Page 310 - Zoo Animal Learning and Training

282 11 Welfare Implications of Zoo Animal Training

VetBooks.ir enclosure management, i.e. moving animals short term? How likely will the long term wel-
fare be impaired if no action is taken? What
between enclosure areas, crate training
( laboratory chimpanzees, Bloomsmith et al.
welfare impairment if it arises? For example,
1998; giant panda, Bloomsmith et al. 2003; is the nature and intensity of the long term
laboratory sooty managbeys, Veeder et al. we might consider weekly venepuncture,
2009; marabou stork, Miller and King 2013). which appears to cause intense but short
Not only can training make achieving hus- lived pain, justified versus the debilitating
bandry goals easier for the zoo professional, impact of disease. A cost–benefit analysis is a
but there are some data from the laboratory systematic evaluation of what can be gained
community which suggests that trained com- or compromised through an action; widely
pliance can be much less stressful for the applied in the field of animal use.
animal than the alternative. For example Again there are few empirical studies
Lambeth et al. (2006) measured stress reac- which can guide us, as to the pain, injury, or
tion, via parameters available in a blood distress which animals can or should with-
sample (e.g. total white blood count, glu- stand during training sessions. However,
cose), in laboratory housed chimpanzees ensuring that an assessment has been carried
trained for venepuncture. The trained chim- out to justly compare the accumulated short‐
panzees displayed significantly lower levels term insults against the potential long‐term
of stress compared to conspecifics which had insult is important; and that the risk of the
blood taken ‘traditionally’ – by physical long‐term insult occurring is appropriately
restraint. I appreciate, that as mentioned calculated.
previously, there might exist some differ-
ences in zoo and laboratory housing and hus- 11.6.3 The Social Side of Training
bandry, but it seems likely that where trained
compliance appears less stressful for the Training programmes can have social
animal and the zoo professional, it is likely consequences which impact animal welfare,
physiologically less stressful too. including human–animal interactions
(reviewed Chapter 9), as well as conspecific
social interactions. With respect to interac-
11.6.2 Considering Short‐ tions with people, training programmes pro-
and Long‐term Welfare
vide opportunities for an increased frequency
Within animal welfare science there is an of human–animal interactions, which have
appreciation of short‐term versus long‐term been suggested to likely improve animal
welfare, whereby we recognise the welfare welfare (Ward and Melfi 2015). It has been
state of an animal in the present (short‐term) suggested that high frequencies of positive
against what it might be at some point in the human–animal interactions aid in the devel-
future (Dawkins 2006). There are many opment of positive human–animal relation-
examples, where a short‐term welfare ships, which are associated with good animal
impairment is considered justified for a long‐ welfare (reviewed Ward and Sherwin 2019).
term welfare goal. For example, we might Interestingly, training may result in fewer
consider the pain experienced during human directed behaviours displayed by ani-
venepuncture training sessions is justified mals (Melfi and Thomas 2005), which might
against the alternative negative welfare result from animals more accurately predict-
impacts in the long‐term if the animal went ing when to engage with people, i.e. only dur-
undiagnosed with a disease they are suscep- ing training sessions when positive
tible to. The factors which need to be weighed reinforcements follow. Training can also be
against each during this type of cost–benefit used to habituate animals to the presence of
analysis are: what is the frequency, duration, humans (Carrasco et al. 2009), which can
and intensity of welfare impairment over the have the positive welfare consequences that