融入动物科学（如动物生理指标分析），最终落脚于空间设计、空间策略或空间分析，发表领域为建筑设计、室内设计或风景园林设计

… are placed in interior/exterior areas Presence of animals … , cortisol levels, and other physiological indicators, in addition to … Emotion and interior space design: An ergonomic …

Accredited zoos and aquariums continually strive to ensure high levels of animal welfare for the animals under their professional care. Best management practices include conducting research to better understand factors that lead to optimal welfare and then turning findings into practice. The current study is part of the larger Cetacean Welfare Study or more formally, “Towards understanding the welfare of cetaceans in zoos and aquariums.” Facilities participating in the study were accredited by the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums and/or the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Animal management factors and habitat characteristics were examined in relation to two potential indicators of welfare for common (Tursiops truncatus) and Indo-Pacific (Tursiops aduncus) bottlenose dolphins. Specifically, we examined environmental enrichment, animal training, and habitat characteristics that were significantly related to behavioral diversity and route tracing, a form of stereotypic behavior. Behavior was recorded from 47 animals at 25 facilities around the world. Overall, the rate of route tracing behavior observed during the study was very low and few animal management factors or habitat characteristics were found to be related to this behavior. One factor, enrichment diversity, had a significant positive relationship with route tracing and an inverse relationship with behavioral diversity. This finding may be a product of a response mounted by animal care specialists to the behavior as opposed to a cause. Animals that engaged in this behavior were likely provided more diverse enrichment in attempts to ameliorate the stereotypic behavior. However, multiple factors were found to significantly relate to behavioral diversity, a potential positive indicator of welfare for bottlenose dolphins. Dolphins that were trained on a predictable schedule had higher behavioral diversity than those on a semi-predictable schedule. There was a positive significant relationship between behavioral diversity and the number of habitats to which an animal had access, and a significant inverse relationship with the maximum depth of the habitat. Finally, animals that were split into groups and reunited or rotated between subgroups had higher behavioral diversity than animals managed in the same group. Information gained from the current study suggested that animal management techniques may be more important in ensuring good welfare for bottlenose dolphins than focusing on habitat size.

Simple Summary Reviews are needed to synthesize known information on a particular topic. Beef cattle welfare is an emergent research field. Decisions producers make, such as how to house cattle, can impact their overall welfare. Environmental features that can influence the microclimate and beef cattle welfare include floor type, space allowance, shade availability, and inclusion of enrichment (EE) devices or ventilation features. Therefore, the aim of this systematic review was to examine the relationship between housing and welfare metrics, so that beef cattle producers and animal scientists can make informed decisions regarding how their housing choices may impact beef cattle welfare. The databases searched were CAB (Ovid), AGRIS (Ovid), Agricola (EBSCO) and Searchable Proceedings of Animal Conferences. The final search was conducted on June 4, 2018. One reviewer determined relevancy of studies based on titles and abstracts. The full text was reviewed to determine study inclusion and four trained reviewers collected data from the included studies using pre-defined forms. From 1147 citations, 40 studies were included that evaluated the impact of a feature of beef cattle housing on welfare. In this review, we outlined how these features may positively or negatively impact cattle health, productivity, stress and behavior. Our main findings were as follows: (1) Space allowance influences feedlot cattle biology and behavior (2) Veal calves exhibited behavioral, physiological, and performance parameters indicative of a positive welfare state while group housed and (3) Provision of progressive modifications (e.g., shade, EE) to the feedlot environment resulted in increased performance of species-specific behaviors Abstract Housing systems and environmental features can influence beef cattle welfare. To date, little information has been synthesized on this topic. The aim of this scoping review was to examine the relationship between housing and welfare status, so that beef cattle producers and animal scientists can make informed decisions regarding how their housing choices could impact beef cattle welfare. Housing features were categorized by floor type, space allowance and shade availability, as well as the inclusion of enrichment devices or ventilation features. Evaluation of space allowances across feedlot environments determined behavioral and production benefits when cattle were housed between 2.5 m2 to 3.0 m2 per animal. Over 19 different flooring types were investigated and across flooring types; straw flooring was viewed most favorably from a behavioral, production and hygiene standpoint. Veal calves experience enhanced welfare (e.g., improved behavioral, physiological, and performance metrics) when group housed. There is evidence that the implementation of progressive housing modifications (e.g., shade, environmental enrichment) could promote the behavioral welfare of feedlot cattle. This review presents the advantages and disadvantages of specific housing features on the welfare of beef cattle.

