# Using the Welfare Quality® framework to develop a welfare assessment protocol for captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)

## TL;DR

This paper adapts the EU Welfare Quality® framework to create a welfare assessment protocol for captive chimpanzees, focusing on promoting positive welfare.

## Contribution

The first adaptation of the Welfare Quality® protocol for chimpanzees using species-specific indicators.

## Key findings

- 14 animal-based and 16 resource-based welfare indicators were identified for chimpanzees.
- The adapted protocol aligns with the 12 criteria and four principles of Welfare Quality®.
- The study demonstrates how to develop species-specific welfare tools using natural history and biology.

## Abstract

Good welfare is of inherent value to all captive animals and promotes species conservation objectives. Concern for animal welfare is growing globally, and research shows that animal welfare is a top priority for zoo visitors. There is, therefore, an urgent need for zoos to develop and validate species-specific welfare assessment tools with a shift in focus away from avoiding negative affective states, and towards promoting positive ones. This shift in emphasis requires the development of comprehensive and robust welfare assessment protocols incorporating species-specific indicators. This study aimed to identify and propose welfare indicators for captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) that could be used to adapt the EU Welfare Quality® protocol for this species. A literature review was carried out according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and the authors followed the principles of a systematic review to identify a comprehensive set of welfare indicators for this species. Overall, 14 animal-based and 16 resource-based indicators are proposed to assess the 12 criteria and four principles of Welfare Quality®. This study represents the first effort to adapt the EU Welfare Quality® protocol to assess captive chimpanzee welfare and illustrates how this protocol can be adapted to develop a taxon-specific welfare assessment tool once species-specific natural history and biology are considered.