Foraging enrichment alleviates oral repetitive behaviors in captive red-tailed black cockatoos (Calyptorhynchus banksii)
The relationship between inadequate foraging opportunities and the expression of oral repetitive behaviors has been well documented in many production animal species. However, this relationship has been less-well examined in zoo-housed animals, particularly avian species. The expression of oral repetitive behavior may embody a frustrated foraging response, and may therefore be alleviated with the provision […]
Dyadic interactions of infant lowland gorillas in an outdoor exhibit compared to an indoor holding area
Abstract 10.1002/zoo.1430130306.abs The behavior of two lowland gorilla mother-infant pairs living in a social group at Zoo Atlanta was compared in an indoor holding area vs. an outdoor exhibit. Focal animal data were collected for each pair during 30-min observation sessions over 24 days, alternating between indoors and outdoors. A variety of individual and social […]
Consistency of captive giraffe behavior under two different management regimes
Abstract Long-term animal behavior studies are sometimes conducted at a single site, leading to questions about whether effects are limited to animals in the same environment. Our ability to make general conclusions about behavior is improved when we can identify behaviors that are consistent across a range of environments. To extend Veasey and colleagues’ ([1996b] […]
Ground substrate affects activity budgets and hair loss in outdoor captive groups of rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta)
How the captive environment influences the behavior of animals is relevant to the well-being of captive animals. Captivity diverges from the natural environment in many ways, and one goal of enrichment practices is to encourage species-typical behavior in these unnatural environments. This study investigated the influence of grass vs. gravel substrate on activity budgets and […]