Mar 15, 2021 12:00:00

Zoo meerkats may be 'pleased' when the city blockade is lifted and guests visit again

According to the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums, zoos and aquariums around the world are visited by as many as 700 million people annually, but due to the urban blockade caused by the pandemic of the new coronavirus in 2020, zoos and aquariums are becoming more popular. I was forced to close the park. Researchers who observed the behavior of meerkats before and after the city blockade was lifted and the zoo was reopened, scientifically found that 'meerkats have increased positive interactions when zoo guests visit.' Published in the magazine Applied Animal Behavior Science.

Understanding impacts of zoo visitors: Quantifying behavioral changes of two popular zoo species during COVID-19 closures --ScienceDirect
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S016815912100040X

Zoo animals react to visitors returning after lockdown | Live Science
https://www.livescience.com/zoo-animals-react-to-visitors-after-lockdown.html

Due to the pandemic of the new coronavirus, measures such as urban blockade have been taken in each country, and zoos and aquariums have also been temporarily closed. The disappearance of visitors also seems to have affected the animals in captivity, The Guardian reports that 'animals are losing stimulus and suffering from boredom, ' the keeper told the animals. He said he had devised various ways to stimulate him. At the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, USA, an attempt was made to 'let the penguins who are usually seen explore the aquarium' and attracted people's attention.

CNN.co.jp: Penguins to see fish and explore unmanned halls with new corona measures US Aquarium
https://www.cnn.co.jp/fringe/35150862.html

Under these circumstances, Ellen Williams and colleagues, who study animal behavior and welfare at

Harper Adams University in the United Kingdom, wondered how closed animals live. thing. So Williams and colleagues worked on meerkats at three zoos in the UK and African penguins at aquariums in South Africa during the pandemic closure and after re-visitors. I decided to investigate.

'Usually zoos aren't closed for long periods of time, so this study gives us a unique opportunity to understand how meerkats and African penguins behaved in the absence of visitors. 'We provided it to Williams,' said Williams.

Keepers at each zoo and aquarium observed the behavior of meerkats and penguins several times a day from June to September 2020. The observation period began during the closing of the park due to a pandemic, and continued for a while even after it began accepting visitors again.

Analysis of the observations revealed that meerkats began to engage in many positive interactions such as play and grooming when the park closed and visitors reappeared. However, the research team also confirmed that at one zoo, meerkats became more vigilant during the opening period than during the closing period. The behavior of African penguins did not change between the closing period and the opening period, and it seems that they behaved in the same way regardless of the presence or absence of visitors.

The study is designed as a pilot study , and the research team advocates doing more research over a longer period of time to investigate the effects of zoo visitors on animals. 'I can't say what the animals were feeling, but the positive behavior we observed suggested that the return of the visitor was a positive and engaging experience,' Williams said. I am. '

Eduardo Fernandez, who studies ethology at the University of Adelaide in Australia, read this paper and read, 'Even meerkats may have felt a bit isolated.' 'This paper is most of a good science. Similarly, understanding the positive and negative impacts a visitor can have on animals opens up more questions about what to do in the future, 'says the scientific media Live Sciense. Told to.