ANIMAL WELFARE

IN A FEW WORDS .

• Location: multi-zoo studies in Europe and in the wild

• Project: scientific research on animal welfare, behavior and health status, carrying out several studies on different species in order to obtain more and more data useful for the protection and conservation of threatened species.
  Ex situ research is crucial for species conservation because:

  1. Supports in situ conservation: ex situ studies provide crucial data that can inform and guide conservation efforts in the field.

  2. Provides the ability to test hypotheses and understand species-specific needs: allows researchers to test variables (e.g., diet, enrichment, behavior) under replicable conditions and to study physiology and genetics, thereby improving conservation strategies in the wild.

  3. Enables long-term studies: individuals can be monitored for years, along different life stages and seasons.

  4. Provides innovation and technological experimentation: new tools (e.g., biologger, tracking using artificial intelligence, noninvasive sampling) can be tested before field application.

  5. Follows breeding and genetic management programs: ex situ populations participate in coordinated programs (e.g., EAZA/EEP) to preserve genetic diversity, ensuring healthy populations for future reintroductions.

  6. Enable millions of park visitors to be educated: today, 10% of the population visits zoos, so different target groups can be educated and sensitized, promoting support for conservation and helping to fund projects.

• Goal: create a database of information collected ex situ, also useful for organizations protecting these species in the wild, thanks to an analysis of the different data collected and subsequent comparison of the data collected in situ, i.e. in the wild, amplifying the impact of conservation actions.