Using the Welfare Quality® framework to develop a welfare assessment protocol for captive chimpanzees (Pan...

Area of Science:

• Animal Welfare Science
• Primatology
• Conservation Biology

Background:

• Growing global concern for captive animal welfare and its importance for conservation.
• Zoo visitors prioritize animal welfare, necessitating improved assessment tools.
• Current welfare assessments often focus on avoiding negative states, with a need to promote positive states.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and propose species-specific welfare indicators for captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes).
• To adapt the EU Welfare Quality® protocol for assessing chimpanzee welfare.
• To shift focus towards promoting positive welfare in captive animals.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature review following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines.
• Identification of animal-based and resource-based welfare indicators.
• Adaptation of the EU Welfare Quality® protocol principles and criteria.

Main Results:

• Proposed 14 animal-based and 16 resource-based welfare indicators for captive chimpanzees.
• Successfully adapted the EU Welfare Quality® protocol for this species.
• Demonstrated a framework for developing taxon-specific welfare assessment tools.

Conclusions:

• The developed indicators provide a robust framework for assessing captive chimpanzee welfare.
• This adaptation highlights the potential for tailoring the Welfare Quality® protocol to diverse species.
• Considering species-specific natural history is crucial for effective welfare assessment tools.