Zoo Animals Welfare Assessment A Case Study From El-hamma Zoo Algiers

Abstract

This study assesses the welfare of zoo animals at El-Hamma Zoo in Algiers. For the evaluation of animal welfare in this zoo, we followed the protocol proposed by Ward et al. (2020), which includes a series of 110 items to be assessed through interviews with zoo staff and based on in-situ observations. These 110 items are divided into 11 sections, which are: veterinary care, animal management in the zoo, evaluation of animal behavior and mental health, food and hygiene, animal monitoring records, enclosures and barriers, visitors and contact with animals, transport and translocation, health and safety, staff, and finally, other parameters. These elements are rated as acceptable, questionable for those that need improvement, unacceptable for those that must be implemented or radically reviewed, and not applicable for those that do not apply to the case study. Our findings show that the primary concern is the mental health and behavior of the animals, followed by general animal management, safety and health issues, veterinary treatment, and finally, the control of contact between visitors and animals.