Seriously big data: Nottingham researchers unveil elephant welfare app

Veterinary researchers have unveiled a new app to help monitor the condition of elephants in zoos, wildlife parks and other settings.

Developers of the Android Elephant Welfare App (EWA) say the device is already being used at sites in the US, South Africa and Indonesia, as well as within the UK and Ireland.

And academics at the University of Nottingham, who have led the project, hope it will eventually herald the development of a global behavioural database that can be used to advise carers in other facilities.

Conservation

Project leader Lisa Yon, an associate professor in the University of Nottingham’s vet school, said: “Both African and Asian elephants are now endangered in the wild and are at great risk of extinction.

“Zoo elephants may represent an important population for conservation of these species and it is therefore important to ensure their well-being, but also contribute to their improved chances of survival so that they can continue to be enjoyed by future generations.

“Caring for elephants is an immense privilege but also a challenge. It is, therefore, essential that we identify what are the most essential, and feasible, factors that can encourage the expression of natural behaviours and positive welfare.”

Developers say that users who upload data to the app are automatically sent reports detailing all of the observations recorded about that individual elephant over time.

Database

Information from each of the participating facilities is stored in a central database at Nottingham, which it is hoped will become one of the world’s largest resources for elephant behavioural data.

Seventeen sites in the UK and Ireland are said to have used the app to date, including Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm in Somerset, which has recently opened a new plantation that is thought to be one of the first of its kind in the UK for its African elephants.

Elephant section leader Tom Lindley said: “The app allows us to make timely judgements about our elephants’ welfare by documenting their behaviour.

“This information helps us ensure that their welfare is the best that it can be at any point in time.”