Whither Zoos? An Inescapable Question

ABSTRACT

As a founding coeditor of the Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science and a member of the International Advisory Committee of the Center for Zoo Animal Welfare and Ethics (CZAWE), I welcome this opportunity to publish for the third time (see earlier issues Volume 16, Number 4 [2013] and Volume 18, Supplement [2015]) selected proceedings from the Fourth Global Animal Welfare Congress of the Detroit Zoological Society’s CZAWE. I have the honor of presenting a brief overview of the congress, entitled “Zoos and Aquariums as Welfare Centers: Ethical Dimensions and Global Commitment,” which was held May 3, 2017, through May 6, 2017.     

Integrating terrestrial scavenging ecology into contemporary wildlife conservation and management

Scavenging plays a vital role in maintaining ecosystem health and contributing to ecological functions; however, research in this sub‐discipline of ecology is underutilized in developing and implementing wildlife conservation and management strategies. We provide an examination of the literature and recommend priorities for research where improved understanding of scavenging dynamics can facilitate the development and refinement of applied wildlife conservation and management strategies. Due to the application of scavenging research broadly within ecology, scavenging studies should be implemented for informing management decisions. In particular, a more direct link should be established between scavenging dynamics and applied management programs related to informing pharmaceutical delivery and population control through bait uptake for scavenging species, prevention of unintentional poisoning of nontarget scavenging species, the epidemiological role that scavenging species play in disease dynamics, estimating wildlife mortalities, nutrient transfer facilitated by scavenging activity, and conservation of imperiled facultative scavenging species. This commentary is intended to provide information on the paucity of data in scavenging research and present recommendations for further studies that can inform decisions in wildlife conservation and management. Additionally, we provide a framework for decision‐making when determining how to apply scavenging ecology research for management practices and policies. Due to the implications that scavenging species have on ecosystem health, and their overall global decline as a result of anthropic activities, it is imperative to advance studies in the field of scavenging ecology that can inform applied conservation and management programs.     

Integrating Professional Skills in Wildlife Student Education

Abstract: Recent articles have called for enhanced quantitative proficiency in wildlife students, arguing that such training will increase scientific rigor and produce wildlife researchers and managers who are better able to remedy current problems and to address future challenges in wildlife management. The idea that better, or more rigorous, science is the panacea for controversial natural resource problems is a cavalier and common presumption in many applied professions and one to which wildlife science and management is not immune. However, science and management are distinct processes and although scientific rigor is important, dialogue between the 2 processes is more critical for successful interaction. Integrated training that exposes students to nontraditional coursework and develops essential professional skills, such as planning, consensus-building, and communication, can help produce graduates to bridge the science—management gap and promote the conservation of natural resources. Changes in the structure and coursework of university wildlife departments can help to develop more effective wildlife professionals.     

Current perspectives in avian nutrition: domestic animal models and their role in conservation management

As biodiversity declines, wildlife conservation focuses on in situ and ex situ management strategies. Zoo-based breeding programmes are often designed to contribute to the conservation of species that are threatened in the wild. Diet contributes to the reproductive success, disease status and longevity of all animals. It is near-impossible to replicate a species' diet in captivity using only the species they consume in the wild, but the nutritional composition of a wild diet, if known, can be closely matched using commercially available foods for which the nutritional composition has been calculated. Ecological research has identified food items of importance in the diet of many species. However, the nutritional composition of these food items is rarely evaluated, even though the composition of wild food items is important in understanding the dietary adaptations and requirements of wildlife. In contrast, the nutritional requirements of domestic species are well researched and can be used to predict a range of plausible nutrient requirements of some wild species, especially those with similar life histories. Access to wild populations provides further opportunities for nutritional science to determine the requirements of individual species. Small-scale dietary experimentation undertaken at conservation institutions may show positive effects on health and welfare but is rarely published in the scientific literature. This review describes current standards in nutritional management of birds and recommends pathways for filling knowledge gaps. Research on mammals has dominated the nutrition literature, so there is a relative lack of nutritional management information for birds. We combine concepts of domestic animal nutrition with recent findings on the nutritional requirements of birds to provide a foundation for further studies of avian nutrition. We call for the broader zoological community to share data and collaborate on nutritional research to support conservation institutions in nutritional management of wild birds.     

野生生物、野生动植物和野生来源的定义及范畴

关于野生生物、野生动植物和野生来源的定义是科学研究、物种保护和政策管理工作 ,特别是野生动植物立法和执法方面经常遇到的问题。对见于各种法规和文献中的野生生物、野生动植物、野生来源、人工繁殖、人工培植、天然、人工合成等概念的定义进行了分类、比较与分析 ,讨论了这些概念的相对性和使用范畴 ,提出了野生动植物的简要定义 ,并指出了这些概念的定义需根据实际需要而发展调整。     

Understanding Yurok traditional ecological knowledge and wildlife management

Indigenous communities have often been marginalized in the sciences through research approaches that are not inclusive of their cultures and histories. The term traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) has entered the discourse in wildlife management and conservation; however, there can be challenges in cross-cultural communication and conceptualizations of TEK when working between Western and Indigenous paradigms. Indigenous research methodologies (IRM) is an area of scholarship intended to build ethically and culturally appropriate ways to conduct research with Indigenous communities. I implemented 7 tenets of IRM in research to explore the conceptualization of TEK and wildlife management with the Yurok Tribe of California, USA. After conducting semi-structured interviews with 20 Yurok community members from 2011 to 2013, I conducted emergent analysis and present 5 themes from the interviews related to phases of time, the conceptualization of Yurok TEK, and views on wildlife management through the Yurok cultural lens. This research may be helpful to wildlife biologists, students, academics, and others who are interested in IRM and culturally sensitive wildlife research with Indigenous communities. By bridging concepts from Indigenous studies, wildlife management, and human dimensions of wildlife, this work may serve as a nascent trajectory that creates more inclusive space for Indigenous peoples and worldviews in The Wildlife Society and other scientific disciplines.     

从野生动物资源角度探讨中医药业的可持续发展

野生动物资源是中医药业的主要物质基础之一。目前,生物多样性急剧下降,物种灭绝速度加快,许多药用野生动物濒临灭绝,严重阻碍了中医药业的可持续发展。在许多野生动物野外种群难以恢复或恢复速度很慢、寻找中医药动物原材料的替代品短期内难以实现的情况下,开辟中医药原材料来源渠道是促进中医药业可持续发展的主要措施之一。在正确认识野生动物保护与利用的关系的前提下,妥善、高效利用人工驯养繁殖、库存野生动物产品,遵循经济效益、社会效益、生态效益的原则,优先保障重点领域、重点产业的需要,并发挥市场配置资源的积极作用,充分实现有限资源的合理配置,以促进野生动物资源保护与中医药业可持续发展的良性循环。     

Investigating the feasibility of a passive tracking index for monitoring wildlife in the Lower Omo Valley, Ethiopia

In many places in Africa, constraints in human, financial and physical resources are common problems that limit the effectiveness of wildlife researchers and managers. In an attempt to identify a useful tool for monitoring African wildlife populations, we tested a passive tracking index (PTI) methodology on a unique wildlife resource area in the Lower Omo Valley, Ethiopia. The methodology had previously proved valuable for monitoring a wide variety of wildlife species, including ungulates and carnivores in North America and Australia. Two ungulates (lesser kudu and dikdik), a carnivore (hyaena), a primate (baboon), and a ground foraging bird (guineafowl) were simultaneously indexed. In addition, single observations were recorded for genet, serval and caracal. The species indexed also represent the broad needs for monitoring wildlife. The mammal species are of economic importance to the region through sport hunting. Two of the species, hyaenas and baboons, potentially conflict with human agricultural interests through depredations on livestock and crop production. Anthrax periodically decimates the wildlife in the Lower Omo Valley, Ethiopia, but losses of many species are difficult to observe or quantitatively document. The PTI is a simple‐to‐apply, easy‐to‐calculate means to quantify simultaneously population trends for multiple species, and particularly applicable to sustainable harvest by sport hunting, human–wildlife conflicts, and impacts and recovery from wildlife disease.     

