Autonomy in action: Empowering animal-led choices (2026)

Rust, K., Phillips, W. F., Fernandez, E. J.

Abstract

The concept of choice is increasingly recognized as a critical component of animal welfare, particularly within zoological settings. Despite its significance, the academic literature on empirically examined methods to allow zoo animals to actively communicate choice is limited. This paper presents a novel “You Choose” procedure that allowed multiple pinniped species–including New Zealand fur seals (Arctocephalus forsteri), California sea lions (Zalophus californianus), and an Australian sea lion (Neophoca cinerea)–along with Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) to communicate choice between concurrently-presented options through the autonomous selection of one outcome. We describe two different scenarios in which this choice procedure was implemented: (1) To select among potential rewards during a training session; or (2) to allow the animal to pick between potential enrichment items. In both cases, training the animal to utilize the “You Choose” procedure is detailed, with the purpose of providing the animal the ability to make such choices. Training zoo animals to communicate choices to keepers from an array of concurrently available stimuli should support the animals’ welfare needs, as well as introduce a framework for implementing choice-driven training and enrichment practices that can be adapted for other zoo-housed species. We propose a future methodological approach utilizing the “You Choose” procedure which allows for measurable choice manipulations, thereby suggesting future research opportunities to assess the quantitative impact of choice on welfare.