Objectives

The objective of the Captive Management Program is to underpin decisions relating to the captive management of the diverse Perth Zoo animal collection with sound scientific knowledge.

Background

Captive management of wild animals presents many challenges.

Non-domestic species often do not thrive in the captive environment and traditionally we have used both formal and anecdotal methods to gather information and apply the best quality thinking possible to managerial decisions. Often the challenges need immediate resolution and we are unable to take advantage of students as a resource due to the need to schedule their work. In these cases we often use staff and volunteers with varying levels of expertise to gather information to assist in decision making.

More often students are used to undertake systematic studies into group dynamics or in analysis of the early growth and development of planned offspring. These studies form the frame work against which anecdotal information is compared when an unexplained variance occurs. One particular work of note is the Masters theses of Mr Leif Cocks which helped identify the health and welfare benefits of maintaining orangutan in mother/infant groups rather than as troops typical of many captive environments.

The advent of behavioural enrichment has set new challenges to ascertain natural behaviour patterns and work to create captive environments to replicate those patterns. In so doing abnormal behaviours are minimised and "normal" psychology is promoted.

Animal exhibit design has a substantial influence on behavioural repertoire as well as visitor experience; both are enhanced where a naturalistic approach is taken.

Genetic studies are rare, there have been revisions of the genetic tools used to manage Zoo populations, these are complex and are continuing, the application of these requires the cooperation of the larger zoological industry in most cases. There is need for DNA level genetic exploration to ensure that captive populations are representative of the heterozygosity found in wild populations if these are to become useful reservoirs for endangered species.

Program Staff

Program Leader 

Mr Colin Hyde
Director LS, Perth Zoo

Other Perth Zoo staff

Dr Helen Robertson
Acting Director AHS&R, Perth Zoo

Mr Leif Cocks
Curator Exotic Mammals, Perth Zoo

Dr Rosemary Markham
Research Fellow, Perth Zoo

Dr Cree Monaghan
Director AHS&R, Perth Zoo

Dr Simone Vitali
Senior Veterinarian, Perth Zoo

Outside collaborators

Dr Peter Spencer
Conservation Geneticist, Murdoch University

Dr Alan Lymbery
Quantitative Geneticist, Murdoch University

Current Strategies

1. Conduct scientific investigations into the behaviour of Perth Zoo collection animals.

2. Advance knowledge of the husbandry requirements of Perth Zoo collection animals.

3. Research the genetics of, and evaluate the heterozygosity of, Perth and ARAZPA regional Zoo collection animal populations.

Proposed New Activities

(a) Alignment of captive to wild ethograms of Zoo animal behaviour in a naturalistic context.

(b) Collaborative genetic studies for captive breeding and release programs.

(taken from p24 of the Perth Zoo Research Business Plan)