ABSTRACT
This chapter covers the link between health and wellbeing and behavioural biology of animals of different taxa. The introduction covers some background regarding how to assess the health of animals and the link between increased strength of the immune system and increased welfare. There are also some examples of behavioural biology of species linking to other aspects of health related to training and enrichment. The next section covers some methods used to assess health and welfare of zoo animals. The next section briefly mentions some external factors affecting the health and behaviour of zoo animals – including transport, visitors, and veterinary interventions. Some more taxa/species-specific examples are given in the following sections divided by taxa. The end of the chapter box describes behavioural issues linked to health in geriatric animals. The summary suggests the need for further research into the health effects of behavioural modification due to life in zoological collections.
