Thermal Mitigation Behaviors of Captive Blue Peafowls and Visitors’ Outdoor Thermal Comfort: A Case Study at Jinan Zoo, China

TL;DR

This study examines how blue peafowls cope with heat and how visitors' comfort is affected at Jinan Zoo during summer, offering insights for better zoo management.

Contribution

The study provides new insights into thermal adaptation behaviors of blue peafowls and visitor thermal comfort in zoos under hot conditions.

Findings

Blue peafowls use feather-spreading and panting to mitigate heat stress during peak temperatures.

Visitors show decreased attendance when thermal conditions exceed a WBGT of 35.5°C.

Higher viewing satisfaction among visitors correlates with increased thermal tolerance.

Abstract

This study investigated the thermal adaptation behaviors of blue peafowls and the thermal comfort characteristics of zoo visitors during summer heat at Jinan Zoo, China. Visitor numbers remained relatively stable in thermal conditions exceeding the neutral range. However, a marked decline was observed when temperatures reached excessive heat levels. The blue peafowls alleviated heat stress through behaviors such as feather-spreading, panting, and reduced activity. During peak visitor hours, the frequency of these heat-relief behaviors remained elevated. Visitors with higher viewing satisfaction had a broader tolerance for thermal environments. Visitors were most affected by direct sunlight, while the peafowls were possibly most influenced by air temperature.

Zoos play dual roles in wildlife conservation and in providing recreational experiences for visitors in urban green spaces. However, the impacts of thermal environments on both visitor comfort and captive animal welfare remain unexplored, which is an important aspect to address for improving overall zoo management. This study investigated thermal conditions at Jinan Zoo, China, over 20 summer days. Questionnaires were used to collect visitor thermal comfort and viewing satisfaction, while the thermal mitigation behaviors of 70 blue peafowls were recorded under various thermal conditions on-site. The findings showed that the wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) neutral range for visitors was 20.1–24.4 °C, with a significant drop in visitor numbers when WBGT exceeded 35.5 °C. Visitors with higher animal viewing satisfaction (aVSV) scores were more heat tolerant. The blue peafowls reduced their activity levels and displayed feather-spreading and gular flutter at WBGT levels of 26.4–30.4 °C, especially during peak visitor hours. Our study also showed that visitor thermal sensation was most affected by radiation, whereas blue peafowl heat stress was likely influenced by air temperature, followed by humidity and radiation. These findings offer practical insights for designing zoo enclosures and visitor areas to improve comfort and animal welfare in hot weather.

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