Welfare

Good welfare promotes good science

  • An important aspect of research with animals is ensuring the study is as stress-free as possible for both the welfare of the animals and the quality of the research.
  • The Chimpcam Project needed to start out with training, so we decided to start things off from a training and welfare point of view (for more information on our welfare study, please visit our Research page)
  • The Budongo Trail keepers work endlessly to ensure our chimpanzees are happy and healthy.
    • Through activities like training, enrichment, and research.

      • Training

          — What is training? — Positive Reinforcement Training is a method of training where “rewards are used to increase the performance of a preceding behaviour”
          — Why train? — It allows us to provide control and learning opportunities AND to improve animals’ abilities to cope with challenges (for example: in relation to husbandry requirements or dealing with high visitor density)
      • Enrichment
          — What is enrichment? — Objects and activities used to promote natural behaviours, provide positive stimulation, and improve welfare. It is an important part of animal care for the chimpanzees and also for pets at home.
          — Why enrich? — We offer enrichment to provide mental stimulation and exercise, to offer choices, and to give animals control over their own environment.
    • Check out some photos of these activities on our Pictures page.


For additional information on animal welfare, please visit: