Page 12 - Bookfield Zoo Chicago Annual Report 2024

Animal Welfare Science Update

Last year, animal welfare continued About seven years ago, AZA added
to be a central focus in institutions the requirement that to receive
accredited by the Association of accreditation, an institution must
Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), including have a process for assessing the
Brookfield Zoo Chicago. Animal welfare of each individual animal in
welfare is defined as an animal’s its care, from mammals and birds to
collective physical, mental, and reptiles and amphibians. Zoo staff
emotional states over a period of have been working on this ever since,
time. The science of animal welfare said Lance Miller, Ph.D., vice presi-
measures where an animal’s welfare dent of Animal Welfare Science.
falls in the continuum of poor to
In 2023, Miller and his team began
thriving; that is, is an animal comfort- or continued working on more than
able, healthy, and happy?
21 different research projects.
Subjects of the studies included “Best of the Best” Award
dolphins, gorillas, kingfishers,
pangolins, polar bears, binturongs,
The Illinois Zoological and Wildlife The wildlife resident provides
porcupines, tamanduas, and guinea
Health Management Residency was professional veterinary medical
pigs. “Last summer, we collected
recently honored as a best-of-the- services for Forest Preserves’ field
data for a study on behavior diversity
best partnership at the 2023 “Best of programs, and conducts and assists
as a potential positive indicator of
the Best” awards gala hosted by the with laboratory and field research
welfare with 11 different species of
Illinois Association of Park Districts. dedicated to maintaining wildlife and
mammals,” said Miller. The data are
ecosystem health in Cook County.
being analyzed. Many of these The residency program, which is
WESTERN studies are long-term; for example, a collaboration of the Zoo, the Since the program launched
LOWLAND the Cetacean Welfare Study took Forest Preserves of Cook County, in July 2022, its first resident,
GORILLA seven years to complete. and the University of Illinois College Dr. John Winter, along with staff
Tropic World of Veterinary Medicine, is the from the partner institutions, have
In 2023, another influential accredita-
nation’s first predominantly urban, made several important discoveries
tion body, the World Association
free-ranging wildlife residency related to local wildlife health.
of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA),
program that meets the rigorous
of which AZA is a member, devel-
standards of the American College
oped new standards that require (above) The award was accepted by
of Zoological Medicine.
accredited facilities to meet the (left to right) Dr. Matt Allender, Brookfield
Zoo Chicago clinical veterinarian and
2023 WAZA Animal Welfare Goal. The three-year residency with
director of the residency program;
Brookfield Zoo Chicago already advanced training in veterinary
John McCabe, director of Resource
meets many of these standards. science aims to build critically
GUAM Management at the Forest Preserves of
KINGFISHER “It’s not that zoos and aquariums needed knowledge about the health Cook County; and Dr. Michael Adkesson,
Tropic World are doing a bad job,” said Miller. of wild animal populations in both president & CEO of the Zoo.
(Behind-the-Scenes) “It’s about how we can continue to urban and suburban settings.
focus on continuous improvement.”
8 BROOKFIELD ZOO CHICAGO