Der Zoologische Garten最新文献

The Hamburgian ethologist Dr. Ralf Wanker (1961-2011) together with his students started an ethological research program on a group of up to 15 Green-winged Macaws (Ara chloropterus) at Tierpark Hagenbeck, Hamburg, in 1998. Up to his sudden death in 2011 he had supervised several academic studies on this group, the results of which have not been published yet. This paper gives short summaries of six of these studies, realized between 2001 and 2009. Main topics were the social and acoustic communication of the birds as well as the conflict management and conflict avoidance within the group. The results of these studies shed light on the potentials and difficulties of keeping big macaws in groups under zoo conditions.

For many years critical issues of zoo biology and breeding management were not fully communicated by zoos, nor were they realized or questioned by the general public. This has changed within the last few decades, leading to an increase in the transparency and credibility of zoos. I conducted qualitative research on how zoos communicate critical issues to the public by using semi-structured expert interviews, focusing on the issues of euthanasia, contraception and ’carcass-feeding’. The results draw a preliminary picture of how critical issues are currently communicated in European zoos, with a focus on Germany. Zoos can be divided into three groups: (1) those who communicate critical issues directly by displaying them to the public, (2) those who prefer a more indirect way of explaining these issues, and (3) those who neglect to communicate any critical issues. A list of methods used, as well as arguments for and against communication, was extracted out of the responses of the survey group. Furthermore, a first draft for Critical Issue Management (CIM) for zoos was developed and described, using the study results as well as recommendations for crisis communication. There is a great need to conduct further research about how communication from zoos is received by visitors and the general public. Nevertheless, the results suggest that zoos need to find a basic international agreement on how to communicate critical issues as part of a multi-institutional CIM, and to establish regional communication guidelines for critical issues.

From videorecordings of a bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) during calving and subsequent rearing taken by commercial surveillance cameras, which cover a period of two months, we selected three days (I = day of birth, II = 7^th day after birth; III = 14^th day after birth) to qualitatively and especially quantitatively describe exemplarily the locomotion calculated as covered distance, respiratory rate, resting periods of the mother (Daisy) as well as respiratory rate and amount and duration of suckles of her calf (Darwin). For quantitative analysis we used the freeware-program tracker. The observed calving process followed the pattern well-known from literature.

Comparing the collected data we show a considerable decrease of Daisy's distance swimming before birth, an increase after birth, followed again by a significant decrease until day III. Distances travelled by Daisy per day were exceptionally large (ca. 100 km). Before birth her respiratory rate was significantly lower than after birth, and then it was relatively constant over time. Periods of inactivity were frequent before birth, not observed after birth, and began to increase from day II. The respiratory rate of Darwin increased over time (day I to day III) exceeding that of Daisy (day II, III). Frequency and number of suckling bouts decreased over time. Some of the behavioral changes of Daisy shown during the observation period can be associated with Daisy's care of the calf and its increasing independence. Altogether our approach allowed quantifying behavioural elements of mother and calf very detailed even in recordings not necessarily suitable for such studies. The fine-scale analysis revealed reproducible and reliable data, which show in the present case again the considerable changes in the behaviour of mother and calf even within a period of only two weeks.

The “Zoo School” in the Zoological Garden of Ulm is a learning forum outside school. Its educational concept is based on experiential learning and is geared towards expanding students’ biological knowledge and developing positive attitudes and emotions towards the animals that are presented during the lessons there.

In this study, 142 secondary-school students (grade six and seven) were asked to write an essay about their visit to the Zoo. Although the students spent only one morning in the “Zoo School”, the students were able to describe their visit in most cases very exactly; what they remembered best were teaching elements during which scientific facts were explained, elements that enabled a direct encounter with living beings (vertebrates and invertebrates), and hands on activities. Gender specific results showed that the girls wrote more about the hands on activities and emotional learning whereas the boys wrote more about the scientific facts.

Within a four-year period, 42 Humboldt penguins (Spheniscus humboldti Meyen, 1834) kept at Zoo Dresden died from infections with different opportunistic bacterial and fungal pathogens. Despite rigorous search for underlying causes, including post mortem examinations, sample collection from living penguins and thorough inspection of the artificial environment inhabited by the birds, no single causative factor could be identified to be responsible for the highly increased mortality. Instead, the authors assume a multifactorial background. Contributing factors might include primary or predisposing infectious agents, toxic substances, stress, pool water and air quality as well as hygienic aspects like handling and preparation of fish.

An endangered species, the pygmy hippo (Choeropsis liberiensis Morton, 1849) has been housed in captivity since the early 1900s, but systematic, prospective research and peer-reviewed literature remain limited in comparison to other IUCN-listed, charismatic mega fauna. There are just over 350 animals in the ex situ population worldwide, so it is an uncommon resident in zoological collections compared to the larger, ‘common’ or Nile hippo (Hippopotamus amphibius). Most published information for the pygmy hippo constitutes descriptive accounts of first-hand experiences in various zoological institutions. Here we review, analyze and provide a synthesis of the pertinent literature, aiming to identify and prioritize focal research topics for optimizing ex situ management. The pygmy hippo is continually reported to breed well and thus long-term survival of the species, at least in captivity, is assumed, although we identify several reasons to exercise caution. Further, we demonstrate that the common perception amongst zoological institutions that the pygmy hippo is easy to manage and experiences limited health and husbandry issues is erroneous. Specific issues affecting the captive population with potential negative implications for long-term sustainability include polycystic kidney disease (PKD), a female-biased sex ratio, obesity, a high neonatal mortality rate, and failure of many breeding pairs to reproduce. We identify several research priorities to help address these concerns, and how the resulting information can be applied to improve management, health and welfare of pygmy hippos in captivity.