Assessment of welfare in zoo animals: towards optimum quality of life

Wolfensohn, Sarah; Shotton, Justine; Bowley, Hannah; Davies, Siân; Thompson, Sarah; Justice, William S. M.

doi:10.3390/ani8070110

Cited by 197Animal Behavior and Welfare StudiesVeterinary Pharmacology and AnesthesiaWildlife Ecology and Conservation

Assessment of welfare in zoo animals: towards optimum quality of life

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Wolfensohn, Sarah, Shotton, Justine, Bowley, Hannah, Davies, Siân, Thompson, Sarah, Justice, William S. M.·2018·Animals

DOI 10.3390/ani8070110PMC PMC6071229

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Abstract

Zoos are required to maintain a high standard of animal welfare, and this can be assessed using a combination of resource-based and animal-based indices usually divided into behavioural indicators, physiological indicators and clinical/pathological signs. Modern animal welfare assessments should aim to encompass positive affective states and the indicators that are useful in assessing these are discussed. When developing factors to be scored for each species, there is huge variability in the available information about the natural biology for some zoo species and even less information concerning those animals in captivity. Wild baselines are not always the most accurate indicator of what is right for an animal in captivity, which makes the identification of factors to include within species-specific welfare assessment even more challenging. When planning a welfare strategy for any species, it is important that the full range of their biological requirements and needs are considered, but this can be challenging for some zoo species and it is not possible to define a “one size fits all” welfare strategy. The different approaches for welfare assessment are reviewed, including the development of the Animal Welfare Assessment Grid which offers an evidence-based tool for continual welfare assessment, using technology where appropriate, to facilitate decision making and lead to improvements in the animals’ quality of life.

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Research across various zoo species has demonstrated that animals exhibit diverse behavioral traits that influence their responses to management practices.
“Research across various zoo species has demonstrated that animals exhibit diverse behavioral traits that influence their responses to management practices [62,63].”
From Socializing a group of male Asian elephants in a semi-captive facility in Lao PDR (2025) · cites this paper as [63]
Section 4, “Behavioural Assessments” (no page supplied), says individual temperament may affect how zoo animals cope with captivity and that responses to stressors differ among individuals. It does not establish that research across various zoo species has demonstrated how behavioral traits influence responses to management practices; it says this has been more widely researched in farm animals and gives a captive-chimpanzee example. (LLM, conf=0.84)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
For some species with special spatial, environmental, social, or cognitive needs, a one-size-fits-all strategy to assess welfare may not be appropriate; species-specific and if possible context-specific assessment tools are needed.
“For some species with special spatial, environmental, social, or cognitive needs, a “one-size-fits-all” strategy to assess welfare may not be appropriate; rather, species-specific (25, 26) and if possible, context-specific assessment tools are needed.”
From Comparison of animal welfare assessment tools and methodologies: need for an effective approach for captive elephants in Asia (2024) · cites this paper as [26]
This review is the first overview of welfare assessment tools specific to elephants.
“While there have been several reviews of animal welfare frameworks (24–26), to our knowledge, this is the first overview of welfare assessment tools specific to elephants.”
From Comparison of animal welfare assessment tools and methodologies: need for an effective approach for captive elephants in Asia (2024) · cites this paper as [26]

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Optimism, pessimism and judgement bias in animals: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Lagisz, M., Zidar, J., Nakagawa, S., Neville, V., Sorato, E., Paul, E. S., Melissa Bateson, B., Mendl, M., & Løvlie, H. (2020) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.07.012 · Cited by 160 · see citing works
A Review of Welfare Assessment Methods in Reptiles, and Preliminary Application of the Welfare Quality® Protocol to the Pygmy Blue-Tongue Skink, Tiliqua adelaidensis, Using Animal-Based Measures
Benn, A. L., McLelland, D. J., & Whittaker, A. L. (2019) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani9010027 · Cited by 98 · see citing works
Positive Welfare for Fishes: Rationale and Areas for Future Study
Fife-Cook, I., & Franks, B. (2019) · Fishes · doi:10.3390/fishes4020031 · Cited by 77 · see citing works
The Neurobiology of Behavior and Its Applicability for Animal Welfare: A Review
Coria‐Ávila, G. A., Pfaus, J. G., Orihuela, A., Domínguez-Oliva, A., José-Pérez, N., Hernández, L. A., & Mota‐Rojas, D. (2022) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani12070928 · Cited by 73 · see citing works
Welfare assessment tools in zoos: from theory to practice
Jones, N., Sherwen, S. L., Robbins, R., McLelland, D. J., & Whittaker, A. L. (2022) · Veterinary Sciences · doi:10.3390/vetsci9040170 · Cited by 62 · see citing works
“These freedoms have been widely used to describe welfare [12] and are still used today, particularly in legislative documents [25].”
