Grant’s zebra Equus quagga boehmi is an equine species commonly bred in zoos under human care. Male zebras are often castrated to prevent a surplus captive zebra population. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) vaccination may pose an...
There are only a few studies that describe the larval development of Echinaster or aspects on culture systems for the genus. For starfishes, the choice of suitable substrates has received special attention since it could...
Many large mammalian terrestrial carnivores do not hunt every day in their natural habitats, because given the right prey, they can gorge-feed more than their daily energy and nutrient requirements. At the same time, there...
The implementation of environmental enrichment (EE) can be effective in promoting zoo animal welfare by enhancing the performance of natural or species-typical behaviors. Research on the effects of EE is biased towards larger mammalian species...
The captive Tasmanian devil Sarcophilus harrisii insurance population was initiated in 2005 in response to rapid wild population declines due to a fatal, transmissible cancer. Wild-caught founders were sourced at the age of dispersal from...
Captive animal welfare research focuses on husbandry, enrichment, enclosure space, visitor effects, and opportunities for species-typical behavior (e.g., foraging, territoriality, and social interaction). And yet, one of the most biologically relevant opportunities for species-typical behavior...
The Mekong giant catfish (MGC), Pangasianodon gigas, is one of the world’s largest catfish species. Endemic to the Mekong River system, the MGC is critically endangered. Six MGC were transported from Thailand to the Gifu...
The ability to monitor developing avian embryos and their associated vascular system via candling enables the application of important reproductive management techniques. Egg candling facilitates the confirmation of egg viability throughout the incubation process and...
Captive wildlife benefit from ecologically informed management strategies that promote natural behaviors. The Duke Lemur Center has pioneered husbandry programs rooted in species’ ecology for a diversity of lemurs, including housing social groups in multiacre...
All zoos grapple with challenges of keeping captive animals engaged in natural behaviors, especially for bears which prove to be among the more challenging species to keep stimulated. In captivity, a common indicator of poor...