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dc.contributor.authorWilliams, Ellen
dc.contributor.authorCarter, Anne
dc.contributor.authorRendle, Jessica
dc.contributor.authorFontani, Sara
dc.contributor.authorDavies Walsh, Naomi
dc.contributor.authorArmonstrong, Sarah
dc.contributor.authorHickman, Sarah
dc.contributor.authorVaglio, Stefano
dc.contributor.authorWard, Samantha J
dc.date.accessioned2022-06-27T13:46:14Z
dc.date.available2022-06-27T13:46:14Z
dc.date.issued2022-06-24
dc.identifier.citationWilliams E, Carter A, Rendle J, Fontani S, Walsh ND, Armstrong S, Hickman S, Vaglio S, Ward SJ. (2022) The Impact of COVID-19 Zoo Closures on Behavioural and Physiological Parameters of Welfare in Primates. Animals. 2022; 12(13):1622. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12131622en
dc.identifier.issn2076-2615en
dc.identifier.doi10.3390/ani12131622en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2436/624806
dc.description© 2022 The Authors. Published by MDPI. This is an open access article available under a Creative Commons licence. The published version can be accessed at the following link on the publisher’s website: https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12131622en
dc.description.abstractPrimates are some of the most cognitively advanced species held in zoos, and their interactions with visitors are complex. The COVID-19 pandemic provided a unique opportunity to understand the impact of zoo visitors on animals, in comparison to “empty zoos”. This study sought to understand the impact of facility closures and subsequent reopenings on behavioural and physiological parameters of welfare in four primate species housed in the UK: bonobos (Pan paniscus) (n = 8), chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) (n = 11), and western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) (n = 6) held at Twycross Zoo (TZ); and olive baboons (Papio anubis) (n = 192) held at Knowsley Safari (KS). Behavioural data were collected from April–September 2020 (KS) and November 2020–January 2021 (TZ). Faecal samples were collected during morning checks from October–November (TZ) and July–November 2020 (KS). Faecal glucocorticoid metabolites (FGMs) were measured using ELISA kits. Statistical analysis for behavioural observations was undertaken using general linear models. Enclosure usage was assessed using t-tests and Mann–Whitney U-tests as appropriate. Bonobos and gorillas spent less time alone when facilities were open to the public (p = 0.004, p = 0.02 respectively). Gorillas spent less time resting when the facility was open to the public (p = 0.04), and chimpanzees engaged in more feeding (p = 0.02) and engagement with enrichment (p = 0.03) when the zoo was open to the public than when it was closed. Olive baboons performed less sexual and dominance behaviour and approached visitor cars more frequently when the safari park was opened to the public than they did the ranger’s vehicle during closure periods. There were no significant changes in physiological parameters for any of the study species. The results suggest variable impacts of the zoo closures on zoo-housed primates. We recommend future work that seeks to understand the impact of individual-level differences on “visitor effects” and that differences between animal experiences in zoos and safari parks are further explored in a range of species.en
dc.description.sponsorshipThis project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 890341 to S.F. and S.V. Faecal cortisol measurement and Article Processing Charge fee were covered by funding from the University of Wolverhampton’s Research Investment Fund (RIF) scheme—Phase 4 to S.V.en
dc.formatapplication/pdfen
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherMDPIen
dc.relation.urlhttps://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/12/13/1622en
dc.subjectprimatesen
dc.subjectvisitor effecten
dc.subjectzoo/safari parken
dc.subjectbehaviouren
dc.subjectwelfareen
dc.titleThe impact of COVID-19 zoo closures on behavioural and physiological parameters of welfare in primatesen
dc.typeJournal articleen
dc.identifier.journalAnimalsen
dc.date.updated2022-06-24T21:29:06Z
dc.identifier.articlenumber1622
dc.date.accepted2022-06-18
rioxxterms.funderUniversity of Wolverhamptonen
rioxxterms.identifier.projectUOW27062022SVen
rioxxterms.versionVoRen
rioxxterms.licenseref.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/en
rioxxterms.licenseref.startdate2022-06-27en
dc.source.volume12
dc.source.issue13
refterms.dateFCD2022-06-27T13:42:03Z
refterms.versionFCDVoR
refterms.dateFOA2022-06-27T13:46:14Z


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