Research
Studying Macaw Wellness
In 2016, a Zoo employee raised a wellness concern about
Colonel, a middle-aged blue-and-yellow macaw. She felt
Colonel regularly appeared lethargic and spent more time
sleeping than the other macaws housed at the Zoo.
Addressing the Behavior and Causes
The behaviors of Colonel and two other macaws were
tracked for 10 minutes around midday for a four-month
period with researchers noting the location and grouping of
each bird as well as the presence or lack of nearby guests.
Informed Decisions
We used this data to build activity budgets that were
cross-examined with those of wild macaws. The data was
pleasantly surprising—Colonel rested more than her fellow
subjects during the observation period, but this percentage
of her activity budget fell within the window attributed to
wild macaws.
After allaying the initial concern, we conducted a holistic
animal-environment welfare assessment to identify other
issues that might need addressing.
Though our husbandry routine was found to be adequate,
animal care staff realized Colonel and the other macaws
needed more opportunities to associate with and
disassociate from exhibit-mates, hide from guests, eat
a diet reflective of their wild counterparts’ and make
meaningful choices.
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