ANIMAL WELFARE

In collaboration with other European zoos, in order to have the most data, several studies are underway, in particular:

• Siamanghi

  • Acoustic and behavioral analysis: was co-funded no. 1 scholarship to attend the PhD Program in Biological Sciences and Applied Biotechnology cycle XXXIX, lasting 3 years, on the following research topic: “Interactive singing as promoter of individual acoustic rhythms” (PhD student: Lia Laffi - Referring Professor: Marco Gamba)
    This project explores rhythmicity in their vocal and locomotor behaviors, investigating the relationship between singing and movement. A particularly interesting aspect is the co-occurrence of singing and brachiation, which could amplify vocal intensity through simultaneous activation of trunk muscles.

  • Behavioral analyses: Our research project in bioparks focuses on long-term observation of the social behavior of a family group, analyzing how relationships between individuals change with growth, new births, and the external environment (such as the presence of visitors or changes in climate). In support, noninvasive endocrine monitoring (salivary cortisol) has been integrated to assess the physiological impact of environmental stimuli. This multidimensional approach provides key data to improve animal welfare and management in ex situ conservation programs.

• ​Penguins: in accordance with research priorities on African penguins (Spheniscus demersus), a highly endangered and rapidly declining species, in collaboration with SANCCOB and different national universities, the Zoom Foundation is pursuing the following research:

  • Moult study and impact on behavior: The African penguin faces a catastrophic molt each year, during which it completely loses its plumage to renew its insulating and waterproof functions. It cannot swim or feed during this phase, losing up to 40 percent of its body mass. Moulting occurs in three stages (pre-moult, molt, post-moult) and is influenced by diet and environmental conditions. To survive, penguins accumulate fat reserves in the preceding months. Food shortages due to intensive fishing for sardines and anchovies hinder this process, compromising survival and reproduction.
    Today the African penguin is classified critically endangered (IUCN, 2024), with a dramatic population decline: -73% in South Africa in 30 years. Studying and protecting the moulting process is crucial to the conservation of the species.

  • Studying hatchlings to understand the ontogeny of behavior: the study analyzes the social behaviors of African penguin chicks raised with parents or with assisted feeding, assessing how they integrate into the group. Over the course of two years, three growth stages will be monitored: newly hatched chicks, one-year-old juveniles and sub-adults.
    The goal is to understand if and how the type of management influences behavior, social interactions, and overall development of individuals.

  • Social networks study: this study investigates how the inclusion of new individuals affects existing social dynamics and whether factors such as personality or genetic affinity, determine the formation of “friendships” between penguins.

    The goal is to understand whether there are recurring social patterns and whether these are also found in colonies in the wild.
    Analyzing social networks in captive groups can thus offer useful tools for improving the welfare and management of individuals, as well as provide useful data for the conservation of the species.

  • Study of different behavioral dynamics, in collaboration with different academic institutions and with the support of EAZA (European association of Zoo and Aquaria): the project analyzes behavior also in relation to environmental dynamics in collaboration with the Department Pharmaceutical Science and Technology  - Ornella Abollino, Agnese Giacomino.

  • Genetic research: Ex situ breeding programs aim to conserve the genetic diversity of species (at least 90 percent of genetic diversity for 100 years, ensuring evolutionary potential). As genetic diversity declines with each generation because not all alleles are passed on, genetic research makes it possible to slow this loss, reduce selective pressure, and sustain long-term population survival. 

  • Study on aspergillosis in collaboration with the University of Turin - Department of Veterinary Sciences (field of parasitology) - Andrea Peano
    Study on malaria in collaboration with the University of Bari and Pistoia Zoo - Antonio Camarda

  • Study on African penguin vocalizations and different dynamics in
    collaboration with the University of Turin - Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology - Livio Favaro

• ​Felines

  • ​Studies of behavioral and social dynamics in groups of felines in a controlled environment: feline species have for years been considered mostly solitary, with the exception of lions. Recent monitoring technologies such as phototraps and radiotracking are allowing us to document more and more exceptions to this assumption, showing that not only lions are social felines. Habitat reduction, is in fact leading more and more individuals to aggregate and/or stay together even as adults, that is, past the juvenile stage, the phase when they generally stay together. The objective is therefore to study the sociality and behavior of different feline species (today little investigated), thanks to the study of groups present in different zoological structures - in collaboration with Giovanni Quintavalle Pastorino Arbocò

• Lemurs
  Studies on behavioral and reproductive dynamics, in collaboration with the University of Turin - Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology and the Department of Veterinary Sciences Patrizia Ponzio - Elisabetta Macchi