The habitat, essential for the welfare of your animals, but also for your workers and visitors. Exhibits must take part of animal welfare, ensure safety - both for animals and visitors – but also daily routine work, sustainability and aesthetics.

Objective:This course aims to provide participants knowledge of what makes an exhibit appropriate for animals, attractive for visitors, and convenient for keepers. The emphasis will be on the reorganization of existing enclosure through workshop sessions, and participants will be encouraged to play an active role.

Animals in zoos are not just animals: they are animals in a living world. Habitats must be carefully considered and inspired by wildlife. It does not mean trying to duplicate, but providing animals with an environment that meets their needs, promoting the use of extensive behavioural repertoires.

To satisfy animal’s needs, keepers’ and visitors’ expectations, while integrating budgetary and planning constraints, understanding the basic design principles will allow your team to define the best strategies to implement.

Content

• Principles of animal welfare and ethics
• Principles and protocols for enclosure design
• Principles of enclosure landscaping and horticulture
• Evaluate enclosure status, including security, safety and sustainability
• Animal biology and husbandry requirements relevant to enclosures and exhibits
• Environmental enrichment
• Needs of staff and visitors’ expectations
• Educational and interpretive functions of enclosures
• Exhibit maintenance and security requirements

This workshop contains both practical and theory activities; including discussions, group work, individual work, research tasks.