Do Birdwatchers Care about Bird Disturbance?

ABSTRACT

Little is known about how non-consumptive recreationists perceive their impacts on animals and how this relates to recreationist behavior. We surveyed attitudes and behaviors relating to bird disturbance of 179 birdwatchers who visited a world-renowned, restricted-access birdwatching destination (the Western Treatment Plant [WTP], Victoria, Australia). We distributed a 10-page, 49-question survey to birdwatchers at the WTP and posted it to a mailing list of those who held birdwatching access permits. The questionnaire explored socio-demographic profiles of respondents, and their bird- watching behaviors and attitudes to bird disturbance. Birdwatchers regarded vehicles as particularly disturbing and some bird groups, and breeding birds, as especially sensitive to disturbance. They generally disagreed with the contention that birdwatchers and plant workers disturb birds. All respondents reported using strategies to mitigate bird disturbance (e.g., keeping quiet and distant). Those who adopted more strategies to mitigate disturbance agreed more with the contention that birdwatchers and workers cause disturbance, and that breeding birds are especially sensitive to disturbance. Our results suggest that birdwatchers who perceive that their activity disturbs birds are more likely to modify their behaviors to minimize the disturbance. As such, wildlife managers and educators must clearly communicate possible impacts of birdwatching to birdwatchers to maximize the uptake of ethical birdwatching practices.     

新冠肺炎时期公众对野生动物消费和贸易意愿的调查

新冠肺炎疫情的暴发, 使得对野生动物的消费与贸易中的公共健康安全问题引起广泛关注。为了给相关的立法和政策制定提供参考, 我们通过网络对于全国及部分海外华人发放问卷进行了调查, 共收回74,040份有效问卷。根据问卷调查结果, 本文对普通公众对于野生动物消费和贸易立法意愿及影响因素进行了分析。研究结果包括: (1)公众对全面取缔野味餐馆和集市、禁止消费野味、禁止野生动物及其制品的买卖以及禁止野生动物商业性活体展演的立法动议持赞成态度的比例均超过90%; (2)现有野生动物消费群体经历新冠肺炎疫情后倾向于停止消费行为; (3)曾经消费野生动物或周围有人从事野生动物相关产业的群体相比其他人群更有可能不支持全面禁止对野生动物的消费和贸易。结果表明, 全国人民代表大会常务委员会禁食野生动物的决定和修改野生动物保护法的动议在受高等教育者和城镇居民中有良好的公众基础。     

Outcomes of a community controlled wildlife utilization program in a Zambezi Valley community

Zimbabwe is devolving substantial wildlife management responsibility to local government, and ultimately to local communities, through its Communal Areas Management Program for Indigenous Resources (CAMPFIRE) program. This paper's purpose is to explore the notion that CAMPFIRE offers a useful model for sustainable development discussions by examining the program's impacts in one case study location. It presents a legislative history of the CAMPFIRE Program before specifying the spatial criteria that explain ideal CAMPFIRE sites. Thereafter, it reports results from a study of the development impacts of locally controlled wildlife management in Masoka, an isolated CAMPFIRE community in the Zambezi Valley. The village has developed a land use plan, fenced its fields and settlements, reduced wild animal attacks on people and crops, provided access to primary education for both boys and girls, created local employment, and provided money for household food purchases during a severe drought. In Masoka, the implementation of CAMPFIRE seems to successfully provide incentives to protect megafauna and their habitats. For Masoka, CAMPFIRE has provided an alternative model to statist solutions emphasizing centralized control for biodiversity conservation purposes.     

Attitudes toward and Acceptability of Management Strategies for a Population of Hooded Crows (Corvus cornix) in Slovenia

Recently, the number of hooded crows (Corvus cornix) in Slovenia has increased, which has resulted in a higher number of situations perceived as human–wildlife conflicts. The purpose of our survey was to provide a basis for population management measures of hooded crows that would be both feasible and acceptable to the public. An online survey based on snowball sampling received 1,042 responses, representing about 0.05% of the total and 0.13% of the active human population of the Republic of Slovenia. The major findings are that the majority of respondents were interested in learning more about problems caused by crows and think that crow numbers should be reduced, but by measures that would not cause their death. About one-third of respondents would be willing to participate in measures directed to controlling the crow population; however, about one-third would actively oppose such measures. They would even sign a petition regarding control measures. From the results, we conclude that the most suitable strategies in terms of acceptability would be passive, by educating people about how to avoid conflict with crows, and by better management of the resources affecting their foraging success.     