… relationship with intelligent housing space design, this study … design of swine livestock housing, being a critical aspect of swine farming, plays a vital role in improving animal welfare …

Abstract This review evaluates current knowledge on how flooring and space conditions influence beef cattle welfare and growth performance. Flooring type and space allowance are key environmental factors affecting animal comfort, hygiene, and performance. Optimizing these elements is essential to promote welfare while maintaining production efficiency. Straw bedding, and rubber mats (RM) placed over concrete slatted floors, enhance comfort and support natural behaviours, including lying and rising. Cattle show a clear preference for softer flooring, which reduces slipping and increases mobility. While RM can reduce slipping and enhance comfort, its impact on cleanliness is variable, depending on environmental and management conditions. RM use may also support improved growth performance in finishing steers, though outcomes differ based on age, mat characteristics, and space allowance. Health benefits include reductions in lameness and locomotor issues, but prolonged RM can lead to claw overgrowth. Straw bedding and increased space allowance significantly improve animal welfare outcomes without compromising performance. Absolute space allowances often yield inconsistent results. However, using allometric k-values offers a more reliable measure of space requirements relative to animal size. Future research should refine space and explore long-term flooring impacts on hoof health. These insights can guide housing strategies that support animal welfare and performance.

As part of a larger on-farm dairy cow welfare and behaviour project, data were collected from 22 commercial dairy farms over two winters (2000-2001 and 2001-2002). A further winter of farm sampling will complete the project (2002-2003), with five types of housing and production systems being assessed: high-, medium- and low-milk-production herds with cubicle housing, high-production herds with zero grazing and cubicle housing, and medium-production herds with straw courts. All cows in one early or mid-lactation group from each farm were observed. For the current analysis, locomotion, cleanliness and body condition were scored for the group, and an audit of building quality was carried out. Analysis of the available data shows that some aspects of building design affect the welfare of dairy cows. A positive correlation was found between mean body condition score of the cows and mean locomotion score (P = 0.047). Body condition score correlated negatively with the number of cows in the group (P = 0.049). Negative correlations were found between locomotion score and the ratio of cubicles to cows (P = 0.033) and between the size of cubicles and leg cleanliness (P = 0.012). Trends were also seen in the relationships between farm type and locomotion score (P = 0.048), production level and locomotion score (P = 0.074) and cow cleanliness and cubicle size (P = 0.061). These results indicate that the quality of the housing and the management system can affect cow welfare. These measures may be useful to include in on-farm welfare assessment schemes.