BackgroundMethodInfluential
Freedom and Animal Welfare
Browning, H., & Veit, W. (2021) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani11041148 · Cited by 66 · see citing works
“(19; 20; 9)), which makes it unsurprising that a large number of zoos have also developed their own in-house welfare assessment systems (21; 22; 23; 24).”
Background
Cognitive judgement bias is associated with frequency of anticipatory behavior in bottlenose dolphins
Clegg, I. L. K., & Delfour, F. (2018) · Zoo Biology · doi:10.1002/zoo.21400 · Cited by 46 · see citing works
Individual and environmental risk factors associated with fecal glucocorticoid metabolite concentrations in zoo-housed Asian and African elephants
Brown, J. L., Carlstead, K., Bray, J. D., Dickey, D., Farin, C., & Ange-van Heugten, K. (2019) · PLOS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0217326 · Cited by 46 · see citing works
The Societal Value of the Modern Zoo: A Commentary on How Zoos Can Positively Impact on Human Populations Locally and Globally
Greenwell, P. J., Riley, L. M., de Figueiredo, R. L., Brereton, J. E., Mooney, A., & Rose, P. E. (2023) · Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens · doi:10.3390/jzbg4010006 · Cited by 48 · see citing works
“…evaluates the individual measure of animal welfare, such as via Qualitative Behavioural Assessment [80] or from individual quality of life plans [81,82], can show the value of such individual-centred welfare assessments that may help improve the quality of care (and therefore productivity and…”
Method
Pain and Emotion in Fishes – Fish Welfare Implications for Fisheries and Aquaculture
Brown, C., & Dorey, C. (2019) · Animal studies journal · doi:10.14453/asj.v8i2.12 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
Differing animal welfare conceptions and what they mean for the future of zoos and aquariums, insights from an animal welfare audit
Veasey, J. S. (2022) · Zoo Biology · doi:10.1002/zoo.21677 · Cited by 39 · see citing works
“This challenges the widely expressed belief that animal welfare and commercial priorities are inherently in conflict in zoos and aquariums (see Born Free, 2021; Keulartz, 2015; Morino, 2017; PETA, 2021; N. A. Rose & Parsons, 2019; Wolfensohn et al., 2018).”
Background
The impact of visitors on non-primate species in zoos: a quantitative review
Williams, E., Hunton, V., Hosey, G., & Ward, S. J. (2023) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani13071178 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
A Systematic Review of the Use of Technology to Monitor Welfare in Zoo Animals: Is There Space for Improvement?
