Animal Well-Being
Animal well-being is an animal’s collective physical, mental, and emotional state over a period of time, and is measured on a continuum from good to poor.
Why do we measure wellness?
Zoo Atlanta uses evidence-based animal care to promote the highest standards of well-being; one way of doing this is by measuring welfare.
How do we measure wellness?
In addition to Animal Care Professionals monitoring animals daily, we measure well-being with quarterly/biannual assessments and research that explores cognition, activity budgets, behavior, and more.
Examples of well-being research
We have carried out studies with many of the animals, including behavioral observations for animals including but not limited to elephants, gorillas, giraffes, golden lion tamarins, flamingos, tawny frogmouths, milky eagle owls, blue-throated macaws, alpacas, and more; cognitive studies with orangutans and Ambassador Animals Department parrots; enrichment studies with lions and others; and training studies with goats.
Research
Research is an integral part of our mission at Zoo Atlanta.
Research helps us better understand and provide stewardship for the animals in our care, and it provides us with valuable insights that enable us to protect their counterparts in the wild.
Learn moreAnimal Health
From advancements at the Zoo to collaborating with global partners, Zoo Atlanta’s world-class Veterinary Team is dedicated to providing the highest standards of care. Animals thrive at Zoo Atlanta because of the innovative, individualized, and high level of medical care they receive.