Animal Wellness 2019 AnimalWellness_4_5_2019AM__SinglePagesDigital | Page 2

We are Dedicated to Excellence in Animal Care and Management To support our mission of wildlife conservation through education and participation, our employees and volunteers focus heavily on caring responsibly, professionally and passionately for all animals who call Brevard Zoo home. This includes the 900+ animals in our care, as well as those who come to the Zoo for rehabilitation and release back into their natural habitats. Animal wellness, which has always been and will continue to be the Zoo’s top priority, refers to an individual’s collective physical, mental and emotional states over a period of time. An animal typically experiences good welfare when it is safe, comfortable, well-nourished, physically healthy, and has the ability to develop and express species-typical behaviors, relationships and cognitive abilities. What benefits animals in human care is often good for their wild counterparts, too; as habitat loss, poaching, climate change and other factors drive species toward the brink, zoos like ours use their unique resources and knowledge to battle the extinction crisis. The research we conduct is valuable to field researchers, and breeding programs build up assurance populations of the world’s most endangered animals. This report offers a peek into the innovative, science-based practices that benefit our animals, community and planet. 1