Rethinking Negative Reinforcement in Zoo Animal Welfare: A Constructional Approach to Distance as a Reinforcer to Address Fear and Aggression

Fear and aggressive responses in zoo animals are commonly maintained by negative reinforcement, with the animal’s behavior functioning to create distance from an aversive stimulus. Traditional approaches such as systematic desensitization and counterconditioning may be less effective because they do not contact this maintaining contingency and may instead superimpose competing contingencies, producing incomplete change. This paper presents the case for negative reinforcement shaping as a functionally aligned, welfare-positive intervention applied within the constructional approach. We review the empirical literature, address persistent misconceptions, and provide procedural guidance. Two case studies are presented: a male Amur tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) at Copenhagen Zoo whose aggressive responses toward a specific caregiver changed to calm, affiliative responding across 42 min of training, enabling subsequent positive reinforcement-based medical care; and an orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) at Dublin Zoo whose avoidance of a suddenly aversive night holding area was resolved within approximately 15 min, resulting in calm, sustained presence with the door closed. Genuine choice, contingency analysis, and the transition from negative to positive reinforcement are discussed. We conclude that negative reinforcement shaping within the constructional approach may provide a useful, function-based alternative for distancing-maintained behavior and is accessible to practitioners with foundational training.