STEP Reflection – Exotic Animal Welfare and Behavior in South Africa

For my STEP Signature Project, I went to South Africa on a study abroad through Ohio State. While there I studied exotic animal welfare and behavior. We spent time observing animals in a wild environment in Kruger national park and in a private game reserve as well as visited some captive centers.

This experience gave be a better view of the challenges and opportunities that exist in wild life management. Before visiting South Africa, my only real knowledge on the issues there was from my classes or social media. My experiences in South Africa allowed me to gain hands on insight to the challenges associated with the exotic animals that call the continent home. We learned about many of the issues facing each species in our pre requisite class, but seeing the animals in the habitat and seeing the people surrounding them really opened my eyes. This trip allowed me to have experiences I would not have had the opportunity for elsewhere. I now have a greater appreciation for the diversity, and complexity of alternative exotic animal management approaches on animals and their surroundings as well as for the people who put their time and money into this.

During my study abroad I had the opportunity to view various species in a more natural environment than what I have had the chance to see in the United States. My attitude toward how exotic animals are viewed and presented in the habitats we experienced has changed. Now that I have had the in person experiences I am able to make my own judgements. The animals that we encountered in more natural settings such as Kruger and the bush camp were all able to exhibit their natural behaviors. This was evident the most with the numerous elephants we came into contact with. When the elephants were unsure about our presence or decided they would prefer us not be there they would display behaviors such as lifting of one foot, putting their trunk over a tusk, shaking the head, and standing tall with their ears out. These are all behaviors that I had never seen an elephant in captivity do. However, as we discussed this doesn’t mean that the animals in captivity are any worse off just because they do not display these natural behaviors. After all, many of the behaviors I described above are displayed when an elephant is agitated. Therefore, you could infer that if an elephant in captivity doesn’t display these behaviors perhaps he is actually feeling more comfortable and safe in his environment than his wild counterpart. I believe that it is important for people to get to see these natural behaviors, but even more important for them to understand the context of them. Many people have probable at least seen a video of a lion roaring, but significantly less have heard the sound of a lion contact calling for other members of its pride.

The behaviors we witnessed and studied give me the ability to compare what I have seen in captive environments to a wild environment. There are many different benefits and harms that are associated with exotic animal management, welfare, and health in the observed habitats within and across South African and the United States. Many of the habitats observed in South Africa lean towards a more natural environment just enclosed by a fence. This is a benefit that South Africa has because it is the natural habitat for the exotic animals in question. Places like this include the national parks and private reserves. The large areas of land available in a large country allow for many of the facilities to cover hundreds or thousands of kilometers like the territory or home range of the animals would naturally do. This isn’t to say that smaller, less “natural” places don’t exist, as we saw with the rehab center and the endangered species center.

There are many negative views on exotic animal management in the United States. Many people with minimal knowledge about exotic animal welfare and behavior see an animal in a captive setting and automatically assume that they are worse off than their wild counterpart. However, as one of the articles we read on our trip said, and animals in a proper captive environment may only be missing their freedom to express natural behavior. In the United States most facilities have a zoo setting where they showcase the animals in a relatively small enclosure. Though these facilities have greatly improved over the years, there is still room for greater improvements to better the welfare of the animals. Some of the benefits of this for the animal’s welfare is that it tends to be a more hands on environment where if there is something wrong with an animal they will receive the best care they can get. As an example, while in Kruger we saw a few Impala who had been limping and appeared to be injured. If these were captive animals, they would have undergone an exam to determine what was wrong and if it could be healed. However, as animals within a hands of management zone, these antelopes were left alone to natures course of action. They are also going to have proper, though not necessarily natural, nutrition provided to them with minimal energy expenditure from the animal. Some might consider this a good thing, as animals in the wild spend a lot of time and energy feeding. When considering predators, this time and energy might not even lead to a meal, and could also lead to serious injury or death.

On the other hand, an animal in a wild environment may be able to express their natural behaviors but may not fulfil any of the other five freedoms of welfare such as freedom from hunger, thirst, injury and fear. With this in mind, one is left to think about which is more important from their own perspective. In my opinion, there is a tradeoff between both options.

This experience gave me a greater appreciation for the diversity, complexity, and value of alternative exotic animal management approaches on animals and their surroundings. I am excited to be able to share the knowledge I learned while abroad. I am unsure of where my future career will take me but I am excited for the opportunities that this experience has opened my eyes to. I am still looking to pursue a career in veterinary medicine. However, I hope to use what I have learned on my study abroad to better educate others in this field to have an understanding and an appreciation for a field that may not be within their area of interest.