Diana, A., Salas, M., Pereboom, Z., Mendl, M., & Norton, T. (2021) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani11113048 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
Don't use it? Don't lose it! Why active use is not required for stimuli, resources or “enrichments” to have welfare value
Decker, S., Lavery, J. M., & Mason, G. J. (2023) · Zoo Biology · doi:10.1002/zoo.21756 · Cited by 29 · see citing works
Using zoo welfare assessments to identify common issues in developing country zoos
Ward, S. J., Williams, E., Groves, G., Marsh, S., & Morgan, D. (2020) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani10112101 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
Positive Aspects of Welfare in Sheep: Current Debates and Future Opportunities
Muhammad, M., Stokes, J. E., & Manning, L. (2022) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani12233265 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
Preliminary validation of a novel tool to assess dog welfare: The Animal Welfare Assessment Grid
Malkani, R., Paramasivam, S. J., & Wolfensohn, S. (2022) · Frontiers in Veterinary Science · doi:10.3389/fvets.2022.940017 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Too Cute to Kill? The Need for Objective Measurements of Quality of Life
Wolfensohn, S. (2020) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani10061054 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
Widespread Behavioral Responses by Mammals and Fish to Zoo Visitors Highlight Differences between Individual Animals
Boyle, S. A., Berry, N., Cayton, J., Ferguson, S., Gilgan, A., Khan, A. A., Lam, H. B.-L., Leavelle, S. E., Mulder, I. A., Myers, R., et al. (2020) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani10112108 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Equine Activity Time Budgets: The Effect of Housing and Management Conditions on Geriatric Horses and Horses with Chronic Orthopaedic Disease
Kelemen, Z., Grimm, H., Vogl, C., Long, M., Cavalleri, J. V., Auer, U., & Jenner, F. (2021) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani11071867 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
Effect of Tourist Activities on Fecal and Salivary Glucocorticoids and Immunoglobulin A in Female Captive Asian Elephants in Thailand
Kosaruk, W., Brown, J. L., Plangsangmas, T., Towiboon, P., Punyapornwithaya, V., Silva-Fletcher, A., Thitaram, C., Khonmee, J., Edwards, K. L., & Somgird, C. (2020) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani10101928 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
Assessment of the Welfare of Experimental Cattle and Pigs Using the Animal Welfare Assessment Grid
Ryan, M., Waters, R. A., & Wolfensohn, S. (2021) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani11040999 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Gaps in Live Inter-Observer Reliability Testing of Animal Behavior: A Retrospective Analysis and Path Forward
Wark, J. D., Wierzal, N. K., & Cronin, K. A. (2021) · Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens · doi:10.3390/jzbg2020014 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
Why are enrichment practices in zoos difficult to implement effectively?
Tuite, E. K., Moss, S. A., Phillips, C. J., & Ward, S. J. (2022) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani12050554 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
Key Concepts for Enhancing Zoo Animal Welfare: Coping, Comfort, Choice, Control, Challenge, and Compassion
Rose, P. E., & Lewton, J. (2024) · Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science · doi:10.1080/10888705.2024.2440891 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
“Human-animal relationships in zoos can be enriching for the animals (Claxton, 2011) and improve the animal’s responses to their environment (Wolfensohn et al., 2018); reduced job satisfaction or high staff turnover in the zoo may reduce the time caregivers spend with their animals which can remove…”
Body Contacts and Social Interactions in Captive Odontocetes Are Influenced by the Context: An Implication for Welfare Assessment
Serres, A., Hao, Y., & Wang, D. (2020) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani10060924 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Doing better for understudied species: evaluation and improvement of a species-general animal welfare assessment tool for zoos
O’Brien, S. L., & Cronin, K. A. (2023) · Applied Animal Behaviour Science · doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2023.105965 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
Conservation, animal behaviour, and human-animal relationship in zoos. Why is animal welfare so important?
Escobar-Ibarra, I., Mota‐Rojas, D., Gual‐Sill, F., Sánchez, C. R., Baschetto, F., & Alonso-Spilsbury, M. (2020) · Journal of Animal Behaviour and Biometeorology · doi:10.31893/jabb.21011 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
“Several examples of frameworks for zoo animal welfare assessment are reviewed by Wolfensohn et al (2018).”
Method
Bold Frogs or Shy Toads? How Did the COVID-19 Closure of Zoological Organisations Affect Amphibian Activity?
