Initiatives to provide good animal welfare are traditionally based on the concept of the "Five Freedoms" of animal welfare. The "Five Freedoms" were formalized by the UK Farm Animal Welfare Council in 1979 for livestock husbandry (Farm Animal Welfare Council, 2012). They required that animals are free of hunger, thirst, discomfort, pain, injury, disease, fear and distress and have the ability to express normal behavior. To ensure that we accomplish a state of welfare above and beyond these basic freedoms, we aim to provide the following "Five Opportunities to Thrive" (Vicino and Miller, 2013) to each of the animals in our care:
- Opportunity for a well-balanced diet
- Opportunity to self-maintain
- Opportunity for optimal health
- Opportunity to express species-specific behavior
- Opportunity for choice and control
Providing these "Five Opportunities to Thrive" to the animals in our care is achieved by fostering a common understanding of animal welfare by upholding a culture where animals come first, by responding to animal welfare concerns and recommendations, and by promoting animal welfare science.
