Ep49 James Fischer on the importance of light in animal welfare monitoring and through the lens of the Five Domains
Dr. James Karl Fischer operates the Zoological Lighting Institute (ZLI), a charity dedicated to supporting and advocating for photobiology research in wildlife conservation and animal care.
Dr. Fischer completed advanced degrees in physics and architecture at Wesleyan University and began his career as an architect, serving as a liaison to architects around the globe. He was inspired to found ZLI after a conversation with a zookeeper who wanted to study the effect of lighting on seahorse colouration, when he realised that there was a huge need to provide animal keepers with the necessary support and funding to conduct more comprehensive studies on light and animal behaviour and physiology.
James tells us about how light is central to various aspects of animal life, and how the ZLI supports research into topics including photobiology, sensory ecology and the impact of light on ecosystems. He discusses the way that light influences behaviour and ecology not only in the context of captive animal welfare and the animals we know, but also in the conservation of wildlife.
James goes on to tell us about the importance of light in welfare assessments and the Five Domains model of animal welfare: mental, nutrition, environment, health and behaviour. He explains the challenges of monitoring the mental domain in animal welfare assessments and how measuring light could help animal carers to understand unconscious states in animals. He also explains in detail how light regulates hormones and influences biological processes including digestion, and how light provides the opportunities for animals to make choices.
James explains how the ZLI supports research through fundraising initiatives and by providing the support for researchers to utilise the most appropriate metrics and equipment to conduct vital research into light. He explains how knowledge of light can be used practically in animal care; for example, by reducing exposure to artificial light in animals where this is known to be harmful, and by supplementing UV light to birds who need UV to properly see colouration on conspecifics.
James concludes the podcast by highlighting the importance of natural light and celebrating natural light as a method of reaching out and educating the public on science, physics and animal welfare. He also tells us how the arts can be used to engage and educate people about light, and how the short films produced by ZLI’s Film & Media department aim to raise awareness of this complex topic.
Learn more about the Zoological Lighting Institute HERE
Watch the short film “Fireflies” HERE
Learn more about the different types of work the ZLI carries out HERE
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Become a member of PAWS HERE
