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Social groups and surrounds improve ape's life
Published: 27 November 2007
http://www.uq.edu.au/news/?article=13548

An orangutan swings by Miss Fernie in the Sepilok Rehabiltation
Centre, Borneo. Photo: Rodrigo Morales
An orangutan swings by Miss Fernie in the Sepilok Rehabiltation
Centre, Borneo. Photo: Rodrigo Morales A new system to improve the
quality of life for great apes in zoos has been created at UQ.

The system scores zoos out of 100 percent based on the quality of its
physical and social environment of its enclosures for chimpanzees,
gorillas, orangutans and bonobos (pygmy chimps).

School of Animal Studies PhD student Amanda Fernie, who created the
system called the Great Ape Husbandry Index, said it was designed to
pinpoint where zoos needed improvement.

Miss Fernie's research shows that 35 percent of all great apes kept
internationally display abnormal behaviours.

She said she hoped the index would be adopted by the zoo industry's
peak body, the Australasian Regional Association of Zoological Parks
and Aquaria (ARAZPA) and later rolled out internationally.

"The Great Ape Husbandry Index can be incorporated into the
accreditation process or guidelines of zoological associations to
ensure zoos are providing appropriate levels of husbandry for their
captive great apes," Miss Fernie said.

"The Great Ape Husbandry Index could also be used as a model to create
indices for other species held in captivity and would allow zoos to
compare their husbandry practices with other institutions around the
world."

The index consists of 17 ranked factors which were based on the
opinions of 359 zoo experts around the world which Miss Fernie
surveyed online in 2005.

The top three factors for keeping healthy great apes are:
• Appropriate social groupings
• Enclosure appearance (bland, natural or artificial)
• Group size – number of individuals

Miss Fernie has observed apes at Melbourne and Rockhampton zoos and
will also visit Taronga in Sydney and the Perth zoo this week and New
Zealand zoos next year.

All zoos are accredited to minimum standards via ARAZPA but she said
the index raised the bar.

Miss Fernie is studying full-time on an Australian Postgraduate Award
scholarship.

MEDIA: Miss Fernie (0438 337 643, a.fernie AT uq.edu.au) or Miguel
Holland (07 3365 2619)