Positive Reinforcement Conditioning as a Tool for Frequent Minimally Invasive Blood and Vaginal Swab Sampling in African Lions (Panthera Leo)
Information regarding the physiology of African lions is scarce, mainly due to challenges associated with essential routine research procedures. The aim of this experiment was to test the possibility of training six captive lionesses by positive reinforcement conditioning (PRC) to voluntarily allow the collection of vaginal swabs and blood samples. This was done with the […]
Dominance hierarchy in a herd of female eland antelope (Taurotragus oryx) in captivity
Abstract 10.1002/zoo.20003.abs The dominance hierarchy of a group of adult female elands (n=10) kept in captivity was followed for 34 months. Outcomes of dominance relationships at the beginning and end of the study were compared. A clear dominance hierarchy existed in the herd. The dominance pattern was complex, but triads were predominantly (95%) transitive or […]