Animal Welfare
GO TO: Workshops | Keynotes | Free resources | Research & Publications
Explore the latest research and innovative approaches that are ensuring the wellbeing of animals in human care. Learn about Zoos Victoria’s commitment to animal welfare through a science-based and ethical approach, and the implementation of best practice standards. Private workshops, expert-led keynote presentations and free resources are now available for you and your team.
Workshops
Animal Welfare Principles
One or two-day private workshop at Melbourne Zoo, Healesville Sanctuary, or a location of your choice.
One Day Workshop
You will learn about:
- Animal welfare science
- Social license and the rise of ethical wildlife tourism
- Ways to use an animal welfare code to empower staff
- Animal welfare risk assessment and annual review processes
- Real and best-practice examples
$5,590 – business
$5,142 – government or not-for-profit
Two Day Workshop
Following on from the One Day foundational workshop, on Day two, you can choose between either:
1. Proactive welfare assessment – practise using a range of scientific and evidence-based tools that you can use in your specific context
or
2. Animal visitor experiences – develop an ethical encounter for visitors by using assessment tools that are based on animal welfare science
$10,246 – business
$9,427 – government or not-for-profit
All pricing is based on groups of up to 30 participants. We can cater for larger groups at an additional cost. For bookings hosted at Zoos Victoria, this can be arranged at additional cost and pending availability. For offsite requests, travel incidentals apply.
Caring for Animals
Two-hour workshop at Melbourne Zoo
This workshop will introduce you to the fascinating world of animal welfare science, where you will discover how Zoos Victoria cares for animals across habitats. Hear real world insights and stories from zoo staff and take-home practical tips to support the animals in your own life.
$1,331 – business
$1,210 – government or not-for-profit
Additional costs apply for venue hire and catering. All pricing is based on groups of up to 30 participants. We can cater for larger groups at an additional cost.
From City to Open Range: An Elephant Welfare Journey
Discover animal welfare science through welfare-focussed decision-making in zoos. Hear about the transition of the elephant herd from Melbourne Zoo to their new home at Werribee Open Range Zoo. Learn about how animal welfare is defined and assessed, and how we used these methods to understand the benefits of the move for the elephants. Leave with useful insights about animal welfare science and how these principles can be used to support animals to thrive in human care.
Who's at the Zoo and Why
Examine how Zoos Victoria’s moral purpose and ethical values guide species choices to ensure that every species in our care has a conservation purpose. Discover the different ways in which zoo animals contribute to biodiversity conservation - locally, regionally, and globally. Hear about other factors that influence which species call Zoos Victoria home and how every visit to our Zoos supports a future rich in wildlife.
Free Resources
Conservation is about people power. As part of our commitment to sharing knowledge, we provide practical tools, frameworks and resources to support others in their conservation journeys.
By sharing these resources, we aim to build capacity, strengthen skills and foster collaboration across like-minded organisations and communities working in animal welfare and conservation education.
Explore our resources below:
Animal Welfare at Zoos Victoria
This video explores the five domains that guide Zoos Victoria's approach to animal welfare.
Domains of Animal Welfare
This video explores the five domains that guide Zoos Victoria’s approach to animal welfare.
Ethical Animal Visitor Experience Guidelines
These guidelines help create animal visitor experiences designed with welfare, choice and respect at their core.
Code of Animal Welfare & Ethics
This document explains the key principles and commitments that guide Zoos Victoria decision-making.
Species Selection Framework
This framework puts animal-welfare, conservation impact and evidence-based decision-making at the heart of species selection.
Elephant Research at Zoos Victoria
This video explores how we measure and understand elephant welfare to support lives worth living.
Understanding how and why people connect with nature is a growing field. Our dedicated research team works at the intersection of social science and animal welfare, exploring what motivates people to connect with nature, and how human-animal interactions shape the way people care for wildlife.
Our research spans a range of contexts, including how images and media shape conservation attitudes and how tourism can be a force for positive changes in animal welfare. Everything we do is aimed at building a future rich in wildlife using evidence-based approaches.
Explore some of our research below:
Wildlife close-encounter images influencing attitudes about pet suitability
A single photo can subtly shift how we see a wild animal. This research shows that images of people touching or in close contact with wildlife can make species appear more suitable as pets, less threatened in the wild, and more comfortable around humans than they really are (Shaw et al., 2022).
If you work in media, tourism, or conservation, or simply share wildlife content online, this paper offers insights into the unintended impact of a single image.
Engagement rates and wildlife photos on social media
Not all wildlife photos land the same way. This research explores how different elements of photos on social media – from the species featured to whether a human appears with the animal – can shape viewers’ attitudes toward wildlife and the organisation posting the image. Surprisingly, neither the type of species nor the presence of a human affected how much engagement a post received, suggesting what matters and what gets liked aren’t always the same thing (Shaw et al., 2022).
