EAZA is proud to announce the launch of its first Animal Welfare Forum. The Animal Welfare Forum will bring together up to 200 representatives of zoos and aquariums, welfare organisations and academic institutions for three days of workshops, presentations and other activities, discussing and highlighting an evidence-based approach to animal welfare and bridging the gap between welfare research and application.

The EAZA Animal Welfare Forum 2022 will be hosted by Apenheul Primate Park in Apeldoorn, The Netherlands from 21 to 24 March, 2022. 

EAZA and Apenheul Primate Park Foundation is inviting submission of abstracts for the EAZA Animal Welfare Forum 2022. The application deadline is 31 July 2021. 

For more information about the abstract submission procedure and the event please visit the event website. 

EAZA is committed to promoting the positive welfare of animals, not only in our member institutions but also through supporting zoos and aquaria which are currently working towards reaching EAZA’s accreditation standards. EAZA encourages and supports adoption of a proactive approach, to both undertaking and applying animal welfare scientific research. We adopt a multi-faceted, multi-disciplined approach to promotion of animal welfare best-practice via the delivery of animal welfare training and knowledge sharing platforms:

• The EAZA Academy organises and delivers a range of zoo and aquarium-focused professional training, including animal welfare-based workshops and courses.
• Development of the Erasmus+ funded European Professional Zookeeper Qualification Framework (EPZQF).
• EAZA Conference and Forums, including the EAZA Annual Conference, Nutrition Conference, Zoo Educators Conference and launching the EAZA Animal Welfare Forum. The EAZA Animal Welfare Forum will be held 22-24 March 2022, and will be hosted by Apenheul Primate Park in the Netherlands, registrations and Call for Abstracts will be opening after the summer of 2021. Save the Date!
• ‘EAZA Animal Welfare’ Facebook group – sharing evidence-based animal welfare research and application.

The EAZA Accreditation system

The EAZA Accreditation system which ensures that EAZA Accredited Members reach EAZA’s Standards of Accommodation and Care of Animals in Zoos and Aquaria, alongside EAZA’s Guidelines, such as the EAZA Guidelines on the use of animals in public demonstrations have now been incorporated into the EAZA Standards on the Accommodation and Care of Animals in Zoos and Aquariums. Those institutions who do not reach EAZA’s accreditation standards have the opportunity to join our Candidate for Membership programme. Candidates for Membership are supported by EAZA and the EAZA Technical Assistance Committee via the mentorship programme and production of EAZA’s Technical Assistance Manual: 'The Modern Zoo: foundations for Management and Development’, to aid them in raising their standards.

Production of resources, which include article animal welfare information:

• EAZA’s Journal of Zoo and Aquarium Research (JZAR). JZAR is open-access to ensure evidence-based animal management knowledge is available for all animal management professionals.
• Production of animal care Best Practice Guidelines.
• Our quarterly magazine, Zooquaria (free to download).

The EAZA Animal Welfare Working Group (AWWG) is currently focused on: 

• Supporting planning and delivery of the EAZA Animal Welfare Forum 2022
•  Maintaining the Animal Welfare Assessments Library 
• Forming links with the EAZA Taxon Advisory Groups (TAGs) through establishing Animal Welfare Liaison
• Providing animal welfare support to the EAZA Membership

Animal Welfare Assessments Library and decision-making tool

The ability to assess animal welfare within our zoo and aquarium collections is very valuable tool. Periodic assessment will not only provide understanding of the current state of welfare for the animals in our care, but it will also allow for monitoring in welfare changes and identify areas for welfare improvement. The EAZA Animal Welfare Assessments Library is a collection of previously established animal welfare assessments/auditing tools that have been kindly shared from researchers and animal management institutions. For more information and access to the public Library, please click here

EAZA Taxon Advisory Group (TAG) – Animal Welfare Liaisons

This project is focused on establishing information sharing frameworks and channels between welfare specialists, welfare research and representatives from EAZA Taxon Advisory Groups. This project aims to ensure scientific developments in welfare best practice are being efficiently shared and utilised in all taxon.

