Using Zoo Welfare Assessments to Identify Common Issues in Developing Country Zoos

Zoo animal welfare is a high priority for many institutions worldwide, with modern zoos now ensuring that animals are housed and cared for to the highest standards. However, in countries where this knowledge is not as available or understood, standards may be lower. The aim of this research was to investigate if there were common zoo welfare concerns across developing country zoos. Wild Welfare is a charity working globally to improve welfare for zoo animals and has an independent welfare audit that is carried out before any intervention occurs. The Wild Welfare Audit, consisting of 110 questions, covering nine topics, was completed at 11 zoos in seven developing countries (Brazil, Egypt, Libya, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam) following a Likert scale score (1–3). A principal component analysis was also performed to evaluate the audit questions. The results suggest that common areas of concern were animal behaviour, positive animal mental states and human health and safety. These themes were likely due to the lack knowledge and understanding that may be linked to historical and cultural differences. This research has helped to revise the welfare audit as well as inform future intervention strategies for improving developing country zoo animal welfare.

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The Perceived Impact of The First UK Covid-19 Lockdown on Companion Animal Welfare and Behaviour: A Mixed-Method Study of Associations with Owner Mental Health

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18116171 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (11) ◽

pp. 6171

Author(s):

Emily Shoesmith ◽

Luciana Santos de Assis ◽

Lion Shahab ◽

Elena Ratschen ◽

Paul Toner ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Animal Welfare ◽

Online Survey ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Companion Animals ◽

Principal Component ◽

Companion Animal ◽

Free Text ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Human Animal

Background: Companion animals may be a positive presence for their owners during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the welfare of a companion animal is strongly influenced by the behaviour of their owners, as well as their physical and social environment. We aimed to investigate the reported changes in companion animal welfare and behaviour and to examine the association between these changes and companion animal owners’ mental health. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey of UK residents over 18 years of age was conducted between April and June 2020 (n = 5926). The questionnaire included validated, bespoke items measuring outcomes related to mental health, human-animal bonds and reported changes in animal welfare and behaviour. The final item of the survey invited open-ended free-text responses, allowing participants to describe experiences associated with human-animal relationships during the first UK lockdown phase. Results: Animal owners made up 89.8% of the sample (n = 5323), of whom 67.3% reported changes in their animal’s welfare and behaviour during the first lockdown phase (n = 3583). These reported changes were reduced to a positive (0–7) and negative (0–5) welfare scale, following principal component analysis (PCA) of 17 items. Participants reported more positive changes for cats, whereas more negative changes were reported for dogs. Thematic analysis identified three main themes relating to the positive and negative impact on companion animals of the Covid-19 pandemic. Generalised linear models indicated that companion animal owners with poorer mental health scores pre-lockdown reported fewer negative changes in animal welfare and behaviour. However, companion animal owners with poorer mental health scores since lockdown reported more changes, both positive and negative, in animal welfare and behaviour. Conclusion: Our findings extend previous insights into perceived welfare and behaviour changes on a very limited range of species to a wider a range of companion animals. Owner mental health status has a clear, albeit small, effect on companion animal welfare and behaviour.

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Quality Expectations of Social Networking Sites: A Comparative Study Between New Zealand and Vietnam

10.26686/wgtn.17003641 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Anh Thu Le

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Social Networking ◽

Cultural Differences ◽

User Satisfaction ◽

Social Networking Sites ◽

Principal Component ◽

Cultural Dimensions ◽

Online Social Networking ◽

Social Networking Websites

<p>Online Social Networking (OSN) websites have been growing fast and their success is decided by customers’ satisfaction. User satisfaction can be measured using a number of popular frameworks such as SERVQUAL, SERVPERF, SiteQual, and WebQual. These frameworks are often used as guidelines when designing, implementing, and assessing quality of websites in general and can also be used to measure the quality of online social networking websites. Besides, there are additional factors that should be taken into consideration when assessing user satisfaction such as demographic differences and cultural differences. The present research project aims to investigate and test the linkage between culture and user satisfaction on the online social networking websites. This is achieved by conducting an analysis on the basis of a survey in two different countries – New Zealand and Vietnam. The research project’s principal component analysis follows Hofstede’s six cultural dimensions and the modified framework of assessing online social networking sites quality conducted by Rizavi, Ali, and Rizavi in 2011. The results suggest that users’ quality expectation of Social Networking Sites (SNS) in New Zealand and in Vietnam may be influenced by cultural differences.</p>

