Summary
The CCSAW Student Chapter had the opportunity to do a behind-the-scenes tour of Toronto Zoo.
On Friday, April 26, 20 students from the Campbell Centre for the Study of Animal Welfare (CCSAW) had the opportunity to do a behind-the-scenes tour of the Toronto Zoo.
This tour started off with Olivia Franzin, Behaviour and Welfare Animal Welfare Research Assistant from the zoo, who talked to the group both about the philosophy of animal welfare held by the zoo, as well as what her job entails. Olivia herself is a graduate of CCSAW. The zoo’s mission is to “provide an integrated, comprehensive and continually evolving science-based welfare program to ensure the well-being of all animals in our care”. The science part is critical to their work and includes continual measuring of an animal’s physical, mental and emotional states over a period of time. With 4,306 animals made up of 408 different species, Olivia’s role comprises constant monitoring and data collection. For example, the tiger exhibit is being overhauled so the Sumatran and the Amur (or Siberian) tigers are being housed together for the first time. They now are being closely watched for welfare indicators such as change in appetite, behaviour and emotions.
The zoo’s welfare team uses various assessment tools – animal welfare assessments, quality of life forms, life event/change quizzes and individual monitoring questionnaires which are used to monitor each animal’s quality of life. Data is always being collected and analyzed. On top of these tools, the zoo is subject to spot audits from the American and Canadian Associations of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA and CAZA). They are also a member of the Species Survival Plan which coordinates movement of breeding animals amongst qualified zoos. This helps reduce inbreeding and provides suitable genetic matches within an endangered species. After learning about the Animal Welfare Program, students met with members of the animal nutrition and veterinary medicine teams where they were lucky enough to observe a surgery to remove a mass on the foot of an echidna.
Finally, the students were divided into two groups. One of which went to learn more about the tigers, and one of which met, and got to feed the zoo’s herd of Bactrian (two-humped) camels. The herd included a family group and a breeding pair (Tilly and Zip). The male, Zip, was in rut so students got to observe unique behaviours including foaming at the mouth, exuding a black tar-like pheromone-heavy substance on his neck, pacing and grumbling. Tilly, unfortunately was unimpressed with all of his displays.
This tour, organized by the CCSAW Student Chapter runs annually at the end of the winter semester so students wanting to partake should watch their emails next April.
