Fay Clark
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Fay is a PhD student in the Centre for Animal Welfare. Her research links animal cognition with welfare, and specifically focuses on whether cognitive challenges can enhance the psychological well-being of large-brained species housed in zoos.
Biography
Fay began research as a volunteer at a marine mammal cognition facility in Oahu, Hawai'i (2000, 2001). Fay graduated from the University of Southampton in 2004 with a degree in Zoology, and since then she has held a number of research positions in UK Zoos. Her study species have varied greatly from large felids and nocturnal mammals, to marine mammals and various primates. Most recently, she worked at ZSL London Zoo as an Animal Behaviourist, where she studied the behaviour and welfare of Western lowland gorillas.
Fay was able to tie postgraduate study into her zoo research roles. She gained an MSc in Wild Animal Biology at the Royal Veterinary College and Institute of Zoology in 2007 (Distinction), with a thesis on nocturnal mammal enrichment at Paignton Zoo. In 2008, Fay decided to specialise further in primatology and gained an MPhil from the University of Cambridge (Distinction, Department of Biological Anthropology). As part of this degree, Fay studied the social structure of chimpanzees at Edinburgh Zoo.
Fay returned to the Royal Veterinary College as a PhD student in Spring 2010, and joined the Centre for Animal Welfare. Her work is supervised by Professor Christopher Wathes (RVC) and Dr. Tony Sainsbury (Institute of Zoology).
Grants & Awards
- (2011) International Conference on Veterinary and Animal Ethics (ICVAE) Early Career Bursary
- (2011) Institute of Zoology Daisy Balogh Travel Grant
- (2010) UFAW Small Project Award
- (2009) LSB Leakey Trust Research Grant
- (2008) Disney's Animal Kingdom & Brevard Zoo Travel Grant
- (2007) Highest Aggregate Mark - MSc Wild Animal Biology
Society Memberships
- Animal welfare: UFAW
- Primatology: IPS, ASP, PSGB
- Marine mammalogy: Society for Marine Mammalogy, IMATA
- Scientific and Psychological Research: Sigma Xi, Association for Psychological Science
Research
Fay is interested in the behaviour and welfare of wild animals in captivity, mainly those housed in zoos (including aquaria, wildlife parks and sanctuaries). In particular, she studies how enrichment (frequently referred to as environmental enrichment) can be used to enhance the welfare state of zoo animals.
Fay’s PhD explores both the pure and applied aspects of 'cognitive enrichment' (i.e. providing opportunities for problem-solving) for zoo-housed great apes and cetaceans, and will draw upon the existing interests and expertise of staff within the Centre for Animal Welfare (quantitative welfare assessment, cognitive function) and at ZSL (animal health and husbandry). It is hoped that this PhD will have practical implications, helping to inform future management practices.
Fay is a Reviewer for the following journals: Zoo Biology, American Journal of Primatology, International Journal of Primatology, Animal Welfare.
Teaching
Within RVC/ZSL:
- Supervision of MSc level students in Wild Animal Biology, and second and third year BSc Veterinary Science students.
- Tutor and problem-based learning (PBL) facilitator for the MSc in Wild Animal Biology and Wild Animal Health.
Fay can offer advice to students and other researchers wishing to undertake zoo research.
Selected Publications
CLARK, F.E., Hitchcock, D., Sainsbury, A.W., & Wathes, C.M. Submitted. Can cognitive challenges be enriching? Evaluation of a novel cognitive challenge device for zoo-housed chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes).
CLARK, F.E. 2011. Great Ape Cognition and Captive Care: Can Cognitive Challenges Enhance Psychological Well-being? Applied Animal Behaviour Science 135(1):1-12.
CLARK, F.E., FITZPATRICK, M., HARTLEY, A., KING, A.J., LEE, T., ROUTH, A., WALKER, S., & GEORGE, K. (In Press, published online). The relationship between behavior, adrenal activity and environment in zoo-housed Western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla). Zoo Biology.
CLARK, F.E. & MELFI, V.A. (In Press, published online). Environmental Enrichment for a Mixed-Species Nocturnal Mammal Exhibit. Zoo Biology.
CLARK, F.E. 2011. Space to choose: Network analysis of social preferences in a captive chimpanzee community, and implications for management. American Journal of Primatology 73(8):748-757. This article was one of the top ten downloaded articles of 2010, published online 30 Nov 2010.
KING, A.J., CLARK, F.E. & COWLISHAW, G. 2011. The dining etiquette of desert baboons: the roles of social bonds, kinship, and dominance in co-feeding networks. American Journal of Primatology 73(8):768-774. Additional coverage: BBC Nature , Planet Earth Online
CLARK, F.E. & KING, A.J. (2008). A critical review of zoo-based olfactory enrichment. In: Chemical Signals in Vertebrates 11. Hurst, J. L., Beynon, R. J., Roberts, C. S. & Wyatt, T. D. (Eds). New York: Springer. p 391-398.
DOW, S. & CLARK, F.E. (Eds) (2007). Annual Symposium on Zoo Research: 2006, Colchester Zoo. The Federation of Zoological Gardens of Great Britain and Ireland, London.