Drills (Mandrillus leucophaeus) are an endangered species of African monkey (Cercopithecidae), and their sole congener the mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx) is vulnerable to extinction. Both species are threatened in the wild by deforestation and hunting. Drills have a poor record of captive reproduction. Many individuals appear to have behavioral deficiencies which interfere with reproduction. Thus, the zoo population of drills does not serve as a “hedge” against the species’ total extinction: drills are endangered in captivity as well as in the wild. Mandrills, by contrast, reproduce well in captivity. Information on the behavior of mandrills in captivity may help zoo managers improve husbandry for both species. The intent of this research was to study the relationship between aspects of the captive environment and behaviors which lead to reproduction. A review of the literature on both drills and mandrills, in the wild and captivity, was used to suggest “essential characteristics” of the captive environment that may encourage animals of both species to engage in natural, active behaviors, to form cohesive dyads with opposite-sex adults, to develop affiliative bonds, and to engage in sexual behavior. Sixty-two drills and mandrills in 14 groups in the U.S. and Germany were studied with behavior sampling methods, using the Drill Species Survival Plan ethogram. Data were analyzed by multiple regression using transformed variables. No over-all species differences in behavior were found. Results suggested that two factors promoted natural activity: 1) environmental enrichment which provides positive reinforcement for active behaviors, and 2) an affiliative husbandry style by the animal’s keepers. Active animals were more likely to engage in social behaviors leading to copulation. Many of the non-reproducing drills appeared to be “passive and withdrawn,” and shared a constellation of signs that appeared to be analogous to human clinical depression. An etiological model for “passive and withdrawn” Mandrillus, based on biobehavioral theories of human depressive disorders, was developed to link early rearing conditions and environmental enrichment. This model was then used to develop a historic-demographic hypothesis for why mandrills have historically had greater reproductive success than drills in zoos.

<p>Dvärgflodhästen (<em>Hexaprotondon liberiensis</em>) lever i Västafrika där den upptäcktes på 1800-talet, men det var inte förrän på 1900- talen som de introducerades första gången i djurpark. Studier på vilda dvärgflodhästen har visat sig vara svåra att genomföra, därför har de flesta studier gjorts på dvärgflodhästar i fångenskap. Dvärgflodhästen är ett mycket skyggt djur som lever i regnskogarna runt floder, träsk och sumpmarker. Den är ett nattlevande djur som ofta lever solitärt.</p><p> </p><p>I den här studien studeras tre utvalda dvärgflodhästar på parken zoo i Eskilstuna, vad de har för nattaktivitet och hur de använder sig utav miljöberikningen. Leah, Anton och Krakunia var de tre observerade dvärgflodhästarna.</p><p>   </p><p>Videokameror sattes upp för att filma fyra nätter för varje individ från kl. 16.00- 03.00. Ett protokoll fördes vart tionde minut och deras aktivitet antecknades. Dessa resultat sammanställdes i beskrivande text och jämfördes sedan med varandra i diagram. Diagram visade bland annat att Leah använde sin pool mest av alla, Anton var den mest aktiva och nyfikna medan Krakunia knappt rörde sin miljöberikning.</p><p> </p><p>Varför finns dessa skillnader? Har deras ålder, kön eller utseende på rummet någon betydelse? Hur skulle man kunna förbättra miljöberikningen i dvärgflodhästarnas rum? Eftersom de är utrotningshotade är det viktigt att man gör några åtgärder och försöker bevara deras naturliga miljö i den mån det är möjligt. Kan man med hjälp av djurparken återinföra dvärgflodhästar i naturen? Enligt en artikel skulle det kunna vara möjligt.</p><p> </p>

On October 17, 2012, TV4 broadcasted an episode of the documentary series Kalla fakta. The episode received a lot of attention when it revealed that Parken Zoo, a very popular destination for families, was not as well maintained beneath the surface as it gave the impression of being. The case attracted attention in all possible media for a long time, which led to a beginning of an extensive investigation of the Zoo. The purpose of this study is to examine how Parken Zoo handled the media after the examination of TV4’s Kalla fakta, and how it affected people’s confidence in the Zoo. This paper consists of an overall case study of Parken Zoo that can be divided into two different methods. One qualitative content analysis where the outcome has been developed by analyzing articles and television clips in four news media in Sweden and one quantitative survey in the form of a questionnaire study to investigate the confidence of the Zoo. Our main theories are the agenda setting theory, the principle of symmetry and Thompson theory of what a scandal is. Our theses are: How did Parken Zoo manage media after the examination of TV4’s Kalla fakta? How did this affect people’s confidence in the Zoo? The revelation by Kalla fakta and Parken Zoo's media management both created a temporary loss of confidence for the Zoo in the public opinion. This loss of confidence may be rebuilt in the next few years on condition that Parken Zoo play their cards right.

Just graduated, Livy McHaney moves into a loft owned by father and daughter Wallace and Keegan Sammler. As Livy gets to know the Sammlers, he becomes fascinated by the sense Wallace makes out the world, a skill difficult for Livy. At the same time, Livy starts working at Zoo Dunn conducting its Tournado Train. Wallace explains to Livy his reflections on animals, enthralling Livy with his big ideas about freedom and questioning when one is supposed to not. In an attempt to make his grand pronouncements concrete, Wallace recruits Livy into a secret plan to kidnap and set free a popular young elephant from Zoo Dunn. Once in motion, much of their plan fails and everything appears less certain. Livy is forced to rethink the kidnapping's meaning, the possibility of changing the way people view animals, and ultimately the allure of Wallace's "truth" in forging his own ideas about life.