Fecal pellet measurements of manipur brow-antlered deer with respect to sex and age classes

Measurements were made of fecal pellets for captive brow-antlered deer (Cervus eldi eldi) from different age and sex classes. Pellet measurements increased linearly with increases in age, except for length and width measurements in males. Differences in dimensions were statistically significant between sexes and among some age classes. This procedure may be useful in differentiating between the sexes, and to some extent between ages, of wild-living individuals. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Rooting damage to farmland in Dorset, southern England, caused by feral wild boar Sus scrofa

1. Characteristics of damage to agricultural land caused by a small feral population of wild boar Sus scrofa in southern England were studied. Fifty‐eight reports of rooting damage to grassland and one of rooting in a cereal crop were recorded between December 1997 and November 2002. Most reports (74%) concerned damage in January, February or March. 2. Damage mainly occurred in fields adjacent to woodland, but there was no evidence of selection between different grassland types. The severity of damage was assessed and potential options for reducing damage in the future are suggested.     

Diet of wild boar Sus scrofa in Western Europe, with particular reference to consumption of agricultural crops

1. The diet of wild boar Sus scrofa in Western Europe is reviewed, paying particular attention to the consumption of agricultural crops and the implications of this from the point of view of crop damage. Data were taken mainly from 11 studies that provide quantitative information about the consumption of different food types, but we also list all the foods reported as being eaten by wild boar in a total of 21 studies. 2. Vegetable foods occurred more frequently in the diet than animal foods, and also constituted the bulk of the food ingested. Overall, there were four major vegetable food categories: mast, roots, green plant matter and agricultural crops. Depending on the study area, wild boar always consumed at least one energy‐rich plant food such as acorns, beechnuts, chestnuts, pine seeds, olives, cereal grains or other crops. The number and types of agricultural crops consumed varied between study areas but crops represent an important component of wild boar diet throughout its Western European range. Among animal foods, insects, earthworms, birds and mammals were eaten most consistently but the diet also included amphibians, reptiles, gastropods and myriapods. 3. Seasonal, interannual and regional differences in the diet, together with its striking overall breadth, indicate that wild boar are opportunistic omnivores whose diet, in any particular instance, is largely determined by the relative availability of different food types. Dependence on energy‐rich plant material as a major component of the diet, coupled with large body size and a propensity to trample crops as well as consume them, means that wild boar cause significant agricultural damage.     

A Preliminary Investigation on the Status of the Wildlife Trade in Guangxi,China

1IntroductionWildlifetradeisamain~mpetustoutilizewildlife.Thechangeinspeciesandvolumein-volvedinthewildlifetrademayreflectconservationstatus,dynamicsandexploitedlevelofwildliferesources.Thestudyonwildlifetradeisthetheoriticalbasisonwhichproposalsastolimittradeonrareorendangeredspeciescanbemade,andwithwhichfuturemonitoringofthetradecanbecompared.Theresultalsocanbeusedtoevaluateconservationeffectsofprotectionmeasuresandlawsforbiodiversityconservation.Itisofgreatsignificanceinguid-ingsustainable…     

野生动物肇事：研究热点、难点与争论焦点

文章系统地回顾了野生动物肇事研究进展,对时空规律、肇事损害与评估以及防范策略等热点与难点进行全面梳理;同时指出当前争论的焦点,即如何协同社区发展与野生动物保护、当地原住民或动物哪方应当搬迁、如何开展动物肇事补偿、是否采用生物或基因控制等。在此基础上,展望了未来的研究趋势,强调突破人类地理学的研究范式、引入多学科研究视角、兼顾利益攸关者的不同需求以及关注自然保护地等,希望能够为后续相关研究提供一些有益借鉴。