Collaborations with Zoo de Bordeaux-Pessac in France

The whole team at AnimalConcepts is delighted to continue collaborating with Zoo de Bordeaux-Pessac, in France, in its transition and transformation over the coming years in the space of animal, human, and planetary wellbeing.

"I met Sabrina more than 15 years ago, and at that time I made a promise to myself: one day I will collaborate with her. In February 2022 that we materialized this with a 3-day visit to do an audit of the zoo. Very quickly I decided on starting a long-term collaboration as change takes time and we have a lot to do. Her interest and expertise in animal, human, and planetary wellbeing allow us, beyond the animals that hold a fundamental place in our professions, to address more broadly the wellbeing of our team, community and planet. It is through our new philosophy that we aim to continue and develop our practices in the direction of better living together and respecting the planet we share. I am convinced...

A new paper is freely available, a collaboration between SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, Universidade federal de Minas Gerais, and AnimalConcepts. The article is available open access and you can download it below.

ABSTRACT

While the existence of human–animal relationships dates back thousands of years, the effects of these bonds on animal well-being have only recently been examined in detail. The existing literature demonstrates that factors such as familiar human caregivers and persistent, predictable care may, for example, lower an animal’s fear response and improve overall welfare. The goal of the present study was to analyse how a range of variables, including age, sex, animal species, and previous bonds with a pet could influence the development of human–animal bonds between caregivers and animals at six affiliated zoological facilities. The present study is a survey of 201 animal caregivers focusing on their perception of the bonds shared between...

Team Building with BITE & AnimalConcepts at Zoo de Bordeaux-Pessac

Team Building with BITE has been invited to work alongside AnimalConcepts in France at Zoo de Bordeaux-Pessac on a 9-day practical & team building project, specifically focused on designing for elderly animals and captivity building and staff training. TBWB was founded in 2015, under the expertise of Mark Kingston-Jones and Chris Hales in animal welfare and behaviour. The project aims to help increase animal welfare through species-specific feeders and furniture in animal facilities worldwide, to provide animal keepers with items for their animals that they are unable to create due to lack of time or resources, and to provide their corporate teams with unique and fun days with an incredible reward, and where their efforts will make a genuine difference.

Prior to the arrival of TBWB, AnimalConcepts worked with the animal care staff at the zoo on the holistic approach to animal wellbeing through the lens of...