Research Guidance
Where to find information on zoos and zoo animals
Before carrying out research in a BIAZA collection, we recommend that some background research is done in advance and the zoo is not the first port of call for information. Zoo staff are very busy people and respond to researcher queries on top of their normal day to day activities. Below are a list of the most common research areas or topics and relevant information sources. We encourage all researchers who would like to work in zoos to read this information before approaching individual zoos.
Researchers must also be aware that all collections will often put research proposals to their ethics committee. Some zoos will ask researchers to fill in a Research Proforma to aid assessment of the project.
1 Ethics
2 Legislation that applies to zoos
3 Information on which zoos hold a certain species
4 Use of Zoo records
5 Tigers are not the only animals!
6 Zoos and Conservation
7 Studbooks
8 Studbooks and Conservation
9 Behavioural studies and profiling
10 Enrichment
11 Stress
12 Nutrition
13 Effects of zoo visitors on animal behaviour
14 Enclosure design
15 Small sample sizes
16 Samples from the animals themselves
17 Husbandry guidelines
18 Questionnaires
19 Finding and Obtaining references
20 Multi Zoo research
21 Funding
22 Publications
23 Acknowledgements
24 Say thank you!!!
BIAZA support for researchers wanting to carry out multi-zoo research
Researchers that are interested in collecting data across a number of BIAZA members should apply for BIAZA support. Successful applicants will get a signed letter of support and introductions to zoo professionals within their field and contacts at the collections where relevant.
Apply for BIAZA Support
In order to aid researchers, the Research Committee has written a series of Zoo Research Guidelines.
To obtain an idea of the research which has already been carried out in zoos and suggestions for important research areas, refer to our research database and priority research list here.
