Next Steps Toward Optimal Welfare for California Sea Lions (Zalophus Californianus) In Accredited Zoos And Aquariums

The welfare of zoo-housed California sea lions ( Zalophus californianus ) has not been comprehensively analyzed in the literature. This study begins to address this gap by gathering information on current care and management practices affecting welfare via a survey of accredited facilities housing California sea lions in the United States. The survey focused on areas of care and management indicated by accreditation standards and available literature to have an outsized impact on the presence of positive welfare states. The primary areas of focus were training, enrichment, social behavior, and human-animal interactions. The survey findings were compared to available peer-reviewed literature to identify the care practices that promote positive welfare states, validate current care and management practices, and make recommendations to optimize current care and management practices. Many of the practices described in the survey results seem to contribute to positive welfare states. Beyond using training to physically and mentally stimulate the animals, facilities are encouraged to optimize session frequency and quality to maximize learning efficiency and to broaden the use of behavioral modification techniques outside of typical training sessions to reinforce other desirable behaviors. In terms of enrichment, facilities are encouraged to develop clearer goals and evaluation processes, as well as to implement new enrichment more frequently. California sea lion social groups should be large in size or dynamic in management to encourage species-typical social behavior. Finally, we found that interactions between staff and sea lions, as well as between guests and sea lions, have the potential to positively affect welfare if the sea lions have agency over their participation. This survey offered some useful information into understanding the welfare of California sea lions living in accredited zoological facilities in the United States and offers additional avenues of inquiry for future welfare research.