Introduction: Research points to a relationship between owner personality and strength of attachment to one’s pet, with implications for psychological health. So far, studies in this area, albeit sparse, have focused on the ‘Big Five’ traits of owner personality. The ‘Dark Triad’ is a cluster of traits that has also been linked to emotional deficits, but has been overlooked in relation to pet attachment. This study therefore examined the association between owner personality and pet attachment, focusing on both the ‘Big Five’ and ‘Dark Triad’ traits of personality.

Methods: A cross-sectional design was employed to collect quantitative data from dog and cat owners across the globe between May-June 2023. A purpose-designed online survey collected sociodemographic details, along with information on pet ownership, strength of the pet-owner bond and participant personality, assessed using the Big Five personality scale and the Short Dark Triad scale. The survey was fully completed by 759 dog and 179 cat owners.

Results: Analysis revealed significant correlations between many of the participants’ personality traits, both within and between scales. Strength of pet attachment was positively correlated with neuroticism and conscientiousness, and, more weakly, to Machiavellianism. Regression analysis revealed that females, dog owners, people over the age of 50 and individuals who had children under 18 years to care for were more strongly attached to their pets than others. Both neuroticism and conscientiousness were found to be significant predictors of participants’ pet attachment scores. None of the Dark Triad traits significantly predicted the criterion.

Discussion: This study points to a relationship between strength of attachment to one’s pet and owner personality, at least as measured using the Big Five approach to personality assessment. There was little to support an association between the Dark Triad traits and strength of attachment to one’s pet, although the link between these characteristics and attachment styles is still unknown. The investigation lends support for the idea that high attachment levels are associated with personality traits aligned to psychological ill-health. Further work is recommended in this area, with a greater focus on both strength and quality (e.g., attachment style) of the pet-owner bond.

Introduction: Burnout and mental health among animal care and health professionals (ACHPs) has received increasing attention in recent years. Despite rapid growth of research in this area, the wellbeing of individuals who work and/or volunteer in zoo settings has received minimal attention.

Method: An anonymous online survey was created to evaluate zoo staff and volunteers’ experiences of animal-related loss, rates of professional fulfillment and burnout, mental health, perceived organizational support, and resilience. Participants included 1695 zoo professionals (72% ACHPs, 20% other staff) and volunteers (7%) who were recruited through relevant professional listservs and online platforms, and flyers on zoo grounds.

Results: ACHPs reported higher levels of anxiety, depression, and burnout and lower levels of professional fulfillment than other zoo staff and volunteers. The most common animal-related losses experienced by ACHPs in the past year were unexpected death (80%) and anticipated loss (74%), with more than half of these losses occurring within the past 3 months. ACHPs’ reported bond with animals under their care was positively associated with depression and anxiety. Having a formal ritual or process following the death of an animal was positively associated with job fulfillment and perceived organizational support and negatively associated with depression and burnout—yet only 17% of participants in our sample indicated that their zoo had such a process or ritual.

Discussion: Our findings suggest that many ACHPs are struggling with burnout, anxiety, depression, and low rates of professional fulfilment and perceived organizational support. We recommend that zoos develop organizational plans that foster a culture which normalizes and validates grief/loss experiences and is proactive in responding to animal loss, related trauma, and other occupational stressors. The results of this research demonstrate the need for systemic changes within the zoo industry, for the betterment and welfare of both humans and the animals under their care.