Human Presence In Zoos

Animals are sometimes housed in zoos for beneficial reasons such as educational purposes, providing habitat for animals unable to survive in the wild, and research purposes. A significant amount of research is conducted on factors that might be stressful to wildlife to improve the welfare and well-being of captive animals; however, an equal amount of research is not being performed on each stress factor that could affect captive wildlife. Despite zoo animals being put on display and constantly exposed to human presence, the effect of human presence and crowd sizes on captive animals has not been extensively researched. For apes, some studies have been conducted with gorillas (Gorilla gorilla) and even fewer with chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes);
With the experiment, Bonnie, Ang, and Ross hypothesized a correlation between human presence and the behavior and exhibit use of apes. The researchers hypothesized that the presence of humans would negatively affect the apes and the presence of large crowds would lead to an increase in abnormal behavior as well as behavior induced by anxiety. The researchers also hypothesized the presence of humans would lead to an avoidance of the exhibit closest to zoo visitors and less frequent use of this portion of the exhibit (Bonnie, Ang, & Ross,
The biggest limitation of the study was the number of subjects used; the small number of subjects in the study limited the results and data obtained. Because there were only two social groups of apes, one group of gorillas and one group of chimpanzees, in one zoo, the results are not a good representation of the overall impact of humans on apes. To provide more accurate results, the less social behavior of gorillas compared to chimpanzees should be taken into account because it could affect the reactions and explain possible differences in gorilla and chimpanzee reactions. Another factor to consider is that some animals prefer some areas and avoid others regardless of the size of the crowd which could explain differences in PVZ use. I am interested in working with wildlife and have an interest in animal behavior, so the study conducted by Bonnie, Ang, and Ross provides some insight into how my working with or near wildlife might affect the way the animals will behave. The impact of human presence on captive apes is complex and influenced by many variable and therefore requires more observation and testing to provide more extensive and consistent