Why animals in zoos need choice

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Stephanie Braccini Slade |

TED@UPS

• September 2016

As curator of mammals at Zoo Atlanta, Stephanie Braccini Slade can attest that animals, just like humans, need to make choices to feel in control of their lives. Slade shares the story of a troubled chimpanzee named Holly to explain how crafting opportunities for choice in an animal's environment can create positive behavioral outcomes and improve their overall quality of life. "I'm not an expert on humans," Slade says, "but I think we can learn a lot from the animal world."