Boultwood, J., O’Brien, M. F., & Rose, P. E. (2021) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani11071982 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
The Impact of COVID-19 Zoo Closures on Behavioural and Physiological Parameters of Welfare in Primates
Williams, E., Carter, A. J., Rendle, J., Fontani, S., Walsh, N. D., Armstrong, S. R., Hickman, S., Vaglio, S., & Ward, S. J. (2022) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani12131622 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
How environmental conditions affect sleep? An investigation in domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris)
Schork, I. G., Manzo, I. A., de Oliveira, M. R. B., da Costa, F. V., Palme, R., Young, R. J., & de Azevedo, C. S. (2022) · Behavioural Processes · doi:10.1016/j.beproc.2022.104662 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Looking beyond the Shoal: Fish Welfare as an Individual Attribute
Torgerson-White, L. L., & Sánchez-Suárez, W. (2022) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani12192592 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
The Effect of Behind-The-Scenes Encounters and Interactive Presentations on the Welfare of Captive Servals (Leptailurus serval)
Acaralp-Rehnberg, L. K., Coleman, G. J., Magrath, M. J. L., Melfi, V. A., Fanson, K. V., & Bland, I. M. (2020) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani10040743 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Artificial Termite-Fishing Tasks as Enrichment for Sanctuary-Housed Chimpanzees: Behavioral Effects and Impact on Welfare
Padrell, M., Amici, F., Córdoba, M. P., Giberga, A., Broekman, A., Almagro, S., & Llorente, M. (2021) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani11102941 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
Welfare Assessment of Invertebrates: Adapting the Animal Welfare Assessment Grid (AWAG) for Zoo Decapods and Cephalopods
Narshi, T. M., Free, D., Justice, W. S. M., Smith, S. J., & Wolfensohn, S. (2022) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani12131675 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Longitudinal improvements in zoo-housed elephant welfare: a case study at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo
Finch, K., Sach, F., Fitzpatrick, M., Masters, N., & Rowden, L. J. (2020) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani10112029 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Integrating individual animal and population welfare in zoos and aquariums
DiVincenti, L., McDowell, A., & Herrelko, E. S. (2023) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani13101577 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Spatial and Thermal Factors
Arena, P. C., & Warwick, C. (2023) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-86012-7_13 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Acoustic Monitoring of Professionally Managed Marine Mammals for Health and Welfare Insights
Winship, K. A., & Jones, B. L. (2023) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani13132124 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
How do we plan for the zoo exhibit of the future?
Fernandez, E. J., Brereton, J. E., & Coe, J. C. (2023) · Applied Animal Behaviour Science · doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2023.106085 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Social Experience of Captive Livingstone’s Fruit Bats (Pteropus livingstonii)
Welch, M. J., Smith, T. E., Hosie, C. A., Wormell, D., Price, E. C., & Stanley, C. R. (2020) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani10081321 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
The Effect of Enrichment on Leopard Geckos (Eublepharis macularius) Housed in Two Different Maintenance Systems (Rack System vs. Terrarium)
Zieliński, D. (2023) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani13061111 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Confronting Back-of-House Traditions: Primates as a Case Study
Brando, S., & Coe, J. (2022) · Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens · doi:10.3390/jzbg3030029 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Zookeepers’ Perception of Zoo Canid Welfare and its Effect on Job Satisfaction, Worldwide
Riggio, G., Pirrone, F., Lunghini, E., Gazzano, A., & Mariti, C. (2020) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani10050916 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
Monitoring glucocorticoid metabolite concentrations as a proxy of environmental stress across important life-history stages in captive African penguins
Scheun, J., Gulson, J., & Ganswindt, A. (2020) · General and Comparative Endocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.ygcen.2020.113539 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
An evaluation of thermal imaging as a welfare monitoring tool for captive chimpanzees
Ross, S. R., Lake, B. R., Fultz, A. L., & Hopper, L. M. (2021) · Primates · doi:10.1007/s10329-021-00943-5 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
Evaluating the Reliability of Non-Specialist Observers in the Behavioural Assessment of Semi-Captive Asian Elephant Welfare
Webb, J. L., Crawley, J. A. H., Seltmann, M. W., Liehrmann, O., Hemmings, N., Nyein, U. K., Aung, H. H., Htut, W., Lummaa, V., & Lahdenperä, M. (2020) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani10010167 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Is Animal Welfare an Internationally Understood Concept in the Zoo World? Thematic Analysis of Two Regional Groups of Zoo Staff
Bacon, H., Vigors, B., Shaw, D. J., Waran, N. K., Dwyer, C. M., & Bell, C. E. (2021) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani11072059 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
“Positive animal welfare is an increasing focus of zoo animal welfare research [2,27,42], but it may be that frameworks incorporating this concept have yet to ﬁlter out globally, although the capacity for positive emotional affect in animals was suggested by interviewees from both regions.”
