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Keeper-Animal Interactions: Differences between the Behaviour of Zoo Animals Affect Stockmanship

PloS one, 2015-10, Vol.10 (10), p.e0140237-e0140237 [Peer Reviewed Journal]

COPYRIGHT 2015 Public Library of Science ;COPYRIGHT 2015 Public Library of Science ;2015 Ward, Melfi. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License. ;2015 Ward, Melfi 2015 Ward, Melfi ;ISSN: 1932-6203 ;EISSN: 1932-6203 ;DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0140237 ;PMID: 26509670

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  • Title:
    Keeper-Animal Interactions: Differences between the Behaviour of Zoo Animals Affect Stockmanship
  • Author: Ward, Samantha J ; Melfi, Vicky
  • Pritchett-Corning, Kathleen R.
  • Subjects: Animal behavior ; Animal Husbandry ; Animal sciences ; Animal Welfare ; Animals ; Animals, Zoo - physiology ; Animals, Zoo - psychology ; Attitudes ; Behavior, Animal - physiology ; Demographics ; Diceros bicornis ; Efficiency ; Environmental aspects ; Equus burchellii ; Feeds ; Female ; Hogs ; Human-Animal Bond ; Human-animal relationships ; Humans ; Job satisfaction ; Latency ; Livestock ; Macaca nigra ; Male ; Management ; Personality ; Practice ; Productivity ; Stock assessment ; Studies ; Zoo animals ; Zoo keepers ; Zoological gardens ; Zoology ; Zoos
  • Is Part Of: PloS one, 2015-10, Vol.10 (10), p.e0140237-e0140237
  • Description: Stockmanship is a term used to describe the management of animals with a good stockperson someone who does this in a in a safe, effective, and low-stress manner for both the stock-keeper and animals involved. Although impacts of unfamiliar zoo visitors on animal behaviour have been extensively studied, the impact of stockmanship i.e familiar zoo keepers is a new area of research; which could reveal significant ramifications for zoo animal behaviour and welfare. It is likely that different relationships are formed dependant on the unique keeper-animal dyad (human-animal interaction, HAI). The aims of this study were to (1) investigate if unique keeper-animal dyads were formed in zoos, (2) determine whether keepers differed in their interactions towards animals regarding their attitude, animal knowledge and experience and (3) explore what factors affect keeper-animal dyads and ultimately influence animal behaviour and welfare. Eight black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis), eleven Chapman's zebra (Equus burchellii), and twelve Sulawesi crested black macaques (Macaca nigra) were studied in 6 zoos across the UK and USA. Subtle cues and commands directed by keepers towards animals were identified. The animals latency to respond and the respective behavioural response (cue-response) was recorded per keeper-animal dyad (n = 93). A questionnaire was constructed following a five-point Likert Scale design to record keeper demographic information and assess the job satisfaction of keepers, their attitude towards the animals and their perceived relationship with them. There was a significant difference in the animals' latency to appropriately respond after cues and commands from different keepers, indicating unique keeper-animal dyads were formed. Stockmanship style was also different between keepers; two main components contributed equally towards this: "attitude towards the animals" and "knowledge and experience of the animals". In this novel study, data demonstrated unique dyads were formed between keepers and zoo animals, which influenced animal behaviour.
  • Publisher: United States: Public Library of Science
  • Language: English
  • Identifier: ISSN: 1932-6203
    EISSN: 1932-6203
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0140237
    PMID: 26509670
  • Source: PLoS (Open access)
    Geneva Foundation Free Medical Journals at publisher websites
    AUTh Library subscriptions: ProQuest Central
    MEDLINE
    PubMed Central
    DOAJ Directory of Open Access Journals
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