Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons™
Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 1 of 1
Full-Text Articles in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Carcass Feeding For Captive Vultures: Testing Assumptions About Zoos And Effects On Birds And Visitors, Hannah Gaengler
Carcass Feeding For Captive Vultures: Testing Assumptions About Zoos And Effects On Birds And Visitors, Hannah Gaengler
Dissertations and Theses
Carcass feeding is a potentially controversial feeding method for zoo animals. The common assumption is that many North American zoos refrain from feeding large carcasses to their carnivorous animals because zoo visitors might not approve of this feeding method. However, since there are several species of carnivores in zoos that feed from large carcasses in nature, this food type also has the potential to be beneficial to their welfare. In intelligent and usually inquisitive scavengers like vultures, a lack of activity and behavioral opportunities could be a welfare problem in captivity; providing them with a more complex food item might …