Capacity building for better animal welfare

All zoos and aquariums aim to maintain animals with good welfare. Empirical evidence has demonstrated that various activities, described collectively as behavioural husbandry (BH), are associated with good animal welfare, so a lot of zoos now integrate BH into many of their captive animal management regimes. The widespread implementation of BH seems ubiquitous; however, some zoos do not have access to the resources, knowledge and skills that underpin BH. Building capacity within these zoos, so they have the information necessary to enhance the welfare of their animals, should be a high priority. In this case study, a workshop successfully provided 16 delegates with this information. Evaluation of the workshop demonstrated it effectively increased knowledge. More importantly, it proved to be a catalyst for a number of BH initiatives in a variety of zoos worldwide, which occurred after the workshop. Information was also promulgated further by delegates to colleagues within their institutions and also further afield within their region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]