Nonhuman animal welfare science is the scientific study of the welfare state of animals that attempts to make inferences about how animals feel from their behavior, endocrine function, and/or signs of physical health. These welfare measurements are applicable within zoos yet inherently more complex than in farms and laboratories. This complexity is due to the vast number of species housed, lack of fundamental biological information, and relatively lower sample sizes and levels of experimental control. This article summarizes the invited presentations on the topic of “Advances in Applied Animal Welfare Science,” given at the Fourth Global Animal Welfare Congress held jointly by the Detroit Zoological Society and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums in 2017. The article focuses on current trends in research on zoo animal welfare under the following themes: (a) human–animal interactions and relationships, (b) anticipatory behavior, (c) cognitive enrichment, (d) behavioral biology, and (e) reproductive and population management. It highlights areas in which further advancements in zoo animal welfare science are needed and the challenges that may be faced in doing so.

非人类动物福利科学是对动物福利状态的科学研究，旨在推断动物的感觉从他们的行为，内分泌功能和/或身体健康的迹象。这些福利衡量标准适用于动物园，但其本质上比农场和实验室复杂。这种复杂性是由于所饲养的物种数量众多，缺乏基本的生物学信息以及相对较小的样本量和实验控制水平所致。本文总结了由底特律动物学学会和世界动物园与水族馆协会于2017年联合举办的第四届全球动物福利大会上有关“应用动物福利科学的进展”主题的受邀演讲。以下主题对动物园动物福利的研究趋势：（a）人与动物的相互作用和关系，（b）预期行为，（c）认知丰富化，（d）行为生物学，（e）生殖和人口管理。它着重指出了需要进一步提高动物园动物福利科学水平的领域，以及在此领域可能面临的挑战。