Enrichment and animal age, not biological variables, predict positive welfare indicators in zoo-housed carnivores
The development of evidence-based zoo animal welfare science and the use of the ‘five domains’ have inspired zoos to increase animal welfare, particularly recognising positive welfare states. We tested whether natural biology (number of habitats, latitudinal range, sociality, body weight) or husbandry variables (mean age of group, group size and presence of extra enrichment) predict […]
Quantifying Acute Behavioral Reactions of Bali Mynas (Leucopsar rothschildi) to Environmental and Progressively Challenging Enrichment
Animals use specific behaviors and skills to overcome challenges and access resources. Environmental enrichment is provided to animals in human care to both promote species-appropriate behaviors and reduce undesired behaviors. Feather pecking in birds is an undesired behavior without a clear cause. The Saint Louis Zoo houses three pairs of young Bali mynas (Leucopsar rothschildi) […]
Age‐based variation in calf independence, social behavior and play in a captive population of African elephant calves
African elephant calves are highly social and their behavioral development depends heavily on interactions with other elephants. Evaluating early social behaviors offers important information that can inform management decisions and maximize individual- and population-level welfare. We use data collected from the population of elephants at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in Escondido, CA to […]
How do Common Otters (Lutra lutra, Linnaeus 1758) Interact? Behavioral Study on a Pair of Otters in Captivity
Common Otter is a fairly well-known species, however few studies have focused on their behavior. This is related with the challenges inherent to the observation of otters in the nature. For that reason, in the present work, a male and a female of this species in a captivity environment were observed. The aim was to […]
Social interactions in captive female Florida manatees
Abstract 10.1002/zoo.20044.abs The Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) is considered a semi-social species with strong bonds developed primarily between mother and offspring. Some field studies suggest sociality may be more developed and such social relationships may facilitate survival. Seven facilities in Florida house manatees, many of which were brought into captivity because of injury or […]
How can social network analysis improve the study of primate behavior?
Abstract When living in a group, individuals have to make trade-offs, and compromise, in order to balance the advantages and disadvantages of group life. Strategies that enable individuals to achieve this typically affect inter-individual interactions resulting in nonrandom associations. Studying the patterns of this assortativity using social network analyses can allow us to explore how […]
Space to choose: network analysis of social preferences in a captive chimpanzee community, and implications for management
Abstract Social network analysis (SNA) is rapidly gaining popularity in primatology, but its application to the management of zoo-housed primates has been largely overlooked. Here I use SNA techniques to explore the social structure of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) housed in the new “Budongo Trail” exhibit at Edinburgh Zoo, UK. Given that individuals have extensive space […]
Impacts of Tourism on Anxiety and Physiological Stress Levels in Wild Male Barbary Macaques
Wildlife tourism is a burgeoning global industry with the potential to make a significant contribution to the conservation of endangered species. However, a number of studies have provided evidence that tourists’ presence and behaviour may impact negatively on the animals involved, with potentially harmful consequences for their health, reproduction and population viability. Here, we investigate […]
Dynamics of the access of captive domestic cats to a feed environmental enrichment item
Providing feed enrichment to captive felids that are obligate carnivores is crucial for eliciting natural hunting behaviours. However, studies of the efficacy of enrichment techniques usually analyse the whole group, overlooking the different behaviours of individual animals towards the enriched environment. In this study, we used beef (700 g) suspended by steel cables to achieve […]
Proximity and animal welfare in the context of tourist interactions with habituated dolphins
The long-term sustainability of wildlife tourism depends on integrating visitor demands with resource management, requiring an understanding of tourist motivation. Managing the conflict between access to the animals and welfare, however, may diminish the experience for tourists. This paper identifies trade-offs tourists are willing to make between access and animal welfare, associated with feeding habituated […]