As a global society, we have a duty to provide suitable care and conditions for farmed livestock to protect animal welfare and ensure the sustainability of our food supply. The suitability and biological impacts of housing conditions for intensively farmed animals is a complex and emotive subject, yet poorly researched, meaning quantitative evidence to inform policy and legislation is lacking. Most dairy cows globally are housed for some duration during the year, largely when climatic conditions are unfavourable. However, the impact on biology, productivity and welfare of even the most basic housing requirement, the quantity of living space, remains unknown. We conducted a long-term (1-year), randomised controlled trial (CONSORT 10 guidelines) to investigate the impact of increased living space (6.5 m2 vs 3 m2 per animal) on critical aspects of cow biology, behaviour and productivity. Adult Holstein dairy cows (n = 150) were continuously and randomly allocated to a high or control living space group with all other aspects of housing remaining identical between groups. Compared to cows in the control living space group, cows with increased space produced more milk per 305d lactation (primiparous: 12,235 L vs 11,592 L, P < 0.01; multiparous: 14,746 L vs 14,644 L, P < 0.01) but took longer to become pregnant after calving (primiparous: 155 d vs 83 d, P = 0.025; multiparous: 133 d vs 109 d). In terms of behaviour, cows with more living space spent significantly more time in lying areas (65 min/d difference; high space group: 12.43 h/day, 95% CI = 11.70–13.29; control space group: 11.42 h/day, 95% CI = 10.73–12.12) and significantly less time in passageways (64 min/d), suggesting enhanced welfare when more space was provided. A key physiological difference between groups was that cows with more space spent longer ruminating each day. This is the first long term study in dairy cows to demonstrate that increased living space results in meaningful benefits in terms of productivity and behaviour and suggests that the interplay between farmed animals and their housed environment plays an important role in the concepts of welfare and sustainability of dairy farming.

This study was conducted to evaluate the structural characteristics of dairy cattle barns in Selçuklu District of Konya Province in terms of animal welfare. Within the scope of the research, 20 farms were selected through purposive sampling, and the barns were examined in terms of technical parameters such as orientation, dimensions, construction materials, ventilation, lighting, and thermal insulation. Additionally, the presence of special compartments (for calves, calving, and sick animals) and auxiliary structures was assessed. The findings revealed that most farms lacked essential compartments and support units, and that critical structural elements-such as ventilation, natural lighting, and insulation-did not meet technical standards. Although the average feeding space per animal was found to be sufficient (1.34 m), the average thermal transmittance (U-value) of the barns was calculated as 1.889 kcal/m².°C·h, indicating inadequate insulation performance. In conclusion, the majority of the barns were found to have been built without proper planning or professional technical support, which negatively affects both animal welfare and production efficiency. The study highlights the need for structural improvement of dairy barns in compliance with technical standards and emphasizes the importance of professional guidance, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises.

The present review using the pig as a model has highlighted the importance of the design of the housing system on the welfare of farm animals. It has emphasised the need for research on animal welfare in new and modified housing systems, as well as current but contentious systems, to be attentive to the design contributions of these systems to animal welfare. The review has highlighted areas for future research to safeguard sow and piglet welfare, including the following: effective environmental enrichment for gestating sows in intensive, indoor and non-bedded systems; opportunities to increase foraging and feeding times in feed-restricted gestating sows; design features that allow both access to important resources, such as feed, water and a comfortable lying area, and escape opportunities to reduce aggression and minimise risks to the welfare of group-housed sows; and less confined farrowing and lactation systems. The review also shows that animal welfare problems may be less a function of the type of housing system than of how well it operates. The skills, knowledge and motivation of stockpeople to effectively care for and manage their animals are integral to the standard of welfare experienced by their animals. Attitudes influence not only the manner in which stockpeople handle animals, but also their motivation to care for their animals. Thus, training targeting technical skills and knowledge as well as the attitudes and behaviours of stockpeople should be a primary component of the human resource management practices at a farm. While public concerns and policy debates often focus on intensive housing systems, research indicates that the design and management of both indoor and outdoor housing systems is probably more important for animal welfare than is generally recognised.

There is considerable variation in the recommended minimum space allowance for growing pigs in scientific literature, and growing pressure, arising from recent reviews of current animal welfare standards for pigs, to increase the minimum space allowances set in legislation in some countries (e.g., European Union countries and New Zealand). The space provided for growing pigs needs to accommodate their physical body size in addition to social behaviour, activity, and essential functional behaviours. However, recommended minimum space allowances vary according to criteria such as temperature, live weight, flooring type, group size, behaviour, and enrichment availability. Though there may be justification for increasing current space requirements, this will present a practical issue on existing farms and could even result in unintended negative welfare outcomes, depending on how farmers address an increased requirement for space. This is not helped by inconsistent scientific approaches to assessing the effect of space on pig performance, and a lack of information on how space allowance impacts a pig's affective state. This review explores the scientific basis of the most common approaches to determining minimum space allowances for growing pigs and discusses the various factors that influence and interact with their spatial requirements. Consideration is given to their nutrition, physical environment, health, and behaviour to understand the welfare, performance, and practicality implications of differing recommendations for space allowance. More research is needed that investigates a range of space allowances to better understand the relationship between animal welfare and performance outcomes, and space allowance. This must replicate commercial conditions so that recommendations are relevant, future-focused, and achieve positive welfare outcomes in a practical but meaningful manner.

