Behavioral Monitoring at Lincoln Park Zoo

Dr. Jason Wark is an Animal Welfare Scientist at Lincoln Park Zoo and will share how the zoo collects and uses behavioral information on the animals to guide decision making and promote great animal welfare.

Jason is part of the Animal Welfare Science Program, a program in which scientists and animal care staff work together to evaluate and enhance the well-being of animals in zoos and promote positive animal welfare. Jason oversees the ongoing behavioral monitoring program at Lincoln Park Zoo, supervising the training and organization of dozens of volunteers and interns. Jason works alongside animal care staff to translate data into actionable insights to help animals thrive in the zoo environment. Jason is also the product manager for the ZooMonitor app, a web-based tool to measure behavior and infer the welfare of animals. This application was made available to zoos, aquariums, sanctuaries, and other facilities to provide the zoological community with an easy-to-use electronic means of recording behavior and better understand animal welfare. Currently, over 200 institutions around the world have downloaded and are using the ZooMonitor app to enhance the welfare of animals in their care. Jason regularly provides guidance and training on how other institutions can use ZooMonitor to advance welfare.