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 Looking at the animals in spacious enclosures or admiring games of tiger cubs (bear cubs, deer calves, etc.), rare person thinks about the origin of successful animal keeping. However, it is necessary to understand precisely many species-specific features of their ecology, behaviour, physiology, etc. to provide the animals with essential conditions for life and reproduction in captivity. The major part of this knowledge can be obtained only as a result of special research. In the Moscow zoo the great attention is paid to the solution of scientific problems: the improvement of maintenance and exhibiting of animals in the zoo; the development of new methods of breeding in captivity; searching for the approaches to improve their psychical welfare; the development of strategy and techniques of the endangered species reintroduction into the nature and so on.
The problem of individual compatibility, well known in humans, is also common for many other animals, and particularly for primates. To solve this problem the specialists of the Scientific Research Department and the Primate Department carried out a special long-term study. It resulted in working out the methods of behavioral correction of the proccess of monkeys' pair formation. Charming young orangutans were our award.
Many visitors of the zoo paid attention to the animals, walking from one side to another by the same path and repeating all the movements in smallest details. For a long time such "zoo stereotypy" was considered as specific mental disease or as an effect of deficiency of natural mobility. The research, carried out in our zoo, has shown that the stereotypy is a form of animal self-calming in situations of frustration. It has suggested the ways to deliver animals from such obsession motions.
One of the zoo activities almost unknown to the common people, is reintroduction of endangered species to the nature. It means that the animals, bred in the zoo, are released in in the wild, where the representatives of this species lived formerly, but later extincted or were eliminated. Breeding of endangered species in zoos with subsequent reintroduction is one of the main ways of their conservation. In such a way the Arabian oryx, the Californian condor and many others have been rescued. The reintroduction is always connected with the complex and intense scientific research. It is necessary not only to breed and to raise a sufficient number of animals and to find suitable habitats for them, but also to teach "graduates" to survive in severe natural conditions. The task becomes easier, if all the main behavioral programs are genetically inherent, and the role of individual learning is not so essencial. It is typical for primitive vertebrates such as fishes and amphibians. There are threatened amphibian species inhabiting some areas of the former USSR. The specialists of the Laboratory of Aquiculture of Scientific Research Department aimed their work on these species' conservation. The scientists managed to solve a very complicated task of stable maintaining of the populations of endangered amphibian species in captivity and they successfully reintroduced these animals into the nature. Thus new sustainable populations of endangered Eastern spadefoot (Pelobates syriacus) and Banded newt (Triturus vittatus) were established.
The Moscow zoo has the collection of the venomous snakes, which is one of the largest in the world, and the foundation of this collection would have been impossible without the help of investigations. The snakes in captivity are frequently and strongly sick and it poses serious problems in their maintenance. The diseases of wild animals are poorly studied in general, and the professional veterinarians usually don't even want to deal with the venomous snakes. The experts of the Reptile Department ("Terrarium") had to study different diseases of snakes by themselves and to develop proper methods of treatment. Today their experience is generalized in a number of scientific publications, which are used by herpetologists in many zoos of the world. During last 15 years, staff of Reptile Department published 3 books on captive husbandry of reptiles and over 50 articles in russian and foreign journals. Moscow Zoo herpetologists, together with foreign colleagues, regularly take part in field surveys, both in Russian Federation and abroad in Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, South Africa, etc.
One more applied outcome of zoo investigations is the exposition "The Night World". Small creatures, represented in "The Night World" are not often present in zoo collections and usually are exhibited in small terrariums. For a long time the specialists of Laboratory of Ethology have been developing scientific basis for exhibiting small night mammals in spacious enclosures, imitating particular sites of the natural environment. The structure of burrows and activity regime of many species have been studie. Species were selected to maximize use of all available space and to enrich environment of each other.
The methods of inversive activity were designed and successfully applied. So the visitors can see active nocturnal animals in the daytimer.
The Scientific Research Department is the main structural subdivision ensuring solution of research problems. The Department consists of laboratories of Biochemistry, Reproductive biology, Ethology, Aquiculture. The specialists of other zoological departments also participate in research process of our Zoo. Besides, we have productive cooperation with other scientific institutions. A lot of volunteers – students-biologists, pupils of biological schools, young naturalists from CYBZ, etc. provide the considerable assistance.
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The Zoo supposes to develop research activity in the following main directions:
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The results obtained are stored in several data banks (activity budgets, chemical composition of forages and animal tissues) and in sound record library of the zoo. The results of investigations are issued in the "Scientific research in zoological parks" annually. Current research themes: 1. Development of the new techniques for keeping, breeding and behaviour research of small exotic mammals (monotremes, marsupial, elephant shrews). G.V.Vakchrusheva 2. Elaborating of new approaches to optimization of mammal behaviour in captivity. E.S.Neprinceva 3. Applied aspects of the studies of acoustic behaviour of animals in captivity. E.V.Volodina 4. Monitoring of time budget of mammals in the exhibits of Moscow Zoo. V.U.Dubrovskij 5. Scientific basis of the conservation of Amphibian species diversity. I.A.Serbinova 6. Reproductive status and excretion of sex hormones of the Felids at the Moscow Zoo. E.U.Òkacheva 7. Use of assisted reproduction techniques in breeding zoo animals. G.U.Ìacsudov 8. Study of the animals' karyotipes. O.N.Nesterenko 9. Breeding and raising of the offspring of some species of the Sygnathidae. Selection of reproductive groups, evaluation of spawn incubation periods in Hyppocampus kuda males. S.Poponov 10. Reproductive Biology of rare rat-snakes of genus Elaphe of Russia and adjacent countries. S.V.Mamet 11. Studies of helminthofauna of zoo kept reptiles and techniques of dehelminthisation. D.B.Vasiljev 12. Behavioural activity of Orang-utans in different environments. E.V.Makarova 13. Behavioural mechanisms of formation and maintaining of social structure in Lemur catta groups. V.A.Meshick 14. Studies of behavioural mechanisms of formation and re-formation of social groups in Primates. V.A.Meshick 15. Functions of social grooming in Lemurs. V.A.Meshick 16. Study of the history of Moscow Zoo and All-Russia Emperor Society for Acclimatisation of Plants and Animals. I.L.Kostina 17. Studies of the ecology of Testudo graeca nikolsii for the conservation and reproduction of the species in captivity. S.L.Pereshkolnik 18. Artificial insemination in cranes. O.Rozdina, Alimova, Ìorozova 19. Application of the treatment with EKATOL for optimization of bird conditions. O.Rozdina 20. Behaviour of birds of prey in the mixed exhibits of Moscow zoo. T.V.Voronina 21. Development of the structure and form of the lessons for seasonal groups of school students. E.J.Migunova 22. Behaviour of birds in the mixed exhibits of Moscow zoo.r M.A.Tarchanova 23. Assessment of psychological welfare of animals in captivity on their behaviour. I.A.Volodin |
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