Globally, fish and birds outnumber mammals, reptiles and amphibians in zoos, but a study by scientists at the University of Exeter in the UK says mammals are consistently the main focus of research on zoo-housed animals.

This ‘mammal bias’ also exists in wider research, including in the wild, but lead author of the Zoo Animal Research Skewed towards Popular Species study Dr Paul Rose says zoos offer wonderful opportunities to study other species.

The study looked at the last decade of research on zoo-housed animals, both by zoo staff and visiting scientists, and noted the growth and value of such studies.

“Some species, such as chimpanzees, are popular with scientists because we know a lot about them, they are accessible and humans can relate to them,” says Rose.

“As well as being found in zoos, many of these species are relatively easy to find and study in the wild. By contrast, it would be hard to find a waxy monkey frog in the rainforest to conduct your research.

Zoos offer a fantastic opportunity to study a vast range of species, many of which would be very difficult to observe in their natural habitat, adds Rose.

“Our findings can teach us about conversation, animal health and how best to house them in zoos. Despite the mammal bias, the output from zoo research has diversified and zoo animals are being used to answer a whole range of important scientific questions.”

The study also examined whether research on different animals tended to focus on different topics. “Lots of mammal studies are about animal welfare, which is great, but we should also research the welfare of fish, birds and anything else we keep in zoos,” Rose says.

“At the moment, we’re publishing on the same few species, rather than broadening our scope. Obviously we have lots to learn about every species, but opportunities to study many other zoo-housed animals are currently being missed.”

Ten years ago, published research identified the need for studies about a range of species beyond much-loved animals such as elephants and primates.

Source: University of Exeter. ‘Zoo animal research skewed towards ‘popular’ species’

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