All animals in human care deserve the ability to live life to its fullest. As caretakers, it is our responsibility to provide the means to thrive.
The Elgin Centre assists facilities in providing the best possible welfare for the animals under their care.
The Elgin Centre was founded in 2020 with the vision that the lives of captive animals can be improved through implementing standards of care that allow animals to live life to its fullest, or thrive.
Since its founding, The Elgin Centre has worked with zoos, sanctuaries, and other facilities around the world. This work has improved the lives of these animals by providing them with the Elgin Centre's core principles:
All animals should be provided the ability for self determination and freedom of choice whenever possible.
All animals should have a cognitively stimulating environment, tailored to who they are as a species.
All animals should have a social environment similar to what they would experience in their natural environment.
All animals are individuals, with individual needs and individual challenges. Care must be tailored to the individual.
All care protocols must be based in evidence.
The Elgin Centre is a nonprofit service dedicated to assisting facilities in providing the means for animals to thrive under their care. Whether the facility is new, transitioning, seeking accreditation, or just looking to improve upon existing programs, The Elgin Centre offers expert consultation services in staff training, creating and improving animal care protocols, operant conditioning (animal training), creating a robust animal enrichment program, social housing (animal introductions), enclosure design, master site planning, maintaining a culture of safety, developing a program of veterinary care, compliance with oversight bodies, auditing existing practices, and creating a philosophy of care.
Animal Care Protocols
The Elgin Centre offers consultation in maintaining the greatest well-being possible for all animals housed in your facility with our expertise in developing care plans, welfare assessments, operant conditioning protocols, creating a robust enrichment program, and creating a program of veterinary care.
Master Site Planning
The Elgin Centre can help develop a vision for a master site plan that places the welfare of the animals as the priority. Our expert consultation in enclosure design and master site planning ensures that as organisation plans and builds will be the absolute best in allowing all animal residents to live life to the fullest!
Audit & Compliance
The Elgin Centre can provide an overview of a facilty’s existing programs to ensure that they are providing the most for both animal residents, as well as the staff. We can ensure that the facility is maintaining animal well-being standards and a culture of safety; which can ensure compliance with oversight bodies and accrediting agencies.
Allowing animals to thrive
The Elgin Centre is named after a chimpanzee named Elgin, who had serious challenges to thriving. He was born in captivity and had encephalitis when he was an infant. Due to this condition, Elgin suffered from severe neurological maladies. However, through an approach that combined an individualized care protocol, expert veterinary care, novel enclosure design, a rich social environment, and a robust enrichment program, Elgin was able to live life to the fullest; or thrive. Our mission at The Elgin Centre is to find ways for all animals to thrive. We are dedicated to providing exemplary animal care and welfare consulting services tailored to allowing the animals in your care to thrive. Whether your organization is a zoo, a laboratory, a sanctuary, or any other type of facility that houses animals, we are here to ensure their well-being. Share your story and let us help you make a difference in your organization.
Does your facility need help?
If you are currently facing challenges, The Elgin Centre has an array of programs to assist struggling facilities meet the needs of their animals. As a nonprofit charity, we will work to get you help, regardless of your financial situation. Our mission is the welfare of the animals is your care. Let us help you provide this. Fill out the form below and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