Background
Behavioural Changes in Zoo Animals during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Long-Term, Multi Species Comparison
Frost, N., Carter, A. J., Vernon, M., Armstrong, S. R., Walsh, N. D., Colwill, M., Turner-Jepson, L., Ward, S. J., & Williams, E. (2022) · Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens · doi:10.3390/jzbg3040044 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Social and environmental impacts on sleep in captive Asian elephants (Elephas maximus)
Evison, E., McKenzie, A., & Holmes, L. (2020) · Zoo Biology · doi:10.1002/zoo.21568 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Behavioral Coding of Captive African Elephants (Loxodonta africana): Utilizing DeepLabCut and Create ML for Nocturnal Activity Tracking
Lund, S. M., Nielsen, J., Gammelgård, F., Nielsen, M. G., Jensen, T. H., & Pertoldi, C. (2024) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani14192820 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
“To accommodate the welfare needs of captive elephants, normal behaviors must first be monitored and understood [6,10,11].”
Background
Quality-of-Life Assessments in Zoo Animals: Not Just for the Aged and Charismatic
Campbell-Ward, M. L. (2023) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani13213394 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
A unified account of why optimism declines in childhood
Leonard, J., & Sommerville, J. A. (2024) · Nature Reviews Psychology · doi:10.1038/s44159-024-00384-z · Cited by 11 · see citing works
The Anchoring Model as a Tool to Improve Visitors’ Perceptions of Zoos
Sampaio, M. B., Schiel, N., & Souto, A. (2021) · Anthrozoös · doi:10.1080/08927936.2021.1898220 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
“…and Aquariums (WAZA) (2019), a status that implies the implementation of specific policies to assure adequate animal welfare (Abdullah & Shah, 2018; Wolfensohn et al., 2018); (ii) they have animals that belong to the same species, genus or families of the animals found in the Tiergarden Schöbrunn…”
Background
Harmonisation of welfare indicators for macaques and marmosets used or bred for research
Prescott, M. J., Leach, M. C., & Truelove, M. A. (2022) · F1000Research · doi:10.12688/f1000research.109380.2 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
An Improvement in Enclosure Design Can Positively Impact Welfare, Reduce Aggressiveness and Stabilise Hierarchy in Captive Galapagos Giant Tortoises
Fieschi-Méric, L., Ellis, C., Servini, F., Tapley, B., & Michaels, C. J. (2022) · Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens · doi:10.3390/jzbg3040037 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Skin Cortisol and Acoustic Activity: Potential Tools to Evaluate Stress and Welfare in Captive Cetaceans
Wong, C.-H., Tsai, M., Ko, F.-C., Wang, J.-H., Xue, Y.-J., & Yang, W. (2023) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani13091521 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Enrichment and animal age, not biological variables, predict positive welfare indicators in zoo-housed carnivores
Ward, S. J., Hosey, G., Williams, E., & Bailey, R. I. (2023) · Applied Animal Behaviour Science · doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2023.106006 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Does Observer Presence Modify the Behavior and Enclosure Use of Captive Edwards’ Pheasants?
Hoy, R. A., & Brereton, J. E. (2022) · Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens · doi:10.3390/jzbg3020012 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Application of Machine Learning for Automating Behavioral Tracking of Captive Bornean Orangutans (Pongo Pygmaeus)
Gammelgård, F., Nielsen, J., Nielsen, E. J., Hansen, M. G., Alstrup, A. K. O., Perea‐García, J. O., Jensen, T. H., & Pertoldi, C. (2024) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani14121729 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
“This is both because not all wild behaviors are desirable in a captive setting, and because not all wild behaviors are reproducible in captivity [5].”
Background
The ‘Sanctuary Gap’: Reviewing the Research on Captive Wildlife Sanctuary Tourism
Speiran, S. I. M. (2025) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani15040496 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
“Frameworks for assessing the welfare of captive wild animals in zoos can be applied to other captive attractions, such as sanctuaries, though with varying success [69–73].”
