Equine Advocacy

Equine Advocacy

Summary: Horses suffer when they’re misunderstood, and seen as tools to meet human needs. These sensitive animals are subjected to pain and fear because the humans in their life have not developed a relationship with them based in understanding and compassion. This...
The Welfare of Captive Fish

The Welfare of Captive Fish

Summary: Of all the species we keep as pets, fish are perhaps the least well-understood and least cared about in terms of their behavioral welfare. Recently, however, scientists have been researching fish cognition and learning that these animals have sophisticated...
Petting and Stroking Parrots

Petting and Stroking Parrots

Many of our clients have been told not to pet their parrots. Don’t touch your bird here, don’t touch your bird there…but of course they (and we!) still want to, and can’t always resist. This leaves the question: What can we do, and what should we tell our behavior...
Zoos: Time Saving Through Training

Zoos: Time Saving Through Training

There’s a conundrum when it comes to the training and behavior management of animals in zoos: Training may be considered important for the management of animals but is often viewed as a luxury.  It’s not uncommon to hear keepers make statements such as, “I’ll train if...
The Welfare of Pet Hedgehogs

The Welfare of Pet Hedgehogs

Although hedgehogs have been domesticated for a significant period of time (dating back to B.C. times), they remain for the most part the solitary, relatively unsocial creatures that they are in the wild.1 Despite their rise in popularity, especially in recent years,...