… sustainable livestock buildings is essential for promoting environmental stewardship, animal welfare, and long-term viability in the livestock industry. By incorporating sustainable design …

Simple Summary Enrichment is important for supporting the well-being of captive animals. Enrichment increase animal quality of life through encouraging natural behaviours. As enrichment is shifting to a more centered role in animal care, technology is becoming increasingly accessible and is becoming embedded in animal enrichment in creative ways. This review explores the trends in technology usage in animal enrichment studies. Through pulling the past decade of technology enrichment work together, we discuss gaps such as needing to include a larger variety of species (extending passed mammals), ensuring enrichment designs focus primarily on the senses an animal uses to interact with the world rather than human senses, and encouraging similar study designs across animal contexts to allow for streamlined comparisons. Abstract Environmental enrichment is adding complexity to an environment that has a positive impact on a captive animal as a necessity of care. Computing technology is being rapidly weaved throughout the space in both enrichment devices as well as evaluating enrichment outcomes. In this article, we present a scoping review of 102 captive animal enrichment studies and propose a contextual lens for exploring current practices. We discuss the importance of directed growth in species inclusion, transitioning beyond anthro-centric designs, and utilizing shared methodologies.

… Overall, our results suggested that even when exhibit space and complexity are … enrichment could increase species-typical activities. This is particularly beneficial for off-exhibit animals …

… environmental enrichment on behaviour and behavioural diversity in snakes from the families Colubridae and Dipsadidae. Behavioural … , with and without environmental enrichment. …

Although indoor livestock housing systems provide advantages of controlling feeding, climatic conditions, and avoiding diseases, they usually restrict the expression of natural behaviours by animals, which leads to the high stress states, behavioural deviations, and decreased output. This paper examines the usefulness of a multi-faceted bundle of environmental enrichment measures, such as high platform, natural lighting, suspended toys, floor materials with a texture, and aroma-based stimuli, in improving the welfare and behavioural health of indoors housed cattle and goats. Frequency of exploratory behaviour, occurrence of aggression, and change of salivary cortisol concentration were measured systematically using special housing units of each species to determine the effect of enrichment on physiological and behavioural scale. The findings revealed that animals in enriched systems recorded a high level of exploratory behaviour, better comforting behaviour, and less aggression than the same animals in traditional housing systems. The physiological examination showed that the level of cortisol dropped by 20 28 percent, so the stress was significantly reduced and the boating state was enhanced. Natural lighting was also included to preserve circadian rhythms, and textured flooring was useful to enhance footing and physical comfort in general, and hanging toys and scent indicators were used to encourage cognitive involvement and alleviate boredom. The results show that the implementation of enrichment measures that are simple and cheaper can still lead to significant beneficial changes in the welfare of the inside livestock, and make farming systems healthier and more productive, as well as aligned with their ethical standards. This paper highlights the relevance of enrichment practises with contemporary livestock facility design as a sustainable welfare-based intervention by increasing the behavioural expression, minimising physiological stress, and improving the overall wellness in confined livestock.