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The Angler in the Environment: Social, Economic, Biological, and Ethical Dimensions

The Angler in the Environment: Social, Economic, Biological, and Ethical Dimensions ◽

10.47886/9781934874240.ch13 ◽

2011 ◽

Keyword(s):

Animal Welfare ◽

Animal Rights ◽

Mental States ◽

Ethical Challenge ◽

Recreational Fishing ◽

Ethical Challenges ◽

Catch And Release ◽

Individual Fish ◽

Recreational Angling ◽

The Individual

<i>Abstract</i>.—Ever since fishing was called recreational fishing, a cruelty charge has hovered around somewhere in the background. In recent times, however, it has made it to the fore substantiated by anthropomorphic reasoning and fuelled by high-visibility papers claiming that fish can feel pain and suffer. Because some segments of the public perceive the infliction of these mental states to fish as abhorrent and not outweighing the costs imposed on the individual fish by appropriate benefits to the human, recreational fishing is coming under attack on moral grounds. Other challenges have also emerged that do not center on the issue of whether fish are sentient or not. In this paper, we describe five of the most prevalent moral challenges to recreational angling, two of which—animal welfare and wilderness-centered perspectives—can offer a constructive outlook by calling upon improved treatment of individual fish (animal welfare) and generally more sustainable management (wilderness perspective). In contrast, if one subscribes to animal liberation or animal rights philosophies, the outlook for recreational fishing is generally negative: it has to stop. A final challenge is associated with the motivations of anglers. The moral argument there is that the activity is carried out largely for angler pleasure rather than as a means of securing survival. The outlook of this ethical challenge sometimes leans towards only accepting one form of recreational fishing: catching, killing, and eating. Voluntary catch-and-release fishing and practices such as tournament fishing with a strict total catch-and-release policy would then not be ethically permissible. In this paper, we highlight the origin and background of each of the five ethical challenges and explain their implications for recreational fishing.

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A Cross-Cultural Perspective on Motives and Patterns of Brand Recommendation in Social Media

International Journal of Online Marketing ◽

10.4018/ijom.2018040102 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 27-44 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Castulus Kolo ◽

Stefan Widenhorn ◽

Anna-Lena Borgstedt ◽

David Eicher

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Principal Component Analysis ◽

Cultural Differences ◽

Formal Education ◽

Principal Component ◽

Cross Cultural ◽

Substantial Influence ◽

Cultural Perspective ◽

The Us ◽

Do So

This article describes how today, social media enable users to comment on brands in a multitude of ways. Although it is undoubted that this can have a substantial influence on the way brands impact on consumers, comparatively little is known about what motivates consumers to recommend brands in social media and whether there are cultural differences therein. This article aims to determine the factors leading to either positive or negative communication about brands on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and brand-related blogs based on a representative sample from Germany and the US, each with 1,000 adults. Complementary to an analysis of factors determining a general inclination to recommend, a principal component analysis of the diverse motives to do so exhibits patterns being largely consistent in a cross-cultural perspective, however, with differences in specific practices concerning gender, age, and formal education. A cluster analysis as well as taking a look at “influencers” provide a basis for developing differentiated strategies of brand communication and management respectively.

