What do black rhinos, green-winged macaws, and leopard geckos have in common? Very little, normally. But according to Jessica Whitham, a postdoctoral researcher in behavioral endocrinology, they are all part of a 13-species study being conducted by Whitham and the Chicago Zoological Society's vice president of conservation science, Dr. Nadja Wielebnowski. Their goal is to develop a way to easily track and improve animal well-being.
 
"There is a need for assessments that take into account the welfare of individuals rather than considering only the needs of species," says Whitham.
 
This groundbreaking research will lead to a tool that can be used to quickly pinpoint the well-being of individuals. To begin creating this tool, Whitham and Wielebnowski turned to zookeepers.
 
"Keepers spend every day with the animals and are able to detect subtle shifts in an individual's behavior and condition," Whitham adds. "Some of them have over 25 years of experience."
 
Whitham and Wielebnowski distributed questionnaires to some 40 keepers. They asked for each keeper's input on criteria that indicate an individual animal's well-being—for example, loss or presence of appetite, or listlessness or abundance of activity. The two are now in the process of collating this information into rating sheets that list the top 10 criteria of well-being for each of the 13 species.
 
But to ensure that these rating sheets are valid, the two will examine whether resulting scores are statistically correlated with other variables. For six months, fecal samples will be collected three times a week (fecal samples yield hormones that may indicate levels of animal stress); behavioral observations will be recorded three times a week using more rigorous animal behavior tracking technology; and medical information about the animals will be compiled regularly.
 
If keepers' informal observations of animals' well-being consistently correlate with these data, it will provide evidence that their observations are effective at providing a first and accurate assessment of the welfare of the animals in their care.
 
With this information in hand, Brookfield Zoo—and perhaps even other zoos—can provide rapid and ongoing evaluation of whether efforts to improve animal well-being are working.