This thesis is composed of a series of papers, all of which have been published in peer reviewed publications. The papers use the recognised process of qualitative risk assessment in a range of scenarios in the field of wildlife health and welfare in both in situ and ex situ environments. Chapter 1 discusses the challenges faced regarding availability of empirical data in field of wildlife and zoological health and welfare and justifies the exploration of techniques to assist with decision making. The development of risk analysis and its integration with risk management and risk communication to become risk assessment is described before being put into the specific context of wildlife and zoological disease. Chapters 2 and 3 consider two scenarios where disease risk assessment is well established as a tool, importation across national borders and in conservation interventions. Chapter 2 develops the standard import risk assessment approach to include multiple species and multiple diseases. Chapter 3 reviews developments made over the last 25 years and proposes best practice approaches to implement. Chapter 4 describes how the risk assessments formulated as described in Chapter 3 are used for licensing purposes emphasising the importance of risk management and communication. This theme is continued in Chapter 6 where the integration of risk assessment and evidence based decision making is considered in the broad context of a strategic approach to wildlife health bringing together the outcomes and processes described in Chapters 2, 3, 4 and 5. The papers in Chapters 2,5 and 8 are focused on how risk analysis aids in development of disease control approaches and policy. The evidence base is composed primarily of peer-reviewed literature supported by expert review of the finalised assessment. Chapter 7 uses risk assessment in an applied scenario, taking the recognised process and modifying it to structure an active disease investigation demonstrating the versatility of the technique. Chapter 9 takes this a step further by again adapting the methodology which, has historically been used primarily for infectious diseases, to consider reproduction and assess risks to welfare rather than purely health. The paper in Chapter 9 builds on the methodology by combining existing peer-reviewed literature with data collected specifically for the purpose of feeding into the assessment and utilising a stakeholder and expert opinion elicitation workshop to obtain data too. These process are proposed and described in Chapter 3. The final chapter critically reviews risk assessment, highlighting three key areas of potential weakness and proposing approaches to address these criticisms. The value of the approach in wildlife and zoological health and welfare as demonstrated by this series of papers is described.

Siu Shuk Kuen, Susan. / "Architecture Department, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Master of Architecture Programme 2006-2007, design report." / RESEARCH / Chapter 1.0 --- Background / Chapter 1.1 --- Background of Human - animal relation / Chapter 1.2 --- Animals' Role in Human Society / Chapter 1.3 --- Thought Relation & Lived Relation / Chapter 2.0 --- Typological Study / Chapter 2.1 --- Zoo / Chapter 2.2 --- Museum / Chapter 2.3 --- Natural History Museum / Chapter 3.0 --- Animal - Human Relation in Hong Kong / Chapter 4.0 --- Site Analysis / DESIGN / Chapter 1.0 --- Design Concept / Chapter 1.1 --- Programs Study / Chapter 1.2 --- Spatia Study / Chapter 1.3 --- Thought Relation & Lived Relation Arrangement / Chapter 1.4 --- Concept / Chapter 1.5 --- Plan / Chapter 1.6 --- Section / Chapter 1.7 --- Views

Thesis--Auburn University, 2009. / Abstract. Includes bibliographic references.

This thesis presents a comparison of zoos and zoological gardens in the United States, Europe, and Asia. After an examination of these entities, the appeal and educational value of particular species is determined.

Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Mary Catherine E. Kingery-Page / The primary reasons for the existence of contemporary zoological parks are presented as conservation and conservation education. But in reality, human entertainment is the primary function of traditional zoos. There is a moral dilemma behind the practice of removing wild animals from their native habitats and holding them captive, primarily for the purpose of human entertainment and education. Exhibits designed with these human desires in mind never completely meet the needs of the animal. An exhibit designed with conservation in mind can fully address animal needs. The moral dilemma of keeping wild animals captive can be reconciled if the purpose of conservation shifts to the forefront of exhibit design. The term conservation, in this setting, refers to a habitat where a healthy, captive population can be sustained. Conservation means acquiring an in-depth understanding of an animal species and combining it with thoughtful, insightful design that responds to the species’ needs first. Secondary design considerations include facilitating the work of the animal keeper and visitor education and recreation. The keeper plays an important role in the health and well-being of the animal; a functional workplace is essential to the keeper’s job. The visitor plays an essential role in maintaining the funding that supports the zoo. In order for zoos to maintain adequate funding, they need visitors. To make this experience mutually worthwhile, exhibit design must create an experience that visitors want to be a part of, and the exhibit should impart an educational message to these visitors. This conservation-minded approach results in an exhibit that will serve primarily as a conservation facility. The exhibit is better suited to the animal by encouraging natural behavior and more accurately recreating natural habitat. A conservation exhibit can also fulfill the secondary purpose of human education by providing the visitor with a much richer depiction of the animal in its natural state, as well as showing visitors the need for species conservation.

