Pet owners will now have the expertise of a zookeeper at the tip of their fingers thanks to Zoos South Australia’s new online animal welfare tool.

To mark National Science Week, we are pleased to launch our Animal Welfare Tool which helps owners gauge the wellbeing of their furry, scaly and feathered friends at home.

Based on the exact processes our zookeepers and animal welfare experts use, this free online tool will arm the public with the ability to judge whether their pets are happy and healthy.

To use the tool, people will fill out a survey based on the five domains of animal welfare: nutrition, environment, health, behaviour and mental state.

Once the survey is complete, the user will be given a score along with some handy, practical tips on how to improve welfare if needed.

Zoos SA Life Sciences Support Officer Dr Rachel Robbins said the new tool was a fantastic way for people to understand what makes their pet tick.

“At Zoos SA, we have a number of ways to measure welfare and ensure all our animals have the best possible care, and we are very pleased to be able to share these practices with the public,” Rachel said.

“Focusing on the five domains of welfare is the best place to start, it’s a great way to ensure animals have variety in their lives as well as the opportunity to exhibit all of their natural behaviours.

“People love their pets and want the best for them but might not necessarily have all the know-how.

“Our tool will help them to look more critically at things like their pet’s diet, environment and behaviours and judge whether they are getting exactly what they need.

“Adelaide Zoo and Monarto Safari Park are home to more than 3000 animals, all of which are very different, so we’ve modelled this tool on our own audits and made sure it’s relevant to all animals, not just cats and dogs.”

As a conservation charity existing to save species from extinction, animal welfare is at the heart of our organisation.

Our dedicated keeping and vet teams continually monitor and look for ways to improve the welfare of each and every animal calling Adelaide Zoo and Monarto Safari Park home.

The Zoos SA Animal Welfare Tool is now available for free here.