Blog

  1. Does sex help against stress? In bonobos, it certainly does

    Does sex help against stress? In bonobos, it certainly does

    How do you deal with stress? Are you going for a quiet walk in the woods, a yoga session, or are you going to dive into a creative hobby? Everyone experiences stress from time to time. Short-term stress is actually part of a healthy live, provided you are able to deal with it. Animals, like humans, have rich emotional lives and sometimes experience stress, and bonobos have their own solution to deal with that: SEX!

    Read more
  2. A Window into Barbie’s World: Zoo Animal Welfare indicators

    A Window into Barbie’s World: Zoo Animal Welfare indicators

    Is giraffe Barbie in ZOO Planckendael using her tongue to eat her food? Is she later spending time ruminating? Is she laying down or standing up when she ruminates? All these behaviours are indicators that we can monitor to assess Barbie’s welfare.    Is Barbie’s coat shiny? How is her body condition? Does she have a runny nose? These characteristics on Barbie’s physical appearance are welfare indicators as well.  

    Read more