Marina Salas

Research Coordinator Animal Welfare

Research themes

Advancement in the science of Zoo Animal Welfare

Responsibilities

As an Animal Welfare Research Coordinator, it is my primary responsibility to develop and supervise welfare and behaviour research projects in both Antwerp ZOO and Planckendael ZOO. I work closely with keepers, keeper’s coordinators, curators and students, as well as local and international collaborators.

Extra activities

Collaborator at the Zoo Animal Welfare Education Centre (ZAWEC).

Research Interests

The principal focus of my research with zoo animals involves the study of different welfare indicators as well as the development and application of species-specific protocols. Among the advantages to this research are the ability to have earlier detection and closer examination of welfare issues, identify negative aspects and concerns, as well as creating strategies for sustainable long-term improvements.

Brief Biography

I am a veterinarian. I obtained a BVetMed at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) in 2011 and a MSc in Applied Animal Behaviour and Animal Welfare at the University of Edinburgh (Scotland) in 2013. I received a PhD in 2017 from the UAB about the assessment of welfare in zoo animals using physiological and behavioural indicators. Currently, I am working as a Postdoc and Research Coordinator for Animal Welfare at the Centre for Research and Conservation of Antwerp ZOO and Planckendael ZOO.

Key Publications

Marina Salas, Xavier Manteca, Teresa Abáigar, Maria Delclaux, Conrad Enseñat, Eva Martínez-Nevado, Miguel Ángel Quevedo, Hugo Fernández-Bellon (2018) Using farm animal welfare protocols as a base to assess the welfare of wild animals in captivity - Case study: dorcas gazelles (Gazella dorcas). Animals 8: 111

Marina Salas, Déborah Temple, Teresa Abáigar, Mariano Cuadrado, Maria Delclaux, Conrad Enseñat, Vanessa Almagro, Eva Martínez-Nevado, Miguel Ángel Quevedo, Annaïs Carbajal, Oriol Tallo-Parra, Maria Sabés-Alsina, Marta Amat, Manel Lopez-Bejar, Hugo Fernández-Bellon, and Xavier Manteca (2016) Aggressive behaviour and hair cortisol levels in captive dorcas gazelles (Gazella dorcas) as animal-based welfare indicators. Zoo Biology 35: 467-473

Xavier Manteca, Marta Amat, Marina Salas and Déborah Temple (2016) Animal-based indicators to assess welfare in zoo animals. CAB Reviews 11: No. 010

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