| dc.description.abstract | The responsibility of the zoos and the aquariums is not only the exhibition of a range of living
animals but the participation in conservational, educational and scientific programs as well,
moreover they have entertaining purposes too. Modern zoos have to meet requirements
related to animal husbandry: the regulations and requirements based on the law, and the moral
expectations of the audience. They have to ensure better life conditions for the animals and
offer the best provision respectively to the special needs of each species for example in
nutrition, housing, social environment, behaviour etc.
A lot of international associations of zoos (AZA, EAZA, WAZA, etc.) can be found
worldwide, which were founded to enhance cooperation between institutes. One of the
objectives of such teamwork is to standardize the animal husbandry in zoos based on a
scientific approach, and to guarantee the expected volume of care. Therefore, these
organizations develop different kinds of standards (minimum or ideal) and guidelines to
support and to regulate the practice of animal husbandry in the member institutions.
The situation of the small zoos and wildlife-parks in Hungary is quite difficult: they usually
lack of funds, which significantly affect the implements and staff as well. In most cases there
are no professionals to control and ensure the quality of the zookeepers work, and to help
them to integrate the newest scientific results to their daily routine. Furthermore there are only
a few publications available in Hungarian. In these boundary conditions the decision making
of the operators is really challenging since they cannot plan their investments in the
husbandry well. Moreover it needs to be emphasized that there are many security issues and
dangers which are not considered until an accident happens.
The objective of this thesis is to discuss the importance of an appropriately designed,
scientifically well based animal care manual; demonstrate a recommended method for the
design and the development of a zoo husbandry manual in general. In addition personal case
studies will be presented to illustrate the state of the art practice. In the supplement a guideline
can be found for the native carnivores of the Carpathian Basin, which -based on the authors
expectation- can be a valuable support for the zoo-parks in this region. | en |
