Assessment of Welfare of Marine Mammal Species in Zoological Parks

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Summary of the contents of the
workshop presentations
WAZA News, August 2016 (3/16), pp 14-16
ANIMAL WELFARE INDICATORS
WORKSHOP AT NUREMBERG ZOO
L. von Fersen, D. Encke, K. Baumgartner, H. Mägdefrau
For many years animal welfare has been defined by the 5 freedoms
(Brambell, 1965). Meeting animals’ basic survival needs as for
example the absence of hunger and thirst, and the presence of
comfort, health and safety were considered a core requirement
in order to secure the wellbeing of animals. While some of
these requirements like provision of food, water and health are
indispensable prerequisites to secure the life of animals under
human care, others like comfort and safety are ambiguous and
require further research in order to define optimal conditions under
which animals should be kept. In 2015 the World Association of
Zoos and Aquariums recognized the need to develop a strategy
as a guide for zoos and aquariums to achieve high standards of
animal welfare. With Caring for Wildlife1 the zoo world received
a holistic approach of what animal welfare means for zoos
and aquariums. It recognizes the fact that animal welfare is a
multidimensional concept that comprises different fields like
animal behaviour, endocrinology, life history, animal husbandry,
cognition and evolution.
InrecentyearstheEuropeanCommissionhasdedicatedconsiderable
financial resources and substantial effort to support animal welfare.
Even if the main focus is directed to farm and laboratory animals,
zoo animals received special attention in the last years. Public views
and open discussions associated with welfare issues on dolphins,
great apes and elephants were certainly one major driving force
to include zoo animals in their agenda. Because animal welfare
science has reached a position that enables an objective measure
of the welfare of animals, zoos owe the community a rigorous
and detailed strategy in order to apply new and proved methods
to verify good welfare within their animal collection. With this
background in mind Nuremberg Zoo initiated consultations with
different stakeholders that resulted in the organization of the first
Workshop on Animal Welfare Indicators on Aquatic Mammals.
This workshop was realized under the honorary presidency of MEP
Dr. Pavel Poc, on May, 4th 2016 in Nuremberg Zoo. The meeting
was hosted by the European Association for Aquatic Mammals
(EAAM), the European Association for Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA),
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