The Benefits of Increased Space and Habitat Complexity for the Welfare of Zoo-Housed King Penguins (<i>Aptenodytes patagonicus</i>)
Zoos and aquariums accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums embrace animal welfare as a foundational principle of habitat design. Modern habitats are designed to provide animals with choices and agency over their environment, and to encourage species-appropriate behavior and space use. In...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-07-01
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| Series: | Animals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/14/2312 |
| _version_ | 1797590573290356736 |
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| author | Grace Fuller Megan Jones Kylen N. Gartland Sara Zalewski Matthew R. Heintz Stephanie Allard |
| author_facet | Grace Fuller Megan Jones Kylen N. Gartland Sara Zalewski Matthew R. Heintz Stephanie Allard |
| author_sort | Grace Fuller |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Zoos and aquariums accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums embrace animal welfare as a foundational principle of habitat design. Modern habitats are designed to provide animals with choices and agency over their environment, and to encourage species-appropriate behavior and space use. In 2016, the Detroit Zoological Society opened the Polk Penguin Conservation Center, a 3065.80 m<sup>2</sup> facility that features a naturalistic design. The building was designed to optimize animal welfare by incorporating various substrates, nesting sites, and a 1234 kL pool with elements of underwater complexity. The facility houses a mixed-species group of penguins that were previously housed in a smaller habitat that opened in 1968. Between 2015 and 2022, we opportunistically monitored the behavior of ten king penguins (<i>Aptenodytes patagonicus</i>) as they moved back and forth between the two buildings while additional modifications were made to the new habitat. We collected 695 h of behavioral observations and 10,416 h of data from flipper-mounted time–depth recorders. We found that the king penguins spent less time engaged in aggression and more time engaged in swimming and positive social behaviors in the redesigned space. They also spent less time in proximity to other species of penguins and more time alone. These behavioral trends suggest that increased space and environmental complexity had positive welfare benefits for these penguins. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T01:22:26Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-57cb92c86a5c4902aef47cc469dfe659 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T01:22:26Z |
| publishDate | 2023-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj.art-57cb92c86a5c4902aef47cc469dfe6592023-11-18T18:00:39ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152023-07-011314231210.3390/ani13142312The Benefits of Increased Space and Habitat Complexity for the Welfare of Zoo-Housed King Penguins (<i>Aptenodytes patagonicus</i>)Grace Fuller0Megan Jones1Kylen N. Gartland2Sara Zalewski3Matthew R. Heintz4Stephanie Allard5Center for Zoo and Aquarium Animal Welfare and Ethics, Detroit Zoological Society, Royal Oak, MI 48067, USACenter for Zoo and Aquarium Animal Welfare and Ethics, Detroit Zoological Society, Royal Oak, MI 48067, USACenter for Zoo and Aquarium Animal Welfare and Ethics, Detroit Zoological Society, Royal Oak, MI 48067, USACenter for Zoo and Aquarium Animal Welfare and Ethics, Detroit Zoological Society, Royal Oak, MI 48067, USACenter for Zoo and Aquarium Animal Welfare and Ethics, Detroit Zoological Society, Royal Oak, MI 48067, USANational Aquarium, Baltimore, MD 21202, USAZoos and aquariums accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums embrace animal welfare as a foundational principle of habitat design. Modern habitats are designed to provide animals with choices and agency over their environment, and to encourage species-appropriate behavior and space use. In 2016, the Detroit Zoological Society opened the Polk Penguin Conservation Center, a 3065.80 m<sup>2</sup> facility that features a naturalistic design. The building was designed to optimize animal welfare by incorporating various substrates, nesting sites, and a 1234 kL pool with elements of underwater complexity. The facility houses a mixed-species group of penguins that were previously housed in a smaller habitat that opened in 1968. Between 2015 and 2022, we opportunistically monitored the behavior of ten king penguins (<i>Aptenodytes patagonicus</i>) as they moved back and forth between the two buildings while additional modifications were made to the new habitat. We collected 695 h of behavioral observations and 10,416 h of data from flipper-mounted time–depth recorders. We found that the king penguins spent less time engaged in aggression and more time engaged in swimming and positive social behaviors in the redesigned space. They also spent less time in proximity to other species of penguins and more time alone. These behavioral trends suggest that increased space and environmental complexity had positive welfare benefits for these penguins.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/14/2312exhibit designanimal welfarepost-occupancy evaluationdata-loggerstime–depth recordersaquatic behavior |
| spellingShingle | Grace Fuller Megan Jones Kylen N. Gartland Sara Zalewski Matthew R. Heintz Stephanie Allard The Benefits of Increased Space and Habitat Complexity for the Welfare of Zoo-Housed King Penguins (<i>Aptenodytes patagonicus</i>) Animals exhibit design animal welfare post-occupancy evaluation data-loggers time–depth recorders aquatic behavior |
| title | The Benefits of Increased Space and Habitat Complexity for the Welfare of Zoo-Housed King Penguins (<i>Aptenodytes patagonicus</i>) |
| title_full | The Benefits of Increased Space and Habitat Complexity for the Welfare of Zoo-Housed King Penguins (<i>Aptenodytes patagonicus</i>) |
| title_fullStr | The Benefits of Increased Space and Habitat Complexity for the Welfare of Zoo-Housed King Penguins (<i>Aptenodytes patagonicus</i>) |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Benefits of Increased Space and Habitat Complexity for the Welfare of Zoo-Housed King Penguins (<i>Aptenodytes patagonicus</i>) |
| title_short | The Benefits of Increased Space and Habitat Complexity for the Welfare of Zoo-Housed King Penguins (<i>Aptenodytes patagonicus</i>) |
| title_sort | benefits of increased space and habitat complexity for the welfare of zoo housed king penguins i aptenodytes patagonicus i |
| topic | exhibit design animal welfare post-occupancy evaluation data-loggers time–depth recorders aquatic behavior |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/14/2312 |
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