Supporting Animal Welfare Science for All: ZooMonitor Is Now Free for Everyone

This article was written by Animal Welfare Scientist Jason Wark, who is with Lincoln Park Zoo’s Animal Welfare Science Program. 

At many zoos and aquariums around the world, trained data collectors closely observe animals and record their behavior using an app called ZooMonitor. Because it was designed by scientists in Lincoln Park Zoo’s Animal Welfare Science Program, we have been proud to see ZooMonitor become a leading tool that allows institutions to better understand the animals in their care.

To further the zoo’s mission in advancing high-quality care and science for animals, Lincoln Park Zoo is excited to share that ZooMonitor is now free and available for everyone. This embodies the zoo’s commitment to be: For Wildlife. For All.

ZooMonitor’s Impact

At Lincoln Park Zoo, data from ZooMonitor has been used to make decisions both big and small. For example, the habitat design of Pepper Family Wildlife Center was informed by ZooMonitor data revealing how the previous pride of lions at the zoo used their space. More recently, zoo scientists used the app to monitor red-footed tortoises and identify which tortoises are socially compatible. But the impact of ZooMonitor extends well beyond Chicago.

ZooMonitor was released in 2016, the brainchild of Lincoln Park Zoo President and CEO Megan R. Ross, Ph.D. Since then, more than 1,400 organizations from over 70 countries have registered for the app. ZooMonitor has created data reported in more than 50 research publications, including studies exploring the territoriality of Nile crocodiles at a zoo, evaluating how sand tiger sharks use their space in aquariums, and assessing the rehabilitation of orphaned orangutans in a sanctuary, to name a few.

Recently, Lincoln Park Zoo launched new ZooMonitor features that allow organizations to closely collaborate and share data through the ZooMonitor platform. Using these new features in ZooMonitor Community, welfare scientists at Lincoln Park Zoo conducted a multi-institutional study on giraffes at 18 zoos across the U.S., the largest study ever conducted on giraffes. These data help us understand why giraffes in zoos behave the way they do. Others have used ZooMonitor Community to evaluate various species, such as weedy sea dragons and ground hornbills.

With these exciting new additions to ZooMonitor, the zoo also had a unique opportunity to reconsider the availability of the app.

Accessible for All

As one of the only private free zoos in the United States, providing an accessible experience to all has been at the heart of Lincoln Park Zoo’s mission since it began in 1868.

When ZooMonitor was originally launched, the app was made freely available to hundreds of other accredited zoos and aquariums, thanks to support from developer and partner Tracks Data Solutions. For other types of organizations, such as sanctuaries and universities, the app was available at a low cost. However, the zoo recognized that even low-cost software can be an obstacle for some.

To support all organizations in advancing the care of animals through science, Lincoln Park Zoo recently made ZooMonitor free for everyone. With this change, those organizations doing valuable work with animals on limited budgets can now benefit from using common tools.

For example, the European Alliance of Rescue Centres and Sanctuaries (EARS) is a network of organizations that collaborate and care for animals from difficult backgrounds, including those rescued from the pet and entertainment industries.  Several larger EARS member organizations that have been using ZooMonitor since its release are now working to develop workshops and promote the tool with colleagues at other rescue centers and sanctuaries.

Lincoln Park Zoo is excited to see the transformation that ZooMonitor can have within organizations—and we’re proud to continue advancing animal welfare together with our global community