Dvärgflodhästen (Hexaprotondon liberiensis) lever i Västafrika där den upptäcktes på 1800-talet, men det var inte förrän på 1900- talen som de introducerades första gången i djurpark. Studier på vilda dvärgflodhästen har visat sig vara svåra att genomföra, därför har de flesta studier gjorts på dvärgflodhästar i fångenskap. Dvärgflodhästen är ett mycket skyggt djur som lever i regnskogarna runt floder, träsk och sumpmarker. Den är ett nattlevande djur som ofta lever solitärt.   I den här studien studeras tre utvalda dvärgflodhästar på parken zoo i Eskilstuna, vad de har för nattaktivitet och hur de använder sig utav miljöberikningen. Leah, Anton och Krakunia var de tre observerade dvärgflodhästarna.     Videokameror sattes upp för att filma fyra nätter för varje individ från kl. 16.00- 03.00. Ett protokoll fördes vart tionde minut och deras aktivitet antecknades. Dessa resultat sammanställdes i beskrivande text och jämfördes sedan med varandra i diagram. Diagram visade bland annat att Leah använde sin pool mest av alla, Anton var den mest aktiva och nyfikna medan Krakunia knappt rörde sin miljöberikning.   Varför finns dessa skillnader? Har deras ålder, kön eller utseende på rummet någon betydelse? Hur skulle man kunna förbättra miljöberikningen i dvärgflodhästarnas rum? Eftersom de är utrotningshotade är det viktigt att man gör några åtgärder och försöker bevara deras naturliga miljö i den mån det är möjligt. Kan man med hjälp av djurparken återinföra dvärgflodhästar i naturen? Enligt en artikel skulle det kunna vara möjligt.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--College of Computing, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2004. Directed by Larry F. Hodges. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 112-115).

Zoos and museums utilize docents, or volunteer educators, to help educate and entertain visitors through live animal demonstrations. Preparing volunteers to handle live animals is complex because volunteers must learn animal handling techniques, emergency protocols, interpretive material, be able to simultaneously show and monitor the animal, talk about it, take visitor questions, and be aware of safety concerns. Zoos are held accountable for animal welfare as a priority as well as volunteer and visitor safety.This study investigated barriers to preparing adult volunteers to handle live animals at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson, Arizona. Adult docents and training staff members were interviewed about their perceptions of barriers from the previous year's animal handling training. Ten individual docent interviews, two docent focus groups, and four staff member interviews provided information about animal handling training challenges.Barriers included the resistance to change; specifically volunteers needed to recognize why changes in protocols were necessary so they would support changes. Volunteers expressed the desire to be part of the change with staff members rather than having protocols delivered to them. Miscommunication was a second barrier, originating from lack of consistent communication systems and volunteers feeling left out of the change process. Another barrier was volunteers' perception of authority in that volunteers invested time questioning staff about program changes based on staff qualifications rather than utilizing their time working with the animals. A fourth barrier was that volunteers shared that they felt pressure to perform or else they feel as though they failed part of their volunteer job. Finally recognizing that volunteers learn in different ways was a fifth barrier and many volunteers suggested the need to address a variety of learning styles.Adult learning theory provided a theoretical framework from which the barriers could be investigated. Kolb's Experiential Learning Theory (1984) suggests that volunteers need to have animal handling training lessons presented with different teaching techniques or styles. Investing time into training staff about learning theories and teaching techniques may circumvent struggles with volunteers learning new techniques.

Knowledge about the use and behavioural relevance of the different senses in the South American Coati is limited. The aim of the present study was therefore to investigate the use of the sense of smell in this species. Twenty-five captive coatis were observed at the zoo of La Paz for a total of 120 hours to collect data on olfactory-related behaviors. The coatis frequently performed behaviors in response to the detection of odors such as sniffing on the ground, on objects, on food, on conspecifics, or in the air. In contrast, they did not display many odor depositing behaviors such as urinating, defecating, or scent-marking. The most frequently performed olfactory-related behavior was “sniffing on ground” which accounted for an average of 40 % of all recorded behaviors. In general, both adult males and non-males (here defined as adult females, as well as sub-adults and juveniles of both sexes) performed olfactory-related behaviors at similar frequencies. However, a few frequency differences for certain behaviors were found in the morning and in the afternoon, and in food or no food conditions, respectively. When food was present, for example, the coatis spent less time on olfactory-related foraging behaviors like “sniffing on ground” and “nose-digging” compared to when food was not present. The finding that scent-marking was rare in this captive group, indicates little need for territorial marking or communication of reproductive state under these circumstances. Findings from this study support the idea that Nasua nasua use their sense of smell in a variety of different contexts, and further studies are needed to extend the results.

Thesis (M.F.A.)--Rochester Institute of Technology, 1989. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 23).

Final Project (M.A.)--John F. Kennedy University, 2007. / "June 15, 2007"--T.p. Includes bibliographical references (p. 69-74).