An International Investigation of the Prevalence of Negative Visitor Behaviour in the Zoo.

Negative visitor behaviour is an understudied area of zoo research, even though negative actions can have serious implications for animal welfare. This research project investigated the prevalence of negative visitor behaviours at four different zoos. It included observations of visitors at seven different taxa exhibits and three different types of enclosures. A modified version of behaviour sampling was used to record visitor behaviour and the activity of the animals, while a negative binomial regression was conducted to test the significance of several predictor variables against the number of negative behaviours observed. Negative visitor behaviour was relatively common, occurring in 57% of observations. Banging was the most commonly observed negative action. Negative behaviours were influenced by zoo (p < 0.001), species (p < 0.001) and the number of visitors present (p < 0.001). The charismatic species were the most harassed animals included in the study, while children were the most likely to engage in negative behaviour. Negative visitor behaviours occurred more frequently when animals were active and in close proximity to visitors. It is imperative for zoos to understand visitors' behaviour so that they can effectively communicate with their visitors to minimise negative actions and promote better animal welfare.

A comparison of staff presence and signage on zoo visitor behavior.

Many zoos favor the use of signage to encourage learning and positive visitor experiences as well as discourage negative behaviors by visitors because of its simplicity, relatively low maintenance needed, and low cost. However, current literature suggests that conventional signage has limited impact on visitors in zoos. This study hypothesized that visitors would be less likely to exhibit negative behaviors (e.g., feeding and touching) in the presence of uniformed staff compared to signage. The study was conducted twice a day over 4 weeks with one condition per week (Baseline, Signage, Staff, and Signage + Staff). The total number of visitors and the frequency of negative visitor behaviors were observed. These behaviors reduced from 14.0% (Baseline; no signage and no staff) and 13.1% (Signage), to 4.8% (Staff) and 6.1% (Signage + Staff). Both the Staff and Signage + Staff conditions were significantly lower than the Baseline and Signage conditions. However, signage alone did not significantly differ from the baseline condition, when no intervention was implemented, and staff and signage together did not significantly differ from staff alone. This was also observed in both negative visual behaviors and negative tactile behaviors from visitors. The results suggest that methods other than signage may be more effective at reducing undesired visitor behaviors. This study could guide the design of future signage or even potentially encourage zoos to reduce reliance on signs and employ other strategies.

The addition of soil and chitin into Sunda pangolin (Manis javanica) diets affect digestibility, faecal scoring, mean retention time and body weight.

Pangolins (Manis spp.) are myrmecophagous mammals with a wild diet of termites and ants. Diets are not yet readily acceptable by all pangolins and lack soil and chitin compared to their wild diet. This study aimed to assess the usefulness of including soil and chitin in pangolin diets by measuring changes in digestibility, food mean retention time, faecal scoring and body weight changes. Two male and two female Sunda pangolins (Manis javanica) from Night Safari (Singapore) were fed their typical gruel-type diets, with soil and chitin added in various amounts throughout 10 different treatments. Diet intake was calculated daily and faecal boluses were collected for digestibility analysis. Chromium oxide was added to the diet to measure mean retention time four times per animal per treatment. Faecal consistency scores were recorded daily where 1 is firm and 5 is liquid. Every animal was weighed weekly. Adding soil or chitin to the diet had various effects on the apparent digestibility of organic matter, crude protein and fiber with little effects on crude fat or calcium. Soil had a general positive influence on organic matter and fiber digestion. The addition of chitin and soil together had the stronger effects. Only at 25% inclusion of soil did the faecal score begin to improve. The overall maintenance energy requirements for adult M. javanica was 79.28 Kcal/kg BW0.75 /day, similar to other myrmecophagous mammals. The usage of soil and chitin in pangolin diets may be helpful in controlling weights while preventing behaviours associated with hunger.