… , we find different types of animal houses constructed for sheep production without any … Technical design with respect to the biological needs of animals in reference to the thermal, …

This work was carried out with the objective of evaluating effect of different insulation considering two poultry houses. Two dark house type, located in the western region of the State of Paraná, Brazil were analyzed. The poultry house A1 is characterized with trapezoidal aluzinc cover on the upper side interspersed with a layer of polyurethane and aluminized film on the underside, while the poultry house A2 has cover of aluzinc with black tarpaulin. A thermo-hygrometer was used to measure the temperature and relative humidity of the indoor and outdoor air, and a thermal imager was used to collect the surface temperature data of the birds. In this way, it was possible to evaluate the effect of different insulation of poultry houses on birds. Finally, was concluded that the poultry house A1 provided temperature and relative humidity and temperature of the birds closer to those considered as ideal in the literature.

Egypt tends to construct new cities to provide social housing for its citizens. However, the planning of urban residential districts (URDs) in these cities lacks provisions for natural ventilation (NV), and indoor-outdoor thermal comfort, resulting in increased energy consumption during the summer months. This research aims to create a sustainable design through biomimicry to reduce the universal thermal climate index (UTCI) values in the URD in New Aswan thereby enhancing outdoor thermal comfort and reducing energy consumption inside buildings at the level of URD. In this research, the approach of prairie dogs in building their burrows was followed to rearrange and reorient the buildings. Autodesk CFD, Rhino7, Grasshopper, Ladybug, Honeybee, and Dragonfly software was used in the simulation. The rearrangement of the buildings, specifically the oriented design in the east-west direction, caused a difference in pressure between the buildings, leading to improved NV between the buildings. The improvement of NV resulted in a 4.2 °C reduction in UTCI values during specific hours over the six different days in the six summer months, resulting in significant energy savings of 10407.28946 KWh in the URD. The occurrence of a pressure difference between buildings not only improved NV but also enhanced outdoor and indoor thermal comfort, promoting energy conservation. Therefore, careful consideration of the arrangement and orientation of buildings is essential to establish sustainable URDs. Although the difference between the results is slight, it creates substantial differences in the long term for UTCI values, thus the energy conservation in the URDs.

… , the early architect could develop his habitat and use different types of housing from the common … and animals in the process of gaining or losing heat mentioned previously in Sect. 4.3. …

Abstract This application note introduces an app for Android smartphones to create maps of the spatial variability of thermal comfort indexes and meteorological parameters. The application was developed through the Java object-oriented programming language, using the integrated Android Studio development environment. The interpolator method employed was the Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW), adopting p = 2. The validations demonstrated that the algorithm is in accordance with the IDW interpolator equation and presented results showed that the maps created by the application can be useful in obtaining diagnoses of the thermal conditions of environments, especially in animal production sheds.

… shelters. This study evaluated the effects of basic obedience training and environmental alterations on adoption rate of shelter … , passed through the one shelter during the 8 weeks of the …

With their various physical differences, pets have to live with their owners in interiors, which is designed according to human scale. On the other hand, human-specific anthropometric measurements, which are the basic parameters in space design, are not sufficient to provide ergonomics in indoor spaces, which are also living spaces for pets. The hypothesis of this study, in which current examples of interior and furniture designs suitable for the physical needs of pets, whose numbers are increasing day by day, are discussed with an inclusive approach in interior architecture; It has been determined as 'when the interiors where pets live are redesigned according to the characteristics of the animals, ergonomics is provided for 'all living things' in the common living areas. The subject of common living space in the literature; Although it has been investigated in interdisciplinary fields such as cognitive psychology, zoology, and architecture on topics such as biodiversity, sustainability, animal welfare, and animal behavior, the subject of 'space organization of shared living spaces shared with domestic animals' as a new approach in the field of interior architecture has not been sufficiently discussed. For this reason, the research is a pioneering and descriptive study in terms of drawing attention to current practices in terms of conceptual infrastructure, architectural design, space organization, application examples and experimental models, making a systematic review of existing studies on the subject, and identifying new trends in the field of interior architecture. The aim of the research is to expand the interior design, which is a multidimensional subject, to include spaces designed for living with pets, in particular the arrangement of common living spaces. However, as a result of the evaluation of existing applications, the design orientations of the space designers will be tried to be determined. Since subjects such as interior design, interior architecture, and design have a wide field of research, the scope of the study is limited to the specific space and furniture designs designed for pets in terms of ease of research. In this context, unqualified pet items that cannot be considered as design elements placed in spaces designed for people and design attachments placed in the existing space without being designed are excluded from the scope. In the descriptive study, the survey model, one of the quantitative research methods, was preferred as a research method to review the existing status of the researches in the field of design within the existing sample applications. To determine the general tendency, the general screening model was preferred in determining the research population, in order to reach a generalizable judgment in the systematic review. A two-stage methodology was applied in the study. In the first stage, the conceptual infrastructure was created, and the definitions were clarified. In the second stage, the existing space and furniture applications were evaluated in accordance with the theoretical infrastructure. As a result, it has been determined that the interior and furniture applications on the subject are limited, the existing academic studies have methodological and theoretical deficiencies, and the subject needs improvement in terms of literature. However, it has been understood that the 'interior and furniture design for pets' approach is a design approach that is open to development, is an inclusive application in the interior and has a high potential to be preferred.