EAZA Welfare Webinars are free and open to all, to support animal management professionals across the wider animal management community. Joining the webinars are a fantastic opportunity to gain professional development from experts in the animal welfare field, which you can apply within your own work to promote evidence-based positive animal welfare.

Please see below registration links, save-the dates, and recordings of previous webinars. Register for our next webinar now!

Next webinar(s)

Diet and welfare - with a focus on the right carbohydrates

Dr Amy Plowman, Head of Conservation and Science, Bumblebee Conservation Trust; EAZA Nutrition Working Group

Getting nutrition right is essential for all aspects of zoo animal health and welfare. Getting it right includes providing the right level of all nutrients, storing and preparing feeds hygienically and presenting food in ways to promote natural foraging and feeding behaviour. This webinar will focus on getting the right balance of nutrients, with a particular emphasis on providing the right types of carbohydrates and why this is more important than has been traditionally recognised. The benefits of lower sugar and higher fibre diets will be demonstrated by various examples from over 20 years of nutrition research at Paignton and Newquay Zoos, largely involving the removal of fruit from the diets of primates and other herbivores. 

16 June 2021, 14:00-15:00 (Central European Time)

PLEASE REGISTER HERE

Confronting Back-of-House Traditions: Primates as a Case Study

with Sabrina Brando, Director of AnimalConcepts and Jon Coe, Director John Coe Design

Non-public animal areas in zoos, often called “back of house” (henceforth BOH), also “off-display”, “bedrooms”, or “holding areas”. Progress has been made improving animal quality of life in larger, more naturalistic and enriched indoor areas. However, we observe that quality of life in the BOH areas has improved little in comparison and can result in animals being confined in less stimulating and enriching spaces for substantial periods of the 24-hour day. This presentation will give an overview of our research in order to substantially improve animal welfare in BOH areas and conclude by suggesting a new integrated design model based not upon rote standards, and copying old models, but building rather on empirical foundations while embracing empathy and innovation.

Click here for the webinar recording

The ability to assess animal welfare within our zoo and aquarium collections is very valuable tool. Periodic assessment will not only provide understanding of the current state of welfare for the animals in our care, but it will also allow for monitoring in welfare changes and identify areas for welfare improvement.

The EAZA Animal Welfare Assessments Library is a collection of previously established animal welfare assessments/ auditing tools that have been kindly shared from researchers and animal management institutions. The established assessments all take slightly different approaches to welfare monitoring and therefore this gives the opportunity to align your organisations needs with the appropriate pre-established assessments. A decision-making tool has been provided for the full library by the EAZA Animal Welfare Working Group in order to support members in selecting the most appropriate assessment for their needs.

The full library is now available on the Animal Welfare Working Group SharePoint page for EAZA member access. The library will continue to grow with more institutions offering their assessments and more translations of the current assessments being submitted.

 A number of institutions have offered to share their welfare assessment tools publicly, please see below for the welfare assessment library for public use.

  EAZA Animal Welfare Assessments Library: 

• AnimalConcepts 
• Detroit Zoological Society 
• Zoos Victoria (plus EAZA Animal Welfare Forum 2020 webinar: welfare risk assessment tool)

• Wildlife Reserves Singapore:
• Animal Welfare Assessment

• Wild Planet Trust:
• Animal Welfare Assessment
• Hungarian translation
• German translation
• French translation
• Czech translation
• Danish translation
• Spanish translation
• Portuguese translation
• Romanian translation
• Ukrainian translation
• Russian translation
• Arabic translation 1 and translation 2 
• Chinese translation
• Vietnamese translation

• Zoological Society of London:
• General instructions
• Mitigation Strategy
• Mitigation Strategy per animal
• Useful References
• Welfare audit
• Welfare audit per animal

• Welfare management system:
• Welfare Management Part 1 – Enclosure, Husbandry, Diet and Management
• Welfare Audit Part 2 – Behaviour
• Welfare Audit Part 3 – Social Grouping, Reproduction, Mortality and Morbidity Review
• Welfare Management Species Summary