Research by the Zoo team

Animal care staff are ideally placed to conduct research projects as they understand the needs of animals in their care. In 2010, a wide variety of topics were researched by the Dublin Zoo team:

• Keeper, Louise McDermott, continued her observations on the breeding behaviour of the Dublin Zoo flock of Chilean flamingos. Louise has been studying the flock since 2003 and her findings have revealed interesting factors influencing the success of breeding in the colony such as rainfall, competition and individual flamingo success rates.

• Keepers, Louise McDermott and Peter Philips, conducted a study into using biometric data to sex Chilean flamingos

• Keeper, Yvonne McCann, examined the breeding behaviour of the waldrapp ibis colony.  This study builds upon her work in 2009 on the waldrapp ibis.

• Keeper, Anita Langston, conducted a study on the effect of visual barriers on Dublin Zoo’s gorillas with the help of the Dublin Zoo volunteers. She found that the screening increased certain behaviours – locomotion, foraging and affiliate behaviours.

• Keeper, Jenny Darley, conducted a study entitled, “The effect of habitat change on the behaviour of a group of 10 ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) at Dublin Zoo.

• Keeper, Rachael O’Sullivan, compiled a report on anaesthetic procedures and hoof abnormalities in giraffes.

• Keeper, Garth de Jung, conducted a visitor study throughout the summer

• Keeper, Aisleen Greene, produced a report entitled, “Review of breeding practises in Dublin Zoo”.