This thesis considers the importance of adding stochasticity to models of optimal foraging behaviour. The problem is divided into two elements, risk and information, which are treated separately. Part One: Risk. The theoretical and empirical results concerning animal preferences in risky situations are reviewed. Animals are known to show both risk-averse and risk-prone preferences over food reward. It is shown, theoretically, that a simple optimality model mimimizing the probability of death due to starvation accounts for at least some of the observed patterns of preference. The model is generalized to consider preference from arbitrary combinations of mean and variance. Three limitations of the model are treated in detail, that is the importance of starvation by "ruin", mind-changing about risk preferences, and energetic carry-over are discussed. The implications and limitations of these models are outlined. Part Two: Information. The theoretical literature is reviewed, and the problem of information is divided into three elements. A simple model of environmental tracking is studied. The model suggests that there is a trade-off between sensitivity to change and the costs of sampling. The model is tested using great tits (Parus major) foraging in an aviary. The trend in sampling was as predicted, but the birds were less sensitive to change than predicted. The problem of patch sampling is critically discussed. The value of sampling is defined, and this definition is used to compare the assumptions of previous models. Three such problems are treated: the importance of variance in the mixing distribution of patch sub-types; the importance of alternative and unambiguous patch types; and the importance of patch depression. It is concluded that previous models have often over-valued sampling. A simple and natural model of partial patch recognition is considered, and is shown to have empirical support. Implications and limitations of these models of information are discussed.

Thesis--Tübingen. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 249-252).

Thesis (PhD.(Anatomy)--Faculty of Health Sciences)-University of Pretoria, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references.

The study describes, under the view point of zoological systematics, the vectors involved in the main zoonosis of Sergipe and its distribution in the regional ecosystems. Additionally are commented related aspects to the etiologic agents, biology of the vectors, number of cases registered in Sergipe during 1999 2004 and the potential zoonosis. Animals belonging to 6 taxonomic orders are transmitters of zoonosis in Sergipe: Diptera (19 species), Hemiptera (9 species), Siphonaptera (7 species), Rodentia (3 species), Basomatophora (2 species) and Chiroptera (2 species). Restricted to the caatinga it were registered 5 species (Diptera 3, Hemiptera 2), 6 species are presented in the atlantic forest (Diptera 3, Hemiptera 3) and 31 species are distributed in both domains (Diptera 13, Hemiptera 4, Siphonaptera 7, Basomatophora 2, Rodentia 3 and Chiroptera 2). Artificial Identifications keys for recognizing orders, families, subfamilies, genus and species are presented. The main zoonosis presented in Sergipe are the classic and hemorrhagic dengue fever, cutaneous and visceral leishmaniosis, Chagas disease, schistossomosis and leptospirosis.The potential zoonosis are the urban yellow fever, malaria, filariosis, and human pest. It was not detected endemic zoonosis in the region; restricted to the northeast focuses are the Chagas disease and schistossomosis. The others zoonosis occur in all regions. / O presente estudo descreve sob o ponto de vista da sistemática zoológica os principais vetores que transmitem zoonoses em Sergipe e as distribuições destes nos ecossistemas regionais. Adicionalmente são comentados aspectos relacionados aos agentes etiológicos, biologia dos vetores, número de casos registrados em Sergipe durante 1999 2004 e as zoonoses potenciais. Animais pertencentes a 6 ordens taxonômicas são transmissores de zoonoses em Sergipe: Diptera (19 espécies), Hemiptera (9 espécies), Siphonaptera (7 espécies), Rodentia (3 espécies), Basomatophora (2 espécies) e Chiroptera (2 espécies). Restritas à caatinga foram registradas 5 espécies (Diptera 3, Hemiptera 2), 6 espécies estão presentes na mata atlântica (Diptera 3, Hemiptera 3) e 31 espécies estão distribuídas em ambos os domínios (Diptera 13, Hemiptera 4, Siphonaptera 7, Basomatophora 2, Rodentia 3 e Chiroptera 2). São apresentadas chaves artificiais de identificação para reconhecimento das ordens, famílias, subfamílias, gêneros e espécies. As principais zoonoses presentes em Sergipe são as dengues clássica e hemorrágica, leishmaniose visceral e cutânea, doença de Chagas, esquistossomose e leptospirose. As zoonoses potenciais são a febre amarela urbana, malária, filariose e peste humana. Não foram detectadas zoonoses endêmicas na região; restritas a focos do nordeste estão a doença de Chagas e a esquistossomose. As demais zoonoses ocorrem em todas as regiões.

The stratigraphy of an archaeological site is fundamental to the understanding of that site's history of occupation, use and abandonment. Archaeological stratigraphy is subject to a variety of post-depositional processes that may damage or destroy this stratigraphy. This work focuses on one such process, faunalturbation, i.e. the process of mixing by animals. The effects of the invertebrate soil mesofauna, in particular earthworms, were studied in this work. Three archaeological sites were investigated using faunal surveys, thin section micromorphology, 137CS profiling, field recording and determinations of pH, loss on ignition, bulk density and particle size distribution. This study views faunalturbation as a system and attempts to delineate and confirm the relationships within that study. The results demonstrate that soil properties such as loss on ignition and pH have some effect on the populations of soil invertebrates and on the intensity and distribution of faunalturbation, but that there are likely to be other factors which also have a significant influence. Two models of the possible impact that invertebrate faunalturbation has on archaeological stratigraphy are advanced and tested, with one being found to be more accurate. This model posits that the most rapid and complete impact on archaeological stratigraphy is found to occur in the uppermost region of an archaeological site, with significant but lesser impact occurring more slowly in the deeper part of an archaeological site. Where a site has accumulated in an episodic fashion, there may be zones at depth within an archaeological site which have had all stratigraphic units completely reworked by invertebrate faunalturbation.