around behavioural observation. This list is not exhaustive but aims to define and describe key areas of consideration when planning and implementing a zoo-based behavioural project. We discuss the application of well-established methods (the construction of ethograms, use of time–activity patterns and measurement of space/enclosure use) as well as evaluating newer or less-widely applied analytical techniques, such as behavioural diversity indices, social networks analysis and Qualitative Behavioural Assessment. We also consider the importance of fundamental research methods, the application of pure science to understand and interpret zoo animal behaviour (with a review of a Tinbergian approach) and consideration of meta-analyses. The integration of observational techniques into experiments that aim to identify the cause and effect of behavioural performance is then explored, and we examine the assimilation of behavioural methods used in studies of environmental enrichment. By systematically studying animal behaviour, we can attempt to understand the welfare of individual animals in captivity, and here we present an example of our reviewed approaches to this area of zoo science. Combining multiple methodologies can lead to a greater understanding of behaviour and welfare, creating robust research, progressing husbandry and advancing conservation strategies. Collaborations between zoological collections and academic researchers (e.g., in Higher Education Institutions) can further refine and enhance the validity of research and husbandry practice alike.

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“…The interaction of visitors with zoo animals and subsequent effects on the animals' behavior, also known as the visitor effect, has been an interest of zoos because of the increasing importance of animal welfare since the 1970s (Hediger, 1970;Rose et al, 2020;. Zoo visitors' behavior near exhibits can directly impact the behavior of the animals within the enclosures in a positive, neutral, or negative manner (Cole & Fraser 2018;Fernandez et al, 2009;Hosey, 2013;Lewis et al, 2020;.…”

Section: ________________________________________________________________________________mentioning

confidence: 99%

How Do You Behave at the Zoo? A Look at Visitor Perceptions of Other Visitors' Behavior at the Zoo

Muller¹,

Bissell²,

Cunningham³

et al. 2021

AB&C

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Previous research regarding behaviors of zoo visitors near exhibits has shown that they can influence animals’ well-being. What is unclear is whether people’s views concerning the purpose of zoos or their beliefs might influence their perception of what is acceptable behavior when visiting the zoo. In this study, we used naturalistic observation to examine zoo visitor behavior near specific exhibits. We also surveyed visitors regarding the purpose of zoos, their perception of animals and the zoo, and if they have seen inappropriate behavior in other zoo visitors. We observed visitors engaging in various inappropriate behaviors such as hitting the glass and trying to provoke the animals. These same inappropriate behaviors were also reported by visitors in our survey, indicating an awareness of what behaviors might be disruptive to animals. Visitors who reported similarities between humans and animals reported more inappropriate behaviors in others partially due to having more empathy for animals. When asked to consider the purpose of the zoo, education and conservation were ranked as being the most important, entertainment and research the least important priorities. However, of those who identified entertainment as most important, this group also reported humans to have less similarity with animals and reported less inappropriate behaviors in other visitors. Our findings suggest that zoo visitors’ views regarding the purpose of zoos and perceived human similarities to animals influence what they considered inappropriate behavior around captive zoo animals. This study provides the first exploration concerning the perception of visitors regarding other visitor behaviors directed towards zoo animals.

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Why the “Visitor Effect” Is Complicated. Unraveling Individual Animal, Visitor Number, and Climatic Influences on Behavior, Space Use and Interactions With Keepers—A Case Study on Captive Hornbills

Cited by 41 publications

References 42 publications

Bold Frogs or Shy Toads? How Did the COVID-19 Closure of Zoological Organisations Affect Amphibian Activity?

Bold Frogs or Shy Toads? How Did the COVID-19 Closure of Zoological Organisations Affect Amphibian Activity?

Conducting Behavioural Research in the Zoo: A Guide to Ten Important Methods, Concepts and Theories

How Do You Behave at the Zoo? A Look at Visitor Perceptions of Other Visitors' Behavior at the Zoo

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