Noah's Ark Zoo Farm launches app to boost welfare of elephants
The app is designed to improve the welfare of elephants in places around the world where elephants are looked after by humans
Last updated 27th Jun 2023
A zoo in the Westcountry is one of the first to use a special app - which helps keepers at zoos, wildlife parks and other facilities learn how best to look after their elephants.
It's thanks to a team of researchers at the University of Nottingham, who'll be collecting the data which can then be monitored over time.
They've called their work 'essential' to make sure elephants can be enjoyed by future generations.
The app, called the ‘Elephant Welfare App (EWA), is designed to collect data, allowing zoos and safari parks to monitor the welfare of their elephants over time and identify changes that ultimately improve their welfare.
Dr. Lisa Yon, Associate Professor at the School of Veterinary Medicine & Science at the University of Nottingham, led the team which developed the app.
She said: ‘’Both African and Asian elephants are now endangered in the wild and are at great risk of extinction. Zoo elephants may represent an important population for conservation of these species and it is therefore important to ensure their well-being, but also contribute to their improved chances of survival so that they can continue to be enjoyed by future generations.
“Caring for elephants is an immense privilege but also a challenge. It is therefore essential that we identify what are the most essential, and feasible factors that can encourage the expression of natural behaviours and positive welfare."
Each time a user uploads data onto the app, they are automatically sent a detailed report containing graphs and tables, which provide a visual summary of all the behavioural observations entered for that elephant over time.
Data from all the participating facilities is stored in a large, secure database at the University of Nottingham, and it's hoped this will become one of the largest repositories of zoo elephant behavioural data in the world.
Researchers at the University can then use all of this collected data to give evidence-based, scientifically robust advice to captive elephant facilities on what they can do to encourage positive welfare in their elephants.
Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm in Somerset was one of the first facilities to use the new Android app, which comes soon after the wildlife charity opened a new plantation for their African elephants, Shaka, Janu and Sutton.
The 5,000sqm plantation is the first of its kind in the UK, and is home to willow, aspen, and poplar as well as other delicious elephant-friendly snacks.
Elephant Section Leader, Tom Lindley said: ‘’We believe that our elephant enclosure at Noah’s Ark Zoo is one of the best facilities for elephants in the world, providing top-notch welfare, but we are always keen to learn new ways in which to improve and maintain elephant welfare.
"The app, designed by the team at the University of Nottingham, allows us to make timely judgements about our elephants’ welfare by documenting their behaviour. This information helps us ensure that their welfare is the best that it can be at any point in time.’’
The EWA is available free to all elephant facilities across the globe, with initial users ranging from the United Kingdom to the US and Indonesia to South Africa.
In total, 17 facilities in the UK and Ireland have used the team’s welfare tool so far to monitor the welfare of over 70 captive elephants.