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Conservation as a moral justification for zoos
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C o n s e r v a t i o n as a M o r a l J u s t i f i c a t i o n for Zoos S.St.C. BOSTOCK
Gl~gowZoo, Glasgow(GLBri~in) ABSTRACT While zoos must meet a moral challenge on grounds of animal welfare, and their defence must be a substantiated claim that animals can be kept in zoos in a state of wellbeing, they can also claim a moral justification in their role of aiding animal conservation. It is argued that conservation itselfis a moral concept, and it is proposed that it stems from a respect demanded from us by any "things", natural or man-made, which are valued by us in any of a variety of ways. Animals, considered as things, have m a n y features akin to those of works of art, as well as other unique features, which make their conservation amply appropriate. N e w developments in captive breeding, including the prospect of being able to manage captive populations of different endangered species as a whole with the aid of central databases, and the fact that zoos m a y serve as a substitute to protect actual wild areas from over-exploitation by tourists, are indications that zoos can, as a supplement to the direct protection of habitats, make their own responsible contribution to animal conservation.
S o m e I n v e s t i g a t i o n s into M o t i v a t i o n in the Domestic Fowl I.J.H. DUNCAN and V.G. KITE
AFRC Institute of Anirnal Physiology and Genetics Research, Roslin, Midlothian ( Gt. Britain) ABSTRACT In assessing welfare, what we ultimately want to know is how animals "feel" about the conditions under which they are kept and the procedures to which they are subjected. Although it is impossible to measure subjective feelings directly, it m a y be possible to get some idea of how positive or negative an animal "feels" by indirect methods. One approach is to examine an animals' preference for different aspects of its environment. A development of this method is to measure the strength of the preference, or how strongly motivated the animal is to behave in various ways. The motivation of hens to reach a nest box (which they had previously been taught to use ) was tested in a runway by placing various obstacles such as a foot bath or an air blast or a swing door between the hen and the nest. The door could be made progressively more difficultto push open by adding weights to it. Using these methods, it was shown that once hens have learned to use a nest box, they are highly motivated to gain access to it (equivalent to their motivation to reach food after about 20 h of food deprivation). This contrasts with the popular belief that one of the reasons for floor eggs is that the birds are "lazy" or not motivated to fred a nest box. The sexual motivation of cocks and hens was investigated by testing ifthey would push through a swing door to gain access to a bird of the opposite sex. Both known and unknown target birds were used and, as a control, known and unknown target birds of the same sex were also used. Cocks
C o n s e r v a t i o n as a M o r a l J u s t i f i c a t i o n for Zoos S.St.C. BOSTOCK
Gl~gowZoo, Glasgow(GLBri~in) ABSTRACT While zoos must meet a moral challenge on grounds of animal welfare, and their defence must be a substantiated claim that animals can be kept in zoos in a state of wellbeing, they can also claim a moral justification in their role of aiding animal conservation. It is argued that conservation itselfis a moral concept, and it is proposed that it stems from a respect demanded from us by any "things", natural or man-made, which are valued by us in any of a variety of ways. Animals, considered as things, have m a n y features akin to those of works of art, as well as other unique features, which make their conservation amply appropriate. N e w developments in captive breeding, including the prospect of being able to manage captive populations of different endangered species as a whole with the aid of central databases, and the fact that zoos m a y serve as a substitute to protect actual wild areas from over-exploitation by tourists, are indications that zoos can, as a supplement to the direct protection of habitats, make their own responsible contribution to animal conservation.
S o m e I n v e s t i g a t i o n s into M o t i v a t i o n in the Domestic Fowl I.J.H. DUNCAN and V.G. KITE
AFRC Institute of Anirnal Physiology and Genetics Research, Roslin, Midlothian ( Gt. Britain) ABSTRACT In assessing welfare, what we ultimately want to know is how animals "feel" about the conditions under which they are kept and the procedures to which they are subjected. Although it is impossible to measure subjective feelings directly, it m a y be possible to get some idea of how positive or negative an animal "feels" by indirect methods. One approach is to examine an animals' preference for different aspects of its environment. A development of this method is to measure the strength of the preference, or how strongly motivated the animal is to behave in various ways. The motivation of hens to reach a nest box (which they had previously been taught to use ) was tested in a runway by placing various obstacles such as a foot bath or an air blast or a swing door between the hen and the nest. The door could be made progressively more difficultto push open by adding weights to it. Using these methods, it was shown that once hens have learned to use a nest box, they are highly motivated to gain access to it (equivalent to their motivation to reach food after about 20 h of food deprivation). This contrasts with the popular belief that one of the reasons for floor eggs is that the birds are "lazy" or not motivated to fred a nest box. The sexual motivation of cocks and hens was investigated by testing ifthey would push through a swing door to gain access to a bird of the opposite sex. Both known and unknown target birds were used and, as a control, known and unknown target birds of the same sex were also used. Cocks