Research

The WWCT Field Conservation and Research Department (FCR), based at Paignton Zoo, co-ordinates research at all the WWCT zoos (Paignton Zoo, Newquay Zoo and Living Coasts) and nature reserves. This represents one of the most active research programmes in the British zoo community and FCR staff play an important role in the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) Research Group.

The FCR Department has seven permanent staff who carry out their own research and co-ordinate the work of visiting scientists in three working groups:

• Behavioural Husbandry and Animal Welfare. This group aims to study the impact of various aspects of the captive environment on animal behaviour, health and welfare. Research areas include environmental enrichment, animal training, nutrition, parasitology, reproductive biology, animal personality and methods to measure welfare non-invasively.
• Behavioural Ecology and Cognition. This group aims to study less applied aspects of behaviour and cognition such as social behaviour and communication, conflict management, social learning, developmental behaviour, laterality and discrimination. It also uses studbook data to answer research questions
• Conservation, Ecology and Environment. This group conducts ecological research on all groups of organisms in the zoo grounds and the Trust’s other nature reserves. Research is often aimed at informing the management plans for these areas to promote maximum biodiversity. The group also conducts conservation research and research related to the effectiveness of zoo interpretation on conservation and the environment.

Opportunities to conduct zoo research
Many students of all levels, from school to PhD, visit the FCR Department each year to help undertake scientific studies and gain valuable research experience. Each year the department has up to 8 industrial year placements available for undergraduates. Placement students spend the majority of their time working on their own research projects which they develop themselves, under the guidance of department staff. During the year students also give talks to school groups, give oral and poster conference presentations and take part in discussion groups.

Do you want to undertake research at one of the WWCT zoos or to ask the zoos to complete research questionnaires or to provide samples for research?

The BIAZA Research Group has compiled much useful information for prospective zoo researchers and published several sets of methods guidelines. Please look at this information on the BIAZA website BEFORE contacting the FCR Department. Once you have read this information please apply to the FCR Department as indicated in our Visiting Researcher Information leaflet which can be downladed here.

We have a comprehensive database of all research projects conducted at the WWCT’s zoos and reserves since 1997 and hope to make this available here shortly.

For a list of published scientific papers by WWCT staff click here.