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Simple Summary: The use of decapods (such as lobsters and crabs) and cephalopods (such as octopuses and cuttlefish) by humans for food, experimentation and education (e.g., in zoos and aquariums) is on the increase. Growing evidence that these species have feelings and can experience emotions has highlighted the need for a tool to monitor the welfare of these species in captivity. This study adapted a welfare monitoring tool, the Animal Welfare Assessment Grid, that has been successfully used with a variety of mammal and bird species, for use with decapods and cephalopods. This tool was then trialed at a zoological institution (Marwell Zoo, UK) and, for the first time, a public aquarium (National Marine Aquarium, UK), with the intention of showing how data collected on invertebrates in a zoological environment can be both efficiently and easily applied to implement positive welfare. This study highlights how evaluating the welfare impact of management processes using animal-based indicators can lead to improved welfare outcomes. Consumer demand for invertebrates is on the rise as their numbers in the wild dwindle. However, with the growing conservation efforts of modern zoos and aquariums, and evidence from over 300 studies showing that invertebrates are capable of sentience, public interest, and moral concern for welfare of invertebrates have increased. The challenge for zoos and aquariums is in developing an objective and repeatable method for evaluating welfare that can be applied to invertebrates in zoological collections. Recently introduced into zoological collection management is the Animal Welfare Assessment Grid (AWAG). The AWAG helps to identify negative and positive welfare states, through assessing animal- and environmental-based indicators to make changes that lead to a better quality of life. Originally developed for the assessment of laboratory primates, the system has been successfully adapted to assess a variety of taxa across different environments, facilitated by the development of cloud-based software. In this study, the AWAG has been adapted to assess the cumulative lifetime experience of captive decapods and cephalopods at two different institutions, Marwell Zoo and National Marine Aquarium. This study has provided further evidence that the AWAG is adaptable and demonstrates the first time any objective scoring system has been successfully adapted for use in invertebrates. Through graphical representation, the results show that the AWAG identifies changes in welfare scores that can be attributed to specific events and can be used to predict the future vulnerability of species to welfare changes and suggest alternative management methods. This monitoring tool provides a versatile method of implementing practical welfare monitoring in zoos and aquariums. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various assessment tools that have been proposed thus far have disadvantages in that they are complex, time-consuming, non-objective, and not convenient for assessing multiple zoos. This study aimed to develop a simple, objective, and reliable welfare assessment tool, the modified Animal Welfare Assessment Grid (AWAG), that can be applied in South Korea, where there is no licensing system for zoos. The AWAG has four main sections: physical, psychological, environmental, and procedural. These four sections include 23 welfare factors like general conditions, behaviors, housing, and restraints, for which each individual or group of animals is given a score. The modified AWAG system was applied by converting the 10-point rating scale of the original AWAG to a 6-point Likert scale. Sixteen zoos in Korea were selected based on the zoos with the most animals. Three inspectors assessed the scores of each animal and then averaged the results. The total data surveyed included 16,065 items. Zoos were largely classified into four grades based on the size of the zoo, animal species, and operating organization. In a relatively short period of 14 days, all the zoos were successfully assessed. Despite the shortened and modified assessment tool, the inter-rater reliability among inspectors was 0.942 with high objectivity. The modified AWAG could identify welfare differences between grades of Korean zoos. There were large differences between zoos in most environmental sections and some zoos were evaluated as having inadequate welfare levels. The modified AWAG showed high usability and objectivity. In addition, it was possible to determine which environmental or procedural sections could potentially help improve physical and psychological scores. The modified AWAG is an objective method that could set the direction for the improvement of zoo welfare in the future.

Consumer demand for invertebrates is on the rise as their numbers in the wild dwindle. However, with the growing conservation efforts of modern zoos and aquariums, and evidence from over 300 studies showing that invertebrates are capable of sentience, public interest, and moral concern for welfare of invertebrates have increased. The challenge for zoos and aquariums is in developing an objective and repeatable method for evaluating welfare that can be applied to invertebrates in zoological collections. Recently introduced into zoological collection management is the Animal Welfare Assessment Grid (AWAG). The AWAG helps to identify negative and positive welfare states, through assessing animal- and environmental-based indicators to make changes that lead to a better quality of life. Originally developed for the assessment of laboratory primates, the system has been successfully adapted to assess a variety of taxa across different environments, facilitated by the development of cloud-based software. In this study, the AWAG has been adapted to assess the cumulative lifetime experience of captive decapods and cephalopods at two different institutions, Marwell Zoo and National Marine Aquarium. This study has provided further evidence that the AWAG is adaptable and demonstrates the first time any objective scoring system has been successfully adapted for use in invertebrates. Through graphical representation, the results show that the AWAG identifies changes in welfare scores that can be attributed to specific events and can be used to predict the future vulnerability of species to welfare changes and suggest alternative management methods. This monitoring tool provides a versatile method of implementing practical welfare monitoring in zoos and aquariums.