Abstract Saudi Arabia, renowned for its rich cultural heritage and rapid modernization, has experienced significant lifestyle transformations in recent decades. Among these changes is the growing trend of pet ownership, leading to a rising demand for services and facilities that cater to the well-being of pets. Despite this, many Arabian societies face a notable shortage of essential services like pet daycare, particularly for cats and dogs. Pet daycare facilities, where pets can be entrusted to professional carers for a specified period, offer a practical solution to this pressing need. These facilities provide secure, well-designed interior spaces that allow pets to socialize, play, and thrive under supervision. Key features often include soft play areas, pet-friendly furniture, toys, and materials that ensure a safe and engaging environment. This chapter aims to explore and define the interior design requirements, facilities, activities, space planning, material selection, furniture, accessories, and color schemes necessary for creating optimal pet daycare centers. By analyzing exemplary well, well-selected global projects (case studies), this research seeks to formulate comprehensive guidelines that address the unique needs of these essential spaces, contributing to their successful implementation in Saudi Arabia.

Because of very real practical constraints, conditions in animal shelters are often reminiscent of those in early primate deprivation studies. Dogs are frequently surrendered to shelters because of behavior problems, and aspects of the shelter environment may induce anomalous behavior, increasing the chances that adopted dogs will be returned to the shelters. Comparative psychologists, psychobiologists, and other behavioral scientists possess the knowledge and techniques to help shelters intervene in this cycle. Experience suggests human interaction and the application of basic conditioning procedures can reduce the impact of the shelter environment, and ease the transition into the adoptive home. A program developed to meet these goals is described. Shelters can provide opportunities both for the training of students in animal-related exercises and for limited applied research. Behavioral scientists stand in a unique position to help transform conditions in animal shelters to the benefit of all involved.

While the effects of cleaning and disinfection practices on the reduction of environmental nosocomial bacteria are well-established in human and large animal veterinary hospitals, how animal movements within animal health care facilities influence environmental bacterial recovery is poorly understood. During three consecutive weeks, 155 electrostatic wipes were collected from the environment pre- and post-cleaning only or following disinfection from seven target locations within an animal shelter. All samples were cultured, and isolates were identified using a matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization—time of flight mass spectrometry. Social network analysis of animal movements during the sampling period was performed to estimate the level of connectivity of the seven target locations. The relationship between bacterial levels and connectivity estimates of the target locations were investigated using a negative binomial regression model with a random effect of sampling areas. Overall, our results indicate a significant reduction in the total bacterial contamination with disinfection when compared to cleaning only [Coefficient (Coef.) = −1.72, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) = −3.09, −0.34, P = 0.015]. Higher total bacterial contamination was significantly more likely in sampled areas with less animal movement connectivity (Coef. = −0.32, 95% CI = −0.49, −0.15, P ≤ 0.001). Pseudomonas aeruginosa and ampicillin resistant Enterobacteriaceae (Escherichia coli, Enterobacter spp. and Klebsiella spp.) were present in the animal holdings and in the shelters' veterinary clinic environment at all sampling times. Our findings demonstrate that cleaning followed by disinfection practices are effective at reducing environmental bacterial levels. Areas with less animal connectivity are more likely to have a higher bacterial contamination. These areas could represent environmental reservoirs for bacterial infection and should be targeted with effective cleaning and disinfection protocols.

