Panorama do bem-estar animal nos zoológicos do Ceará

Abstract

Animal welfare is an interdisciplinary science that has come to be highly valued in recent years, internationally. This enhancement enabled advances in science knowledge, contributing to a significant change in the structure and objectives of existing zoos. Wild animals kept under human care are more susceptible to the development of stereotypies due to captive living conditions, such as spatial limitations of the environment and the provision of fixed diets at set times, making the environment predictable. Therefore, it is up to the enterprises that keep these animals try to promote adequate welfare for these beings. Considering zoos as important centers for ex situ conservation of biodiversity and considering Brazil as a megadiverse country that has been constantly attacking its biodiversity, it is important that these institutions are able to provide the best living conditions for animals live under human care. From this perspective, the present work aimed to present an overview of animal welfare in Ceará zoological parks, considering the environmental, behavioral, nutritional and health indicators and seeking to identify the possible difficulties for the promotion of welfare in these institutions. The research was conducted with the three institutions registered by IBAMA and SEMACE, divided into three different stages, with interviews with the technicians responsible for each institution, questionnaire applied to the keepers and observations of the enclosures arranged in the zoo exhibition. Each zoo presents its specific difficulties in promoting adequate welfare for the animals in its herd, but a common difficulty among them is the limitation of staff to apply activities such as environmental enrichment and conditioning. According to the data obtained it is possible to state that the analyzed institutions have a concern to promote an adequate welfare to the animals of their herd and make use of the resources available for such.