ABSTRACT Zookeepers often report strong attachment (bonds) with animals in their care. This paper reports a qualitative study of how keepers perceived these animals; the aim was to explore keepers’ experiences of bonding and how these related to the work done in zoos. Respondents were drawn from a large sample participating in a survey of zoo professionals; across five establishments, 14 volunteered. Semi-structured interviews were used; transcripts were subsequently analyzed and coded to identify key themes in the narratives. We identified four broad themes, the first being work: keepers enter the job for “love of animals” but also have to maintain physical and emotional distance from them in a zoo. The second theme was “specialness”; in particular, how keepers often saw themselves as the best person to deal with this or that individual animal. The third theme was how keepers drew boundaries: between species, and between “wild” and “tame.” Keepers talk about animals as “wild” while also recognizing that in zoos these animals are captive. The fourth and main theme, however, was bonds: to which animals do keepers feel attachments, and why? And how might these impact the animals? These findings, which are consistent with the results of questionnaire-based studies, provide us with insights which can inform our judgments about the role of human– animal bond development in the management of zoo-housed animals.

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“你不能真正拥抱老虎”：动物园管理员和他们与动物的联系

摘要 动物园管理员经常报告与他们照料的动物有强烈的依恋（纽带）。本文报告了饲养员如何看待这些动物的定性研究；目的是探索饲养员的亲密体验，以及这些体验与动物园工作的关系。受访者来自参与动物园专业人员调查的大样本；在五个机构中，有 14 个是志愿服务。使用了半结构化访谈；随后对抄本进行分析和编码，以确定叙述中的关键主题。我们确定了四个广泛的主题，第一个是工作：饲养员进入工作是为了“爱动物”，但在动物园里也必须与它们保持身体和情感上的距离。第二个主题是“特殊性”；尤其是饲养员如何经常将自己视为处理这只或那只动物的最佳人选。第三个主题是饲养员如何划定界限：物种之间，以及“野生”和“驯服”之间。饲养员将动物称为“野生”动物，同时也认识到在动物园中这些动物是圈养的。然而，第四个也是主要的主题是纽带：饲养员对哪些动物有依恋，为什么？这些会如何影响动物？这些发现与基于问卷的研究结果一致，为我们提供了见解，可以为我们判断人与动物关系发展在动物园饲养动物管理中的作用提供信息。为什么？这些会如何影响动物？这些发现与基于问卷的研究结果一致，为我们提供了见解，可以为我们判断人与动物关系发展在动物园饲养动物管理中的作用提供信息。为什么？这些会如何影响动物？这些发现与基于问卷的研究结果一致，为我们提供了见解，可以为我们判断人与动物关系发展在动物园饲养动物管理中的作用提供信息。