Bem-estar em animais de zoológicos

Abstract

Although the human-animal relationship and the maintenance of captive animals date back thousands of years, concern about their welfare and recognition as a science was recently established, over the last three decades. The evolution of a simplistic view of wild animal collections as exhibitions and a trigger for human curiosity to a broader view, as environmental and conservational education, was based very slowly. Similarly, only in recent decades the importance of well-being in maintenance of animals in captivity has become evident, for both wild and farm animals. The main aspect responsible for this delay can be attributed to the Cartesian philosophy, which theorizes that the mind is unique to the human species; however advances in research on animal ethology in recent decades clearly shows the importance of establishing clear and objective concepts for good animal welfare, paving the groundwork for the recognition of the complexity of the animal’s life as an individual. For this, in 1967 it was established the precept of five animal rights for welfare: freedom from hunger, thirst and malnutrition; freedom from discomfort; freedom from pain, injury and disease; freedom to express natural behavior of species; freedom from fear and stress; which are the bases of the science of animal welfare. Among the various methods to contribute to the welfare of captive animals and to promote the five freedoms, there is the environmental enrichment, which can be understood as the introduction of creative varieties in the precincts. The different enrichment techniques used can be divided into five major groups: physical, sensorial, cognitive, social and alimentary. Thus, animal welfare is of great importance in keeping animals in zoos, as it is not possible to convey an accurate educational message if the animals do not present themselves healthy, physically and mentally.