The endangered brain: actively preserving animal behaviour and cognition will benefit conservation.

Endangered species have small, unsustainable population sizes that are geographically or genetically restricted. conservation programmes are therefore faced with the challenge of breeding sufficiently sized, genetically diverse populations earmarked for reintroduction that have the behavioural skills to survive and breed in the wild. Yet, maintaining historically beneficial behaviours may be insufficient, as research continues to suggest that certain cognitive-behavioural skills and flexibility are necessary to cope with human-induced rapid environmental change (HIREC).

From Soundwave to Soundscape: A Guide to Acoustic Research in Captive Animal Environments.

Sound is a complex feature of all environments, but captive animals' soundscapes (acoustic scenes) have been studied far less than those of wild animals. Furthermore, research across farms, laboratories, pet shelters, and zoos tends to focus on just one aspect of environmental sound measurement: its pressure level or intensity (in decibels). We review the state of the art of captive animal acoustic research and contrast this to the wild, highlighting new opportunities for the former to learn from the latter.

Evaluating Cognitive Enrichment for Zoo-Housed Gorillas Using Facial Recognition.

The use of computer technology within zoos is becoming increasingly popular to help achieve high animal welfare standards. However, despite its various positive applications to wildlife in recent years, there has been little uptake of machine learning in zoo animal care. In this paper, we describe how a facial recognition system, developed using machine learning, was embedded within a cognitive enrichment device (a vertical, modular finger maze) for a troop of seven Western lowland gorillas () at Bristol Zoo Gardens, UK.

Bridging pure cognitive research and cognitive enrichment.

Cognitive enrichment is a growing subset of environmental enrichment for captive animals. However, it has been difficult for practitioners to design, implement, and evaluate relevant and appropriate cognitive challenges. Even though pure comparative cognition researchers focus on fundamental evolutionary questions, their knowledge and expertise can also shape the future of cognitive enrichment.

Material and food exploration by zoo-housed animals can inform cognition and enrichment apparatus design.

To robustly study zoo animal cognition and provide effective enrichment, we must provide animals with carefully designed apparatus made from appropriate (safe, attractive, practical) materials. However, all too often, this design phase is overlooked or omitted from the literature. We evaluated how a troop of 12 ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) explored a range of novel materials and whole foods during outdoor social testing.

High-Tech and Tactile: Cognitive Enrichment for Zoo-Housed Gorillas.

The field of environmental enrichment for zoo animals, particularly great apes, has been revived by technological advancements such as touchscreen interfaces and motion sensors. However, direct animal-computer interaction (ACI) is impractical or undesirable for many zoos. We developed a modular cuboid puzzle maze for the troop of six Western lowland gorillas () at Bristol Zoo Gardens, United Kingdom.

Advances in Applied Zoo Animal Welfare Science.

Nonhuman animal welfare science is the scientific study of the welfare state of animals that attempts to make inferences about how animals feel from their behavior, endocrine function, and/or signs of physical health. These welfare measurements are applicable within zoos yet inherently more complex than in farms and laboratories. This complexity is due to the vast number of species housed, lack of fundamental biological information, and relatively lower sample sizes and levels of experimental control.

Cognitive enrichment for bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus): evaluation of a novel underwater maze device.

Cognitive enrichment is gaining popularity as a tool to enhance captive animal well-being, but research on captive cetaceans is lacking. Dolphin cognition has been studied intensively since the 1950s, and several hundred bottlenose dolphins are housed in major zoos and aquaria worldwide, but most dolphin enrichment consists of simple floating objects. The aim of this study was to investigate whether a novel, underwater maze device (UMD) was cognitively enriching for one group of male and one group of female dolphins at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, CA.

Effect of a cognitive challenge device containing food and non-food rewards on chimpanzee well-being.

Exploration and problem-solving are highly motivated behaviors in non-human primates, but little research has focused on whether cognitively challenging tasks can enhance primates' psychological well-being, particularly in the absence of food rewards. We evaluated whether a novel cognitive challenge device (CCD) consisting of a maze of opaque tubes enhanced the well-being of a group of six adult chimpanzees housed at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo, UK, over a two-month period. Chimpanzees had the opportunity to interact with two versions of the CCD: the first contained tokens which fell into a transparent chamber when extracted from the CCD and could not be eaten.

Space to choose: network analysis of social preferences in a captive chimpanzee community, and implications for management.

Social network analysis (SNA) is rapidly gaining popularity in primatology, but its application to the management of zoo-housed primates has been largely overlooked. Here I use SNA techniques to explore the social structure of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) housed in the new "Budongo Trail" exhibit at Edinburgh Zoo, UK. Given that individuals have extensive space (2332 m(2)), and access to several interconnected exhibit sections, I test the hypothesis that individuals are able to choose to interact with specific social partners.

Relationship between behavior, adrenal activity, and environment in zoo-housed western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla).

Monitoring adrenal activity through noninvasive fecal hormone sampling is rapidly gaining popularity as a tool to assess zoo animal welfare. However, few studies have sought to investigate the interrelationships between behavior, adrenal activity, and environment, and ask whether both behavioral and adrenal monitoring strategies are required to assess welfare sufficiently. We present the findings of a 9-month study of a small group (one male, two females) of Western lowland gorillas, Gorilla gorilla gorilla.

Environmental enrichment for a mixed-species nocturnal mammal exhibit.

Environmental enrichment (EE) is an integral aspect of modern zoo animal management but, empirical evaluation of it is biased toward species housed in single-species groups. Nocturnal houses, where several nocturnal species are housed together, are particularly overlooked. This study investigated whether three species (nine-banded armadillos, Dasypus novemcinctus; Senegal bush babies, Galago senegalensis; two-toed sloths, Choloepus didactylus) in the nocturnal house at Paignton Zoo Environmental Park, UK could be enriched using food-based and sensory EE.

The dining etiquette of desert baboons: the roles of social bonds, kinship, and dominance in co-feeding networks.

To better understand how individual relationships influence patterns of social foraging in primate groups, we explored networks of co-feeding in wild desert baboons (Papio ursinus). To minimize the risk of aggression and injury associated with contest competition, we expected that individual group members would choose to co-feed with those group-mates that are most likely to show tolerance and a willingness to share food patches. We tested two alternative hypotheses about who those group-mates might be: the "social bonds hypothesis" predicts that preferred foraging partners will be those with whom individuals share strong social bonds, indexed by grooming, whereas the "kinship hypothesis" predicts that preferred foraging partners will be relatives.