Zoos are required to maintain a high standard of animal welfare, and this can be assessed using a combination of resource-based and animal-based indices usually divided into behavioural indicators, physiological indicators and clinical/pathological signs. Modern animal welfare assessments should aim to encompass positive affective states and the indicators that are useful in assessing these are discussed. When developing factors to be scored for each species, there is huge variability in the available information about the natural biology for some zoo species and even less information concerning those animals in captivity. Wild baselines are not always the most accurate indicator of what is right for an animal in captivity, which makes the identification of factors to include within species-specific welfare assessment even more challenging. When planning a welfare strategy for any species, it is important that the full range of their biological requirements and needs are considered, but this can be challenging for some zoo species and it is not possible to define a “one size fits all” welfare strategy. The different approaches for welfare assessment are reviewed, including the development of the Animal Welfare Assessment Grid which offers an evidence-based tool for continual welfare assessment, using technology where appropriate, to facilitate decision making and lead to improvements in the animals’ quality of life.

Various assessment tools that have been proposed thus far have disadvantages in that they are complex, time-consuming, non-objective, and not convenient for assessing multiple zoos. This study aimed to develop a simple, objective, and reliable welfare assessment tool, the modified Animal Welfare Assessment Grid (AWAG), that can be applied in South Korea, where there is no licensing system for zoos. The AWAG has four main sections: physical, psychological, environmental, and procedural. These four sections include 23 welfare factors like general conditions, behaviors, housing, and restraints, for which each individual or group of animals is given a score. The modified AWAG system was applied by converting the 10-point rating scale of the original AWAG to a 6-point Likert scale. Sixteen zoos in Korea were selected based on the zoos with the most animals. Three inspectors assessed the scores of each animal and then averaged the results. The total data surveyed included 16,065 items. Zoos were largely classified into four grades based on the size of the zoo, animal species, and operating organization. In a relatively short period of 14 days, all the zoos were successfully assessed. Despite the shortened and modified assessment tool, the inter-rater reliability among inspectors was 0.942 with high objectivity. The modified AWAG could identify welfare differences between grades of Korean zoos. There were large differences between zoos in most environmental sections and some zoos were evaluated as having inadequate welfare levels. The modified AWAG showed high usability and objectivity. In addition, it was possible to determine which environmental or procedural sections could potentially help improve physical and psychological scores. The modified AWAG is an objective method that could set the direction for the improvement of zoo welfare in the future., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Ma, Kang, Lee, Kim and Han.)

Simple Summary: Maintaining a high standard of animal welfare is essential in zoos, and methods of animal welfare assessment should aim to evaluate positive as well as negative states. The indicators that are useful in assessing these are discussed as there is huge variability in the available information about the natural biology for some zoo species. Wild baselines are not always the most accurate indicator of what is right for an animal in captivity, which makes the identification of factors to include within species-specific welfare assessment even more challenging. There is no “one size fits all” welfare strategy as it should account for the range of biological requirements and needs, which it is not possible to define for some zoo species. The different approaches for welfare assessment are reviewed, including the development of the Animal Welfare Assessment Grid which offers an evidence-based tool for continual welfare assessment, using technology where appropriate, to facilitate decision making and lead to improvements in the animals’ quality of life. Zoos are required to maintain a high standard of animal welfare, and this can be assessed using a combination of resource-based and animal-based indices usually divided into behavioural indicators, physiological indicators and clinical/pathological signs. Modern animal welfare assessments should aim to encompass positive affective states and the indicators that are useful in assessing these are discussed. When developing factors to be scored for each species, there is huge variability in the available information about the natural biology for some zoo species and even less information concerning those animals in captivity. Wild baselines are not always the most accurate indicator of what is right for an animal in captivity, which makes the identification of factors to include within species-specific welfare assessment even more challenging. When planning a welfare strategy for any species, it is important that the full range of their biological requirements and needs are considered, but this can be challenging for some zoo species and it is not possible to define a “one size fits all” welfare strategy. The different approaches for welfare assessment are reviewed, including the development of the Animal Welfare Assessment Grid which offers an evidence-based tool for continual welfare assessment, using technology where appropriate, to facilitate decision making and lead to improvements in the animals’ quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]