“ZIMS for Care and Welfare gives me the ability to communicate what I am seeing, versus trying to describe in words or using paper logs. By graphing trends using real data points, we can provide actual quantifiable evidence to support treatments or change,” said Johnson.
ZIMS for Care and Welfare was developed by Species360 in partnership with the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) and 23 individual institutions around the world, and is part of a global initiative to ensure the welfare of animals and groups. The module is part of ZIMS for Husbandry, and is available to all Species360 members at no additional cost. It enables animal care teams to track changes across a wide range of factors affecting the well-being of an individual, including behaviour, health, environment, nutrition intake, mental domain, as well as other indicators that individual teams choose to add.
Since new treatments or medications can often take a couple of days to show results, Como Zoo staff use ZIMS Care and Welfare to track the subtle or significant changes, so that keepers and veterinary staff can evaluate the effect over time. The data points and trend charts provide perspective that guides near-term decisions and future cases.
Using the ZIMS module, whether on a tablet or laptop or back at the desk, has helped keepers adopt a more consistent approach to tracking the welfare of an animal, according to Allison Jungheim, Senior Keeper, Como Zoo. Not every situation warrants frequent evaluations, such as species with fewer behavioural changes, she adds. But for animals and groups with more complex social structures, the tracking tool is critical to improving care.
Staff document welfare checks weekly or monthly, depending on the animal, group, or species. When an animal is in trouble, staff monitor and record indicators more frequently to better inform decisions regarding environmental, medical, dietary, or other changes.
Michelle Furrer, Madison Johnson and Allison Jungheim shared their experiences with Species360 development and member support teams during a “Lunch and Learn” in August.
*Como Park Zoo is not a WAZA member