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Citizens’ and Farmers’ Framing of ‘Positive Animal Welfare’ and the Implications for Framing Positive Welfare in Communication

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani9040147 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

pp. 147 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Belinda Vigors

Keyword(s):

Animal Welfare ◽

Human Perception ◽

Point Of View ◽

Farm Animals ◽

Negative Experiences ◽

Qualitative Interview Study ◽

Positive Experiences ◽

Existing Frames ◽

On Farm ◽

Positive Animal

Human perception can depend on how an individual frames information in thought and how information is framed in communication. For example, framing something positively, instead of negatively, can change an individual’s response. This is of relevance to ‘positive animal welfare’, which places greater emphasis on farm animals being provided with opportunities for positive experiences. However, little is known about how this framing of animal welfare may influence the perception of key animal welfare stakeholders. Through a qualitative interview study with farmers and citizens, undertaken in Scotland, UK, this paper explores what positive animal welfare evokes to these key welfare stakeholders and highlights the implications of such internal frames for effectively communicating positive welfare in society. Results indicate that citizens make sense of positive welfare by contrasting positive and negative aspects of welfare, and thus frame it as animals having ‘positive experiences’ or being ‘free from negative experiences’. Farmers draw from their existing frames of animal welfare to frame positive welfare as ‘good husbandry’, ‘proactive welfare improvement’ or the ‘animal’s point of view’. Implications of such internal frames (e.g., the triggering of ‘negative welfare’ associations by the word ‘positive’) for the effective communication of positive welfare are also presented.

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Applying the 3Rs: A Case Study on Evidence and Perceptions Relating to Rat Cage Height in the UK

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani9121104 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (12) ◽

pp. 1104

Author(s):

Hibba Mazhary ◽

Penny Hawkins

Keyword(s):

Animal Welfare ◽

Animal Experiments ◽

Health And Safety ◽

Adult Rats ◽

Laboratory Rats ◽

Code Of Practice ◽

Main Factors ◽

The Uk ◽

Welfare Changes

This article investigates the barriers to implementing higher caging in animal research establishments in the UK. The use of animals in research and testing in the UK is regulated by the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, which sets out how animal experiments must be licensed and regulated. Within this, the Code of Practice currently allows laboratory rats to be housed in cages that are 20 cm high, even though adults can rear up to 30 cm. Most adult rats therefore cannot stand upright in ‘standard’ cages. We found that the main factors hindering the implementation of higher caging were classified into five different groups; health and safety, financial, animal welfare, scientific, and ‘human’. Suggestions to overcome these barriers are provided, as well as alternative animal welfare changes that can be put into place. We conclude that much of the desired evidence for moving to higher cages is already available, and therefore the focus should be on education and improving access to the existing evidence, in order to encourage facilities to work around existing financial and health and safety concerns.

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How is COVID-19 Experience Transforming Sustainability Requirements of Residential Buildings? A Review

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12208732 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (20) ◽

pp. 8732

Author(s):

Galym Tokazhanov ◽

Aidana Tleuken ◽

Mert Guney ◽

Ali Turkyilmaz ◽

Ferhat Karaca

Keyword(s):

Residential Buildings ◽

Health And Safety ◽

Well Being ◽

Mental States ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Journal Articles ◽

Protective Measures ◽

Expert Opinions ◽

Living Space ◽

Significant Harm

The COVID-19 pandemic is bringing about changes, and alongside these, we can alter the way we design our living spaces. The need for a healthy and comfortable living space is essential to mental and physical well-being. The present study covers the most up-to-date documents, including peer-reviewed papers, blog posts, news, journal articles, and expert opinions, to critically review lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and evaluates the expected changes in sustainability requirements of residential buildings. Health and safety, environment, and comfort are the three main aspects of residential buildings that have been tested during quarantines and are also expected to experience major transformations toward sustainability. Residential houses should provide certain health and safety protective measures to their occupants, such as the application of new touchless technologies, having proper sanitation to diminish the probability of getting infected, and developing greener and more intimate spaces that can help recover and improve mental states. Our findings address the need to reconsider sustainability requirements for residential buildings, which will provide adequate health and safety and comfort with no significant harm to the environment.

