Development of a welfare assessment tool for tourist camp elephants in Asia
This new assessment tool (EWAT) is a context-specific, holistic method designed to offer a practical means of conducting individual and institutional-level assessments of elephant welfare in tourist camps. It is based on the Five Domains Model using reliable and validated animal- and resource-based measures, data collection through direct observation and interviews, and a numerical scoring system. The tool includes several criteria applicable to tourist rather than zoo venues to make it more relevant to the challenges faced by working elephants in Asia.
Authors
- Janine L. Brown (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3898-7755)
- Pakkanut Bansiddhi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6699-4819)
- Chatchote Thitaram (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9319-5596)
- Sharon S. Glaeser (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7268-6780)
- Pawinee Kulnanan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9591-067X)
- Kannika Na Lampang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4621-9764)
- Raman Ghimire
Institutions
- Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (US)
- Oregon Zoo (US)
- National Zoological Park (US)
- Conservation Biology Institute
- Chiang Mai University (TH)
Publication Details
- Journal
- PeerJ
- Published
- 2024-10-28
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.18370
- Citations
- 2
- Primary Topic
- Animal Behavior and Welfare Studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.28
Funders
- National Research Council of Thailand