Brereton James Edward, Tuke Jono, Fernandez Eduardo J
University Centre Sparsholt, Sparsholt, UK.
School of Computer and Mathematical Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
Zoo Biol. 2025 Jul-Aug;44(4):383-390. doi: 10.1002/zoo.21909. Epub 2025 Jun 5.
Welfare audits that contain behavior and enclosure use assessments are commonly used in zoos and aquaria. However, the two components are often used separately from one another, and many enclosure use studies are limited by analytical problems, despite the fact that enclosure use indices such as Entropy, modified Spread of Participation Index, and Electivity Index are available. The dawning of behavior monitoring apps has facilitated zoo behavioral research, but some of the original challenges experienced when analyzing enclosure use remain. There is a need, therefore, to make enclosure use indices compatible with modern behavior recording apps, and to provide ways in which behavior and space use can be analyzed together. ZooMonitor, a behavior recording app created by Lincoln Park Zoo and built by Tracks Data Solutions, is frequently used by zoo researchers, and as such is a good focus for developments in enclosure use analysis. This paper introduces a new ShinyApp, entitled the Enclosure MonitoR Use (EMU). This new app uses ZooMonitor-based behavior and XY enclosure use data to evaluate animal data. The app is able to (1) provide heat maps of space use, showing where each behavior occurs, and (2) facilitate the use of enclosure use indices, whilst also generating indices for individual behaviors. These tools have the potential to identify areas that an animal finds valuable in its exhibit for specific behavior types and can be used to inform exhibit design decisions. EMU also allows researchers to look beyond the previous assumptions that an animal should use all its exhibit to experience the best welfare. In combination with ZooMonitor, this tool removes many obstacles that prevent detailed analysis of animal space use. Future developments of EMU may further facilitate animal space use studies.
包含行为和圈舍使用评估的福利审计在动物园和水族馆中普遍使用。然而，这两个组成部分通常是分开使用的，而且许多圈舍使用研究受到分析问题的限制，尽管有诸如熵、修正参与度指数和选择性指数等圈舍使用指数。行为监测应用程序的出现促进了动物园行为研究，但在分析圈舍使用时遇到的一些原始挑战仍然存在。因此，有必要使圈舍使用指数与现代行为记录应用程序兼容，并提供行为和空间使用可以一起分析的方法。ZooMonitor是林肯公园动物园创建并由Tracks Data Solutions构建的一款行为记录应用程序，经常被动物园研究人员使用，因此是圈舍使用分析发展的一个很好的重点。本文介绍了一个名为圈舍使用监测器（EMU）的新ShinyApp。这个新应用程序使用基于ZooMonitor的行为和XY圈舍使用数据来评估动物数据。该应用程序能够：（1）提供空间使用热图，显示每种行为发生的位置；（2）便于使用圈舍使用指数，同时还能为个体行为生成指数。这些工具有可能识别动物在其展览中认为对特定行为类型有价值的区域，并可用于为展览设计决策提供信息。EMU还使研究人员能够超越动物应使用其所有展览区域以获得最佳福利的先前假设。与ZooMonitor结合使用，这个工具消除了许多阻碍动物空间使用详细分析的障碍。EMU的未来发展可能会进一步促进动物空间使用研究。
