Animal welfare, conservation and research

We work for animal welfare and species conservation.

Our team of keepers, veterinarians and specialists looks after the needs of the animals living at Sendaviva, following the guidelines of the WAZA (World Association of Zoos and Aquariums) Animal Welfare Strategy and focusing on the five domains of animal welfare: health, nutrition, behaviour, environment and mental wellbeing.

In addition, we promote research, conservation and education projects that help protect biodiversity and raise awareness among thousands of visitors about the importance of caring for our planet.

Environmental enrichment as a tool for animal welfare

One of the key tools for promoting animal welfare is environmental enrichment: the introduction of stimuli such as objects, scents, structures, games or challenges that allow each species to express its natural behaviours, including exploring, climbing, foraging, playing and solving small challenges.

If, during your visit to Sendaviva, you see boxes, ropes, hollow logs, durable balls or other elements that may seem “unusual” inside the enclosures, they are not rubbish. They are part of these enrichment techniques, designed to stimulate the animals’ minds and encourage physical activity.

We have collaborated on more than 30 research and conservation projects at regional, national and international level, and that number continues to grow every year

This is just a small sample of the projects we contribute to, reflecting our commitment to wildlife protection and the advancement of scientific knowledge.

Conservation of the European mink

The European mink is one of the most endangered mammals in Europe. Sendaviva plays an active role in its conservation. On the one hand, it takes in individuals that leave the breeding programme due to their advanced age; on the other, it manages two facilities known as “pre-release facilities”, naturalised and isolated from the public, where minks destined for reintroduction learn to hunt and fish for one or two months in order to increase their chances of survival in the wild.

Bear ID Project

Sendaviva has taken part in the Bear ID project, an initiative that uses artificial intelligence to improve the identification of bears in the wild through camera-trap images.

Bears are elusive animals and difficult to study without invasive methods, so this technology will allow researchers to distinguish age, sex and specific individuals with greater accuracy. Our role as a zoo is key: we provide a large number of photographs of our Syrian brown bears —with known ages, sizes and lighting conditions— which are used to train the AI tool and make it more reliable.

Collaboration with the UPV on several studies investigating the usefulness of metabarcoding methods to determine diet through faecal analysis.

The aim of this study was to assess the reliability of metabarcoding techniques for determining the diet of different animal species through genetic analysis of their faeces. This provided information to help clarify the limits and applications of the metabarcoding method.

At Sendaviva, members of the environmental department were responsible for feeding the different animals with controlled diets, collecting and sending the faecal samples, and recording the entire experimental process in order to provide researchers with the data they needed. Very strict cleaning protocols were followed at all times to avoid experimental errors throughout the process.

Participation in the SEMICE project

In collaboration with UNAV researchers, Sendaviva takes part in monitoring wild native micromammal populations as part of the SEMICE project —Monitoring of Common Micromammals in Spain—, promoted by the Natural Sciences Museum of Granollers.

A sampling station is located within Sendaviva. Every year, in spring and autumn, over a period of 4 days, wild micromammals are captured in order to understand how their populations fluctuate over time and to relate these changes to shifts in their ecosystem.

Learn more about our projects during Sendaviva’s technical visits.

Visit to the indoor animal facilities. You will be able to discover first-hand how work is carried out at the zoo by visiting the technical areas for felines and ring-tailed lemurs: the care they need, the conservation projects we work on, and how we assess animal welfare at Sendaviva.

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