Animal Care Observation Internship

Zoos contain a wide variety of animals that each have idiosyncratic behavioral patterns, personalities and preferences. Unlike scientific literature, which tends to focus on the population, zoos take the wants and needs of individuals as priority. It would, thus, be beneficial for the zoo to have a detailed account of individual behavior throughout the day so the zoo knows how best to care for individuals. However, it is very likely that a few zookeepers watch over several animals at a time and have tasks to perform throughout the day. Watching and documenting specific behaviors at a specific time is a difficult task for them to also perform. I, along with several other college students or recent graduates, interned for the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium to perform this task. We observed several species of animal from multiple classes and park regions to document anything from basic behaviors, such as eating and drinking, to stereotypical behaviors like repetitive licking or head bobbing. With all the data polled together, I was able to create schedules at which the individuals tended to follow during the day. A Giraffe, Wombat, and Water Monitor are used as prime examples of the benefits of data collection and organization in this manner. Future interns will document the same behaviors as certain aspects of the environment are changed, such as construction or added enrichment items, allowing an examination of how said changes affect individual behavior and wellbeing. The data collected during this internship allows for greater care of individuals within the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium