ArticleAnimals : an open access journal from MDPI2021
Public Feeding Interactions as Enrichment for Three Zoo-Housed Elephants.
Article in Animals : an open access journal from MDPI, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed.
- Behavioural Welfare Implications of Human Handling Practices in Zoo Snakes.Veterinary medicine and science · 2026Article
- Advancing evidence-informed practice in modern zoos: research priorities for animal welfare, conservation, and social legitimacy.Frontiers in veterinary science · 2026Review
- Animal-Visitor Interactions in Zoos and Aquariums: A Systematic Review.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2025Review
- Potential contribution of alpha-fetoprotein level to biomarker of pregnancy outcome in Asian elephants.Veterinary medicine and science · 2024Article
- Zoo Visitors' Most-Liked Aspects of Elephant Encounters and Related Perceptions of Animals' Emotions and Welfare States: A Pragmatic Approach.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2024Article
- An International Investigation of the Prevalence of Negative Visitor Behaviour in the Zoo.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2023Article
- A comprehensive investigation of negative visitor behaviour in the zoo setting and captive animals' behavioural response.Heliyon · 2023Article
- Article
- Cognitive Foraging Enrichment (but Not Non-Cognitive Enrichment) Improved Several Longer-Term Welfare Indicators in Bottlenose Dolphins.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2023Article
- Applied behavior analysis and the zoo: Forthman and Ogden (1992) thirty years later.Journal of applied behavior analysis · 2023Article
- Article
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The past few decades have seen increased interest in studies examining the welfare of elephants and animal-visitor interactions. One understudied area for both pursuits is the impact of public feeding interactions. Our study examined the effects of public feedings on the general activity of three zoo-housed elephants. Prior to public feedings, we developed and assessed a 21-behavior ethogram split into six classes of behavior. Comparisons between the elephants demonstrated that only one of the elephants engaged in stereotypies with regularity (>30%), and that the stereotypies occurred in place of most foraging. During public feedings, we compared the general activity of each elephant independently and across both public feeding and nonpublic feeding days, as well as the general activity before, during, and after a public feeding. Public feedings increased social activity and decreased stereotypies when compared with nonpublic feeding days for two of the elephants. In addition, all three elephants showed increased foraging and decreased inactivity in the period after a public feeding session. These results demonstrate that public feedings can be a useful tool for enriching the welfare of zoo-housed elephants and are among the first sets of data to demonstrate positive welfare outcomes associated with public feedings.
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