Laura Naidenov

I am a Conservation Scientist on the Population Biology team at the zoo, where I am involved in projects such as developing effective post-release monitoring tools in the Vietnam pheasant and Parson’s chameleons, and using citizen science to survey the presence of hedgehogs and other UK wildlife around Cheshire.

My background is in behavioural ecology of animals, which was curated at University where I studied a Zoology BSc and continued on with an MSc in Animal Behaviour. Following from this, I started working at the Zoo as a husbandry placement student working with the Giraffe Team in 2021. It was there that my curiosity about why animals behave in certain ways peaked, and I joined the Behaviour and Welfare Science team in 2022 as a Conservation Scientist.

By using a mix of live observations, camera traps, or CCTV footage, we develop research to monitor animal behaviour with the aim of optimising the welfare of animals at the zoo. For example, we can get an idea of how much rest giraffes get at night by monitoring the amount of time they spend in REM sleep.

Key Publications:

• Naidenov, L. A., & Allen, W. L. (2021). Tail autotomy works as a pre‐capture defense by deflecting attacks. Ecology and Evolution, 11(7), 3058-3064.