Animal Welfare Assessment in 16 Zoos in South Korea Using the Modified Animal Welfare Assessment Grid
Ma, S.-A., Kang, H., Lee, K., Kim, S.-A., & Han, J. S. (2022) · Frontiers in Veterinary Science · doi:10.3389/fvets.2022.860741 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
The perception of felid welfare by zookeepers in North America and the implications for zoo managers
Ogle, B., & DeSmet, A. (2023) · Zoo Biology · doi:10.1002/zoo.21768 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Personality matters: exploring the relationship between personality and stress physiology in captive African lions
Vaz, J., Bartley, A., & Hunt, J. (2022) · BMC Zoology · doi:10.1186/s40850-022-00126-9 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Comparison of animal welfare assessment tools and methodologies: need for an effective approach for captive elephants in Asia
Ghimire, R., Brown, J. L., Thitaram, C., & Bansiddhi, P. (2024) · Frontiers in Veterinary Science · doi:10.3389/fvets.2024.1370909 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Island Life: Use of Activity Budgets and Visibility to Evaluate a Multi-Species Within-Zoo Exhibit Move
Finch, K., Waterman, J. O., Cowl, V. B., Marshall, A., Underwood, L., Williams, L. J., Davis, N., & Holmes, L. (2022) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani12162123 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
The Effects of Light on Vertebrate Welfare: A Review
de Azevedo, C. S., Goulart, V. D. L. R., Pizzutto, C. S., Cipreste, C. F., Teixeira, C. P., & Young, R. J. (2025) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani15223329 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
“In addition to the ethical issue [4], high levels of welfare improve animal health [5,6], improve the relationships with other individuals and with humans [7,8], may increase reproductive rates [9,10], and increase the quality of life of animals [5,11].”
Behavioural patterns in zoo-housed Humboldt penguins (Spheniscus humboldti) revealed using long-term keeper-collected data: Validation of approaches and improved husbandry
Goodenough, A. E., Sewell, A., & McDonald, K. (2022) · Applied Animal Behaviour Science · doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2022.105811 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Assessing the Welfare of Captive Group-Housed Cockroaches, Gromphadorhina oblongonota
Free, D., & Wolfensohn, S. (2023) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani13213351 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Linking the roles of personality and stress physiology for managing the welfare of captive big cats
Vaz, J., McElligott, A. G., & Narayan, E. J. (2022) · Animal Welfare · doi:10.7120/09627286.31.1.009 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Bridging pure cognitive research and cognitive enrichment
Clark, F. E. (2022) · Animal Cognition · doi:10.1007/s10071-022-01636-2 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Environmental and Social Influences on the Behaviour of Free-Living Mandarin Ducks in Richmond Park
Munday, C., & Rose, P. E. (2022) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani12192554 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Do zoo visitors induce attentional bias effects in primates completing cognitive tasks?
Huskisson, S. M., Ross, S. R., & Hopper, L. M. (2020) · Animal Cognition · doi:10.1007/s10071-020-01445-5 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Comparing Data Collection Tools for Zoo Management Decision-Making: A Case Study Examining Behavioral Measures of Humboldt Penguin Bond Strength
Galante, J., & Margulis, S. W. (2022) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani12213031 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Hematological parameters of domestic chickens as stress reaction markers derived from different etiologies
Соколенко, С. В., Sokolenko, Y. V., Van, Y. L., Ozymok, M. O., Kobal, I., & Соколенко, В. Л. (2024) · Regulatory Mechanisms in Biosystems · doi:10.15421/0224111 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Reshaping Human-Animal Relationships: Exploring Lemur and Human Enrichment through Smell, Sound, and Sight
Wang, J. J., Brewster, S. A., & Hirskyj-Douglas, I. (2025) · CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems · doi:10.1145/3706598.3713311 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
“…indicated positive observations of lemur interactions with SensorySafari, a comprehensive assessment of animal welfare requires a nuanced, multidimensional evaluation examining not only their engagement with the technology but also their broader health and behavioural patterns [128, 138].”
