Chiara Grasso

• MSc - Ethologist
• Ethologist - Zooanthropologist at Eticoscienza

The growing debate on the Anthropocene epoch urges a critical reflection on the relationship between human and non-human animals. This paper reflects on the space of animal justice in wildlife sanctuaries from a post-human perspective. Our perspective on wildlife sanctuaries relies on posthumanism and its potential in terms of offering both a new e...

Giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis) are found in zoos all over the world. In recent years, numerous researchers have documented complex sociality in these mammals. They highlighted that giraffes have non-random preferences in their choices of social partners, which can depend on various factors such as age, sex, and kinship. One of the still little-k...

The aim of the present study is to investigate themes related to visitors’ perceptions of captive wildlife in particular, attitudes towards non-human primates (henceforth, primates). This research took place in free-roaming, multi-species primate sanctuary, Monkeyland (South Africa), where 400 visitors were interviewed using an anonymous survey bot...

In the ecotourism context, more and more attention is paid to the choices and preferences of visitors. Zoological structures such as zoos, sanctuaries, rescue centers and nature reserves, often characterized by conservation programs, need to bring together their experiential offer with the interests and demands of the people who visit their facilit...

Il concetto di «turismo ecosostenibile» è sulla bocca di tutti: ma cosa significa veramente? È molto di più che raccogliere i rifiuti dopo un picnic o usare uno spazzolino da denti biodegradabile. Dalla scelta dell’alloggio ai mezzi di trasporto, dalla preparazione dei bagagli all’arrivo nel posto che ci ospiterà, dalle attività al rapporto con la...

In the twenty-first century-an era of increasing domestic and international tourism-there are boundless opportunities to encounter wild animals both in their home countries and ex situ in zoological facilities around the world. Tourism activity-especially at accredited zoos and sanctuaries-plays a crucial role in the conservation of wild animal pop...

Anthropomorphic figures of nonhuman animals are omnipresent in various forms of mass media (e.g., movies, books, and advertising). The depiction of companion and wild animals, including nonhuman primates (e.g., chimpanzees), as possessing human characteristics or behaviors can influence these animals’ desirability as companions. Ultimately, this ca...

The keeping of exotic species as companion animals has increased over the years. In Europe and the USA, over one third of all pets are exotic. This number does not account for the large number of illegal exotic pets. This trend has stark implications for public health, animal welfare and species conservation.

Zebrafish (Danio rerio) is considered an experimental model organism with numerous applications in different fields. The mechanisms underlying social and reproductive preferences are complex. Most of the literature on conspecific interactions focus on the chemical communication mediated by scattered signals in the aquatic medium. The aim of this re...

The population of giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis) in the wild has dramatically decreased over the last 20 years. For this reason, ex situ breeding and management has become necessary for conservation and knowledge of the species. This study was carried out at the Bioparc Valencia (Spain) in March and April 2017, on a group of 6 giraffes (1 male a...

The social behaviour of zebrafish (Danio rerio, Cyprinidae) appears complex and little is known about sex-related shoaling preference and mate choice. The aim of this project is studying the potential influence of various stimuli (e.g. habitat colours, conspecifics-of different number and sex-, and 2D images) on shoaling preferences, with a focus o...

The considerable influx of tourists in parks and rescue centers represents a promising opportunity to investigate the relationship between public and non-human primates. The present study was carried out in the free-roaming sanctuary, Monkeyland (South Africa), which hosts 700 rescued primates of 11 different species. An anonymous survey was conduc...

Considering the awareness regarding the oxidative stress status implication in most of the actual neuropsychiatric disorders and also the ever increasing importance of zebrafish studies in this context, in the present paper we were interested in the general biological relevance of the oxidative stress status in replicating some neuropsychiatric man...

Evento organizzato dall'Associazione ETICOSCIENZA. Ha ottenuto i patrocini di Regione Lazione, Comune di Roma, CNR, DBios (Università di Torino), Società Italiana di Etologia, Associazione Italiana Naturalisti e Associazione ETHICA. Partner: Le Scienze. Per la prima edizione è stato scelto il tema del rapporto tra umani e gli altri animali, osserv...

The opportunities for tourists to be entertained by wild animals, to have a ‘once in a lifetime’ experience, is a worldwide phenomenon. In many cases, visitors to zoos, aquaria, and sanctuaries have the opportunity to interact directly with wild animals through feeding, touching, or washing. These wild animals may be kept in captivity and bred only...

Considering the awareness regarding the oxidative stress status implication in most of the actual neuropsychiatric disorders and also the ever increasing importance of zebrafish studies in this context, in the present paper we were interested in the general biological relevance of the oxidative stress status in replicating some neuropsychiatric man...

Social media has become a powerful tool for spreading information and awareness campaigns on environmental issues, especially as they pertain to the conservation of wild animals. It is a double-edged sword, however, since it also facilitates the legal and illegal trade of wild animal species as well as the propagation of 'wild animal selfies.' This...

Zebrafish has a complex social behavior and little is known about the role of sexual preference and their environmental social interactions. In this study we investigated the potential influence of environmental colors and shoaling preferences of zebrafish male and female populations, with a focus on visual communication. Males and females were kep...

The considerable influx of tourists in parks and rescue centres represents a promising opportunity to investigate the relationship between public and primates. The present study was carried out in the free-roaming sanctuary, Monkeyland (South Africa), which hosted 600 rescued primates of 11 different species. An anonymous survey was conducted among...

La popolazione di giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) in natura è notevolmente diminuita negli ultimi vent’anni. Attualmente la specie, secondo la IUCN, si trova in una situazione vulnerabile di pericolo d’estinzione. Per questo motivo, la gestione e la riproduzione ex situ sono diventate indispensabili per la conservazione e la conoscenza della speci...

I’ve presented my thesis project at the Congress of Parco Natura Viva

The population of giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis) in the wild has dramatically decreased over the last 20 years. For this reason, ex situ breeding and management has become necessary for conservation and knowledge of the species. This study was carried out at the Bioparc Valencia (Spain) in March and April 2017, on a group of 6 giraffes (1 male a...