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Risk factors for suicidal behavior in adolescents from European countries with different suicidal rates: The possible role of cross-cultural differences

European Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/s0924-9338(11)73317-x ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 26 (S2) ◽

pp. 1613-1613

Author(s):

N. Sedlar ◽

L. Sprah ◽

S. Rosker ◽

H. Jericek Klanscek ◽

M. Dernovsek

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Cultural Differences ◽

Suicidal Behaviour ◽

Cultural Context ◽

Principal Component ◽

Subjective Health ◽

Cross Cultural ◽

European Countries ◽

Cross Cultural Differences ◽

Health Related

IntroductionAdolescence is a time of developmental shifts that may leave young people especially vulnerable to suicidal behaviour. Suicidal rates in different European countries differ, which may be due to many factors, including cross-cultural differences.AimsWe aimed to explore differences in risk factors for suicidal behaviour (poor subjective health and low life satisfaction, health-related behaviours, including alcohol drinking habits, family and peer factors) between European countries with different suicidal rates.MethodsThe data were collected through questionnaires in the survey ‘Health Behaviour in School-aged Children’, 2005/2006, using nationally representative samples of 15 year old students (N = 11,093) from 7 countries (Lithuania, Finland, Ireland, Slovenia, Norway, Italy, Greece).ResultsPrincipal component analyses were used to characterize how selected risk factors for suicide cluster together into factors. Differences for these factors were compared between 3 groups of countries: countries with low, average and high magnitude of suicidal rates (SDR; suicide death rate per 100 000, 15–29 years). Between group differences on first two factors, loaded by items measuring health-related behaviours, were significant and medium-sized and indicated cultural differences in alcohol use. Youth from Northern European countries - with high SDR, reported greater number of drunkenness occasions, whereas frequency of alcohol intake was greater for youth from Southern European countries - with low SDR.ConclusionsResults indicated a possible association of suicidal behaviour and different drinking cultures, arising from different geographical locations and socio-cultural environments. Therefore research and preventive measures should consider specific socio-cultural context.

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Negative Self-Perception and Components of Stress in Canadian, British, and Hong Kong Adolescents

Perceptual and Motor Skills ◽

10.2466/pms.1995.81.1.123 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 81 (1) ◽

pp. 123-127 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Christopher Bagley ◽

Kanka Mallick

Keyword(s):

Principal Component Analysis ◽

Hong Kong ◽

Cultural Differences ◽

Principal Component ◽

Self Esteem ◽

Relationship Problems ◽

Stress Scale ◽

Adolescent Stress ◽

Three Samples ◽

Hong Kong Adolescents

Responses to a 68-item Adolescent Stress Scale of 14- to 16-yr.-olds in Canada ( n = 369), Britain ( n = 217), and Hong Kong ( n = 349) were compared. Four common subscales identified by principal component analysis emerged in the three samples. Scores on subscales (Relationship Problems, Abuse at Home, Scholastic and Career Problems, and Loneliness and Social Isolation) were significantly correlated for both sexes with negative self-esteem scores in the three national groups. Differences in stress between cultures were explicable in terms of known cultural differences.

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Effect of three lactation housing systems on sow and piglet performance and behaviour

Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Production (1972) ◽

10.1017/s0308229600027343 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 1994 ◽

pp. 189-189

Author(s):

G Hatet ◽

S A Edwards ◽

K Gall ◽

D S Arey

Keyword(s):

Animal Welfare ◽

Family System ◽

Production Systems ◽

Current System ◽

List Type ◽

Early Weaning ◽

Alternative Strategies ◽

Housing Systems ◽

Areas Of Concern ◽

System F

Confinement of sows in farrowing crates and early weaning of piglets are two major areas of concern in relation to animal welfare in intensive pig production systems. In this project, two alternative lactation systems in which these potential stressors are absent or reduced were evaluated.36 sows and litters were used in an experiment to evaluate, from weekly performance records and observations of behaviour, two alternative strategies for housing and management during lactation in comparison with a conventional current system: (1)Family system (F): Sows were housed throughout in groups of four with voluntary access farrowing pens. Piglets remained with the sows for 12 weeks and a boar was introduced after 3 weeks to induce oestrus.(2)Multisuckling system (M): Sows farrowed in individual crates but were grouped in fours in straw pens after 2 weeks. Piglets remained with the sows for 12 weeks and a boar was introduced after 3 weeks.(3)Conventional commercial system (C). Sows remained in part-slatted, unbedded farrowing crates throughout a four week lactation. Piglets weaned into flat decks and transfered after four weeks into fully slatted grower pens.

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