Researchers found that elephants benefit from the presence of zoo visitors. 

A new study by animal behaviour experts at Nottingham Trent University and Harper Adams University has investigated the impact of visitors on more than 250 species in zoos. The findings suggest that elephants benefit from the presence of zoo visitors.

For the study, researchers looked at more than 100 previous research papers to analyse the impact of visitors on non-primate species in zoos. Fifty-six per cent of the animals studied were mammals and 28 per cent were birds. Amphibians, reptiles, fish and invertebrates were also included.

Species’ behaviour was affected by visitors in a number of ways including their level of activity, how they used their enclosure, feeding, movement, rest, and changes in social behaviours.

They found that during public feeding sessions, elephants’ social activity increased, and repetitive behaviours, which can indicate boredom in animals, decreased.

Positive responses were also found in cockatoos, whose social behaviour increased, which researchers thought could be as a result of visitors stimulating the birds.

Animals including penguins, jaguars and cheetahs also displayed positive responses to visitors.

The majority of the studies analysed by the researchers showed that the impact of visitors was mainly neutral. However some animal groups showed a negative response to visitors, including flightless birds, marsupials and hedgehogs.

Researchers said that based on previous research, prey species from closed habitats such as forests, and nocturnal animals who are less likely to encounter people in the wild are more likely to be fearful of humans. 

Overall, animal behaviour changed in up to 38 per cent of cases as a result of visitors.

Dr Samantha Ward, from Nottingham Trent University said: “Zoo visitors are often aspects of a zoo animal’s environment that animals cannot control and as such can be stressful, although some species appear to show good adaptability for the changing conditions of visitors.

“There can be a lot of variation in stimuli from visitors in terms of their behaviour, the noise they make and the way they interact with the animals. We have identified that species show varied responses to people in zoos – some cope well, others not so well.”

Dr Ellen Williams, from Harper Adams University said: “In elephants and birds it was encouraging to see a reduction in those repetitive behaviours towards something more positive in the presence of people, although the absence of change in the majority of species was also really good, because it suggests enclosure design is changing to better support animals in responding to visitors.”

The study has been published in the journal Animals.