Simple Summary Ensuring good health and welfare is an increasingly important consideration for conservation of endangered species, whether free-ranging or managed to varying degrees under human care. The welfare-based design of a new habitat for Asian elephants focused on meeting the elephants’ physical, physiological, psychological, and social needs 24 h a day and across life stages. In this study, multiple elephant health and welfare indicators measured throughout transition and acclimation from the previous habitat to this new habitat provided evidence that the complexity, flexibility, space, and resource distribution of the new habitat was effective in improving overall welfare. The elephants were more active and walked farther on a daily basis in the new habitat, with an average walking distance of over 15 km per day. Disbursement of food with less temporal and spatial predictability increased foraging opportunities, which is important for psychological well-being of this species. All individuals showed adaptive and normal adrenal responses to the changes and challenges throughout the construction period and subsequent acclimation to a novel environment. They demonstrated social dynamics of a healthy herd in both habitats with transitions of individuals through life stages; however, in the new habitat they exhibited more autonomy in choosing whom to associate with socially, suggesting increased social equity for individuals. Abstract Ensuring good health and welfare is an increasingly important consideration for conservation of endangered species, whether free-ranging or managed to varying degrees under human care. The welfare-based design of a new habitat for Asian elephants at the Oregon Zoo focused on meeting the elephants’ physical, physiological, psychological, and social needs 24 h a day and across life stages. The habitat was designed to encourage activity, promote species-typical behaviors, support changing social dynamics, offer increased opportunities for choice, and provide biologically meaningful challenges. In this 4-year study, we monitored elephant health and welfare indicators throughout the transition and acclimation from the previous habitat to the new habitat. Several welfare indicators obtained through longitudinal hormone analyses, behavior assessments, and GPS measurement of walking distance and space use provided evidence that these goals were achieved. The elephants were more active and walked farther on a daily basis in the new habitat, with an average walking distance of over 15 km per day. A switch from primarily caretaker-delivered food to seeking food on their own indicates that the disbursement of food with less temporal and spatial predictability increased foraging opportunities, which better satisfies appetitive motivations important for psychological well-being. All individuals showed adaptive and normal adrenal responses to change and challenge, with the highest fecal glucocorticoid metabolite (FGM) concentrations and variability during the construction phase, and a return to previous baseline concentrations in the new habitat, suggesting they acclimated well to the new environment. The elephants expressed a diverse range of species-typical behaviors and demonstrated social dynamics of a healthy herd in both habitats with transitions of individuals through life stages. They exhibited more autonomy in choosing whom to associate with socially and also by choosing different aspects of their environment with regular indoor/outdoor access and extensive resource use in the new habitat. Findings indicate that the complexity and flexibility of the new habitat and habitat management has been effective in improving overall welfare by providing meaningful challenges and the opportunity to express appetitive behaviors, by offering choice in environmental conditions, and by providing the space and resource distribution to support evolving herd dynamics and increased social equity for individuals.

Abstract Contemporary zoos are facing a complex set of conditions: they conduct scientific studies aimed at the conservation of species and their habitats on the one hand, and pursue the involvement of the audience in the protection and care of nature on the other. Looking around the world of zoos, only a few have been able to evolve into complex conservation centres. The development process takes decades, and the challenge is comparable to the transition of menageries into zoological gardens in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. This article conveys how landscape architecture can contribute to this metamorphosis by increasing the wellbeing of confined animals and discovering strategies to foster the transformation of even the oldest zoo into a modern scientific institution. While the survey concentrates on the spatial development of Tiergarten Schönbrunn and the environmental quality of animal enclosures (thus on animal welfare), the discussion explores the correlation between the changing operation strategies and the visitors’ experience in the light of landscape architecture.