Evaluation of the Feasibility, Reliability, and Repeatability of Welfare Indicators in Free-Roaming Horses: A Pilot Study
Harley, J. J., Stack, J. D., Braid, H. R., McLennan, K. M., & Stanley, C. R. (2021) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani11071981 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Use of Blood Lactate in Assessment of Manual Capture Techniques of Zoo-Housed Crocodilians
Molinaro, H. G., Anderson, G. S., Gruny, L., Sperou, E. S., & Heard, D. J. (2022) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani12030397 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Harmonisation of welfare indicators for macaques and marmosets used or bred for research
Prescott, M. J., Leach, M. C., & Truelove, M. A. (2022) · F1000Research · doi:10.12688/f1000research.109380.1 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Observations on Southern White Rhinoceros Ceratotherium simum simum Translocated to Uganda
Sheil, D., & Kirkby, A. (2018) · Tropical Conservation Science · doi:10.1177/1940082918806805 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
“Observations on survival and reproduction appear insufficient if the strange and neurotic behaviors that are sometimes seen in captive animals might occur in translocated animals (Mason & Latham, 2004; Rose, Nash, & Riley, 2017; Wolfensohn et al., 2018).”
Background
Examination of Physiological and Morphological Differences between Farm-Bred and Wild Black-Spotted Pond Frogs (Pelophylax nigromaculatus)
Park, J., Kim, J. B., & Do, Y. (2021) · Life · doi:10.3390/life11101089 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Non-Invasive Assessment of the Seasonal Stress Response to Veterinary Procedures and Transportation of Zoo-Housed Lesser Anteater (Tamandua tetradactyla)
Eguizábal, G. V., Superina, M., Palme, R., Asencio, C. J., Villarreal, D. P., Borrelli, L., & Busso, J. M. (2021) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani12010075 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
An Exploration of the Value of Elective Health Checks in UK Zoo-Housed Gibbons
Kershaw, T. E., Hall, E. J., Dobbs, P., Liptovszky, M., & Strong, V. (2020) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani10122307 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
A fast technique to induce and measure anticipatory behavior in bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops truncatus )
Bigiani, S., & Pilenga, C. (2022) · Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science · doi:10.1080/10888705.2022.2063019 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
“…the study of anticipatory behavior a promising welfare indicator (Anderson, von Keyserlingk, Lidfors, & Weary, 2020; Clegg & Delfour, 2018b; Krebs et al., 2017; Van der Harst & Spruijt, 2007; Ward, Sherwen, & Clark, 2018; Watters, 2014; Whitham & Wielebnowskil, 2013; Wolfensohn et al., 2018).”
Background
Locomotion as a Measure of Well-Being in Captive Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)
Webb, S. J. N., & Schapiro, S. J. (2023) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani13050803 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Providing Belugas (Delphinapterus leucas) in Controlled Environments Opportunities to Thrive: Health, Self-Maintenance, Species-Specific Behavior, and Choice and Control
Hill, H. M. M., & Nollens, H. H. (2019) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01776 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Platypus Surfing
Morrison, A., Larsen, H., Fieldus, C., Kist, A. A., & Maiti, A. (2020) · International Conference on Animal-Computer Interaction (ACI) · doi:10.1145/3446002.3446052 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
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Authors: Wolfensohn, S., Shotton, J., Bowley, H., Davies, S., Thompson, S., & Justice, W. S. M.
Affiliations: University of Surrey (GB)
Marwell Zoo (GB)
Corresponding author: Wolfensohn, Sarah
ORCID: Wolfensohn, Sarah
Shotton, Justine
Thompson, Sarah
Venue: Animals
Publisher: MDPI AG
Published: 2018-07-04
Volume: 8
Issue: 7
Pages: 110
ISSN: 2076-2615 (ISSN-L)
DOI: 10.3390/ani8070110
PMC: PMC6071229
OpenAlex: W2811324535
Cited by: 197
References: 93
Citations by year: 2026: 24 · 2025: 36 · 2024: 15 · 2023: 36 · 2022: 36 · 2021: 21 · 2020: 21 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 2
FWCI: 2.66
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: gold
dx.doi.org
Licence: cc-by
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (vor)
Locations: Animals (publishedVersion, cc-by)
Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
Surrey Research Insight Open Access (The University of Surrey) (submittedVersion)
DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Topics: Health Sciences › Veterinary › Small Animals › Animal Behavior and Welfare Studies
Health Sciences › Veterinary › Small Animals › Veterinary Pharmacology and Anesthesia
Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
Keywords: zoo animal welfare, animal welfare assessment, quality of life, behavioural indicators, physiological parameters, clinical signs, positive affective states, welfare technology, captive animals

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Assessment of welfare in zoo animals: towards optimum quality of life

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