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RESEARCH MISSION
Shepreth Wildlife Park is committed to assist students in their research from undergraduate to postgraduate studies.
Zoo research is imperative in improving captive animal management to best meet the behavioural and physical needs of our animals to provide the best welfare and health care needs of our animals as well as benefiting captive breeding programs both in captivity and in the wild.
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RESEARCH IN COLLECTIONS
Animal collections provide a huge resource for potential research, all of which can add new knowledge to our understanding of the biology of wild animals and their management in captivity.
Examples of topics are:
• Captive-breeding programmes and zoo records
• Work on nutrition and reproduction in different species
• Veterinary and medical work, including analysis of post mortem data
• Use of dead animals for anatomical and taxonomic studies
• Species studies and studies of behavioural changes owing to enrichment, group and other environmental changes, or the effects of enclosure design on behaviour.
• Public/animal interactions
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VISITOR EFFECT RESEARCH
Visitor Studies offer great potential and a range of topics, such as:
• Evaluation of interpretation and knowledge transfer and the potential for behavioural change
• Visitor behaviour
• Visitor attitude
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NATIVE SPECIES RESEARCH
Field conservation also involves research and the collection of data. Many zoos and aquariums are involved with native species projects, sometimes within the zoo grounds.
Areas include:
• Native species research within zoo grounds Native species research with other partners, such as Natural England, Scottish Natural Heritage and the Countryside Council for Wales.
• Field conservation research in other countries, often with other non-governmental partners, both local and other
• Research into behaviour and ecology of wild animals
• Human impacts and wildlife research
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SHEPRETH RESEARCH PROJECTS
BIG CATS
Northampton University: Study of lynx behaviour & enrichment
Moulton College: Tiger enrichment
Sparsholt College: The effect of environmental enrichment on the behaviour of captive tigers (Panthera tigris)
PRAIRIE DOGS
Anglia Ruskin University (ARU): An investigation into the black-tailed prairie dog burrow distribution & density & SWP
ARU: The effects of a captive environment on the ant-predation behaviour of the black-tailed prairie dog
ARU: Comparing the influence of visitor numbers & the perceived threat of predators on the behaviour of 2 wards of free-ranging captive black-tailed prairie dogs
PRIMATES
ARU: Enclosure utilization in two species of primate
ARU - A study of environmental affects on social structure.
WOLVES
Nottingham Trent University: Wolf behaviour: a comparison with packs at other centres
RACCOONS
RVC: Study of raccoon stereotypies & enrichment
MARA
ARU - The effect of hand rearing on the behavioural repertoire and social interactions of the Patagonian cavy.
MEERKATS
RVC - The effect of different substrates on meerkats, a comparative study using our meerkats & those at another centre.
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