The Zone Overlap Index: A new measure of shared resource use in the zoo
It is important that the environment provided in the zoo is relevant to the species being housed and its suitability be easily assessed by personnel. As shared space and resources can overlap in a zoo’s enclosure a tool is required to measure the effects of such overlap between individual animals in a shared enclosure. This […]
Social network-proximity association: Preliminary evaluation of giraffe sociality in a zoo-housed group
Giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis) are found in zoos all over the world. In recent years, numerous researchers have documented complex sociality in these mammals. They highlighted that giraffes have non-random preferences in their choices of social partners, which can depend on various factors such as age, sex, and kinship. One of the still little-known aspects is […]
Monitoring the behaviour and stress physiology of male gorillas Gorilla gorilla gorilla for one year following bachelor group formation
Gorillas Gorilla gorilla gorilla are polygynous so zoos are challenged to provide lifelong socialisation for males not living in mixed-sex or breeding troops. One approach is to establish and manage all-male “bachelor” groups; however, there is little published information on the behavioural and physiological impacts that group formation may have on these individuals. Therefore, we […]
Is There a “Right” Side of Communicating Friendship? Lateralization of Social Interactions in Zoo Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus)
Social laterality in non-human primates has started to attract attention in recent years. The positioning of individuals during social interactions could possibly suggest the nature of a relationship and the social ranking of the subjects involved. The subjects of the present study were 12 adult Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus) housed in a zoological garden. We […]
Assessing saddle‐billed stork (Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis) pair‐bonds and breeding behavior using behavior observed during multiple breeding seasons
Despite the fact that saddle-billed storks (SBS) are housed in zoos around the world, few successful hatches have been recorded. At Disney’s Animal Kingdom® we conducted observations on two pairs of SBS during multiple reproductive periods to assess the relative strength of their pair-bonds and their reproductive success. We accomplished this through observations of rates […]
Behavioral and Physical Development of Captive–Born Eastern Black Rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis michaeli) Calves
The birth of two eastern black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis michaeli) calves (0.2) at the Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines, IA offered an opportunity to collect normative data for the first six months of calf development. Both calves successfully stood within 76 minutes of birth. Nursing first occurred at approximately 130 minutes. First defecation occurred […]
Inter-individual Distance in Different Captive Packs of Iberian Wolf (Canis lupus signatus): Management Applications
There is a tendency for the wolves of a pack to stay together assuming that there is a social bond between the pack members. A rough estimate of the strength of this bond can be obtained by measuring the distances between pack members. The aim of this study was to determine the inter-individual distance by […]
Choice of scan-sampling intervals—An example with quantifying neighbours in dairy cows
To date, only a few studies using scan-sampling intervals to record neighbours in groups of animals explain how the interval length was chosen. In this study, we investigated the effects of different scan-sampling intervals, behavioural context, and the definition of neighbours on the accuracy of data as compared to a quasi-continuous observation. The data was […]
The birth of an infant decreases group spacing in a zoo-housed lowland gorilla group (Gorilla gorilla gorilla)
Changes in group composition can alter the behavior of social animals such as gorillas. Although gorilla births are presumed to affect group spacing patterns, there is relatively little data about how these events affect gorilla group cohesion. We investigated how members of a western lowland gorilla group (n = 6) at Lincoln Park Zoo (Chicago, IL, USA) […]
Daytime mother–calf relationships in reticulated giraffes (Giraffa cameloparadalis reticulate) at the Kyoto City Zoo
The present study quantitatively assesses the relationships between a reticulated giraffe mother and her first- and second-born calves during the first 22 months of the older calf’s and the first 12 months of the younger calf’s life at the Kyoto City Zoo, Japan. The mother permitted her calves to suckle at over 70% of their […]