Short Communication
Using species-specific protocols for the welfare assessment of elephants in the Skopje Zoo
Ena Dobrikj ,
Vlatko Ilieski ,
Ksenija Ilievska ,
Miroslav Kjosevski *

Mac Vet Rev 2022; 45 (2): 201 - 208

10.2478/macvetrev-2022-0019

Received: 04 February 2022

Received in revised form: 16 March 2022

Accepted: 06 April 2022

Available Online First: 04 May 2022

Published on: 15 October 2022

Correspondence: Miroslav Kjosevski, miro@fvm.ukim.edu.mk
PDF HTML

Abstract

Providing good animal welfare standards is very important for wild animals in captivity, especially in zoos. Therefore, the aim of this study was to perform a welfare assessment of elephants in the Skopje Zoo using species-specific protocols. Two specific protocols were used for the welfare assessment and were combined for a more unified approach. These protocols focused on the assessment of the elephant’s day-time behaviour, including Qualitative Behaviour Assessment (QBA), as well as the following sections: nutrition, physical health, environment, behaviour and management. Data was collected from the Asian and African elephants that were housed together, in the Skopje Zoo. Both species were observed for three consecutive days, during which time QBA was performed and they were observed on their daytime behaviour. Feeding (42% African, 34% Asian elephant) and anticipatory (35% African, 22% Asian elephant) behaviour were predominantly observed daytime behaviours of both elephants, as well as stereotypic behaviour (30%) of the Asian elephant. Concerning the QBA, ‘uncomfortable’ (296 Asian, 234 African elephants) and ‘relaxed’ (271 Asian, 280 African elephants) were the most dominant descriptors for both elephants. The collected data indicated that the elephants were in good physical health. Regular feeding enrichment, as well as environmental enrichment was recommended. There is room for improvement concerning the management practices of the elephants.

Keywords: animal welfare, behaviour observation techniques, zoo animals, elephants


References

  1. Schildkraut, R. (2006). Characteristation of positive welfare indices in captive african lions (Panthera leo) [master’s thesis]. [New South Wales]: Faculty of Veterinary Science, The University of Sydney.
  2. Sjoberg, J. (2011). The effect of extra food simulation on Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) kept at Kolmården Zoo. [Bachelor’s thesis]. [Linkoping, Sweden]: Linkopings Universitet, Sweden
  3. Veasey, J.S. (2006). Concepts in the care and welfare of captive elephants. Int Zoo Yearb. 40(1): 63-79. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-1090.2006.00063.x
  4. Irie, N., Hasegawa, T. (2009). Elephant psychology: What we know and what we would like to know. Jpn Psychol Res. 51(3): 177-181. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-5884.2009.00404.x
  5. Rees, P.A. (2009). The sizes of elephant groups in Zoos: implications for elephant welfare. J Appl Anim Welf Sci. 12(1): 44-60. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888700802536699 PMid:19107664
  6. Prado-Oviedo, N.A., Bonaparte-Saller, M.K., Malloy, E.J., Meehan, C.L., Mench, J.A., Carlstead, K., Brown, J.L. (2016). Evaluation of demographics and social life events of Asian (Elephas maximus) and African elephants (Loxodonta africana) in North American Zoos. PLoS One 11(7): e0154750. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0154750 PMid:27415437 PMCid:PMC4945030
  7. Schulte, B.A. (2000). Social structure and helping behavior in captive elephants. Zoo Biol. 19(5): 447-459. https://doi.org/10.1002/1098-2361(2000)19:5<447::AIDZOO12> 3.0.CO;2-#
  8. Harris, M., Sherwin, C., Harris, S. (2008). The welfare, housing and husbandry of elephants in UK zoos. Final Report, University of Bristol. DEFRA Science and Research Project WC05007. London: Department of Food, The Environment and Rural Affairs.
  9. Webber, C.E. (2017). A comparison of behavioural development of elephant calves in captivity and in the wild: implications for welfare [Dissertation]. [Stirling, Scotland]: University of Stirling.
  10. Justice, W.S.M., O’Brien, M.F., Szyszka, O., Shotton, J., Gilmour, J.E.M., Riordan, P., Wolfensohn, S. (2017). Adaptation of the animal welfare assessment grid (AWAG) for monitoring animal welfare in zoological collections. Vet Rec. 181(6): 143. https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.104309 PMid:28487453
  11. Jones, C. (2018). Wild planet trust welfare auditing guidance document. EAZA Animal Welfare. c2018 [cited 2018 April 18]. https://www.eaza.net/assets/Uploads/Areas-of-Activity/Animal-welfare/Docs/Animal-Welfare-Assessment-English.pdf?
  12. Yon, L., Williams, E., Harvey, N.D., Asher, L. (2019). Development of a behavioural welfare assessment tool for routine use with captive elephants. PloS One 14(2): e0210783. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0210783 PMid:30726232 PMCid:PMC6364905
  13. Samelius, V. (2018). Zoo animal welfare assessment: a review of current research and protocols concerning welfare assessment and feasibility of application in a zoo environment [bachelor’s thesis]. [Uppsala]: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.
  14. European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) (2020). [Internet]. EAZA best practice guidelines for elephants, 2nd edition. Amsterdam: EAZA. https://www.eaza.net/assets/Uploads/CCC/BPG-2020/Elephant-TAG-BPG-2020.pdf
  15. Olson, D. (2002). [Internet]. Elephant husbandry resource guide. American Zoo and Aquarium Association Elephant Taxon Group; Еlephant Managers Association; International Elephant Foundation. https://elephantconservation.org/iefImages/2015/06/CompleteHusbandryGuide1stEdition.pdf
  16. Finch, K., Sach, F., Fitzpatrick, M., Masters, N., Rowden, L.J. (2020). Longitudinal improvements in zoo-housed elephant welfare: a case study at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo. Animals 10(11): 2029. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10112029 PMid:33158053 PMCid:PMC7694121
  17. Mason, G. Clubb, R., Latham, N., Vickery, S. (2007). Why and how should we use environmental enrichment to tackle stereotypic behaviour?. Appl Anim Behav Sci. 102(3-4): 163-188. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2006.05.041
  18. Greco, B.J., Meehan. C.L., Hogan. J.N., Leighty, K.A., Mellen. J., et al. (2016). The days and nights of Zoo elephants: using epidemiology to better understand stereotypic behavior of African elephants (Loxodonta africana) and Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) in North American Zoos. PLoS One 11(7): e0144276. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0144276 PMid:27416071 PMCid:PMC4944985
  19. Björk, K. (2011). The effect of extra feed supply on stereotypic behaviour in Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) [bachelor’s thesis]. [Linkoping, Sweden]: Linkopings University, Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology.
  20. AZA. (2012). AZA standards for elephant management and care. Approved March 2011, Revised April 2012. https://assets.speakcdn.com/assets/2332/aza_standards_for_elephant_management_and_care.pdf


Copyright

© 2022 Dobrikj E. This is an open-access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Citation Information

Macedonian Veterinary Review. Volume 45, Issue 2, Pages 201-208, e-ISSN 1857-7415, p-ISSN 1409-7621, DOI: 10.2478/macvetrev-2022-0019, 2022