Document type: article published in NOV'AE
Authors: Céline Tallet and Violaine Colson
Summary: The living conditions of animals in captivity often prevent them from fully satisfying their physiological and ethological needs, for example, when human control is exercised over reproduction or the formation of social groups. In addition, certain practices inherent to the keeping of animals (e.g. their movement between locations) are a source of stress for the animals, as they perceive these as threats when they cannot be predicted by the animals and are therefore ouside their control or far removed from their expectations. Last, sensory and cognitive stimuli are less frequent in captivity than in the wild. Environments that lack stimulation will induce chronic stress in animals by preventing them from fulfilling certain behaviors or physiological needs. Such chronic stress is problematic for animal welfare, not only in its own right, but also in the impact it has on the results of scientific research carried out on the animals in question.