… of zoo design as we seek to improve the well-being of these … in the interest of improving animal well-being. However, these … 4, creating zoo habitats in which animals more freely engage …

… We interpret this to mean that although neither enclosure created a negative selection of glass partitions that might indicate an avoidance of zoo visitors, the new facility provided these …

… parts of the landscape of the species’ habitat) as those that … than one enclosure in the same zoo, the enclosure with the … For this reason, although zoo exhibit design and animal care …

Living in Harmony with Wildlife - 1 - Considering the Animal's ‘Point of View’ in Planning and Design

All zoo and aquarium animals live in enclosures, which are managed by their human care providers. Regardless of the size and scale of an enclosure, the act of being contained places both potential and actual restrictions on the diversity of behaviours that a captive wild animal can perform and therefore has implications for its overall welfare experience. More space in an enclosure does not always equate to better welfare. Providing quality space in an environment that is enriching and enables animals to experience choice and control, as well as a degree of autonomy over their actions, is much more beneficial in the long term. This chapter explores the ways in which positive animal welfare states can be promoted by biologically and ecologically relevant enclosure design that is pertinent to the different life stages, aspects of behavioural ecology, and functional traits of a specific species. It is important for zoos to acknowledge that enclosures are managed areas under human control, and that such managed areas provide for all a species’ requirements. Public viewing, keeper access, and interactions with stimuli outside of an enclosure can all impact an animal&s;s welfare state and should be considered in enclosure design and collection planning.

The performance of natural behaviour in captive animals can be used to indicate welfare, with an increase in natural behaviour suggesting positive welfare, and a decrease in natural behaviour signifying welfare compromise. Due to policy and legislative requirements, zoos often use non-invasive methods to assess welfare, such as behavioural observations. However, the validity of such measures has been questioned, with some natural behaviours (including predator avoidance) potentially inducing stress and compromising welfare. The concept of “natural living”, or the provision of opportunities to perform species-specific behaviour, is used as an approach to assess behavioural diversity, a method to quantify the number and frequency of natural behaviours to determine welfare states. To better understand the appropriateness of natural behaviours in captive animals, we must continue to research species’ natural history, particularly under-represented but common zoo species such as birds, reptiles, and fish. Further, comparisons of baseline time-activity budgets in zoo-housed animals with their wild counterparts may indicate how behavioural flexibility in captive environments, or adaptation to novel stimuli not present in the wild may also serve to indicate welfare states. Natural behaviours can also help to establish the ecological relevance of the zoo enclosure and its biological resources to meet animal needs. Thus, through utilising a range of behavioural measures, in combination with reliable data on species’ natural history, informed assessments of welfare can be made to ensure that the needs of zoo-housed animals are met.

… across a range of habitats and capturing multiple animal-based welfare indicators. This was … via design choices and incorporation of technology into the naturalistic landscape of the zoo …

Animal welfare is a complex and evolving field, and our awareness of animal welfare states has increased in recent decades, coinciding with a significant increase in public concern and social influence regarding the welfare of zoo animals. Throughout this chapter, we examine how zookeepers (‘keepers’) and animal care staff are instrumental in providing and ensuring high levels of welfare. We discuss the practicalities of conducting welfare assessments, the importance of informed and relevant enclosure design, the applications of traditional and non-traditional enrichment, managing and informing public perception of animal welfare, and the practicalities of and ethical and future considerations of welfare within the zoo industry. We examine how to overcome, if possible, hurdles to ensuring enhanced welfare states that keepers may encounter, such as resource, time, and financial constraints, and how welfare assessments can be conducted, evaluated, and used to improve welfare. Despite high workloads, time, financial and resource limitations, keepers are fundamental to ensuring high levels of welfare and moving zoo animal welfare standards in a positive direction.