Stereotypic Behaviour in Elephants
Stereotypic behaviour is undesirable in zoos, especially when it occurs in large sentient mammals such as elephants because there is evidence that it is often linked to poor welfare conditions and suboptimal management. Elephant managers make great efforts to prevent, or at least reduce, the performance of stereotypic behaviours and this is perceived as beneficial […]
The Elephant Welfare Initiative: a model for advancing evidence‐based zoo animal welfare monitoring, assessment and enhancement
The Elephant Welfare Initiative (EWI) is an effort supported by a community of member zoos with the common goal of advancing evidence‐based elephant‐care practices that enhance welfare. The idea for the EWI came about following the completion of a large‐scale North American elephant welfare study, which demonstrated that daily practices, such as social management, enrichment […]
Neurophysiological correlates of stereotypic behaviour in a model carnivore species
Stereotypic behaviour (SB) is common in animals housed in farm, zoo or laboratory conditions, including captive Carnivora (e.g. wild ursids and felids). Neurobiological data on housing-induced SBs come from four species (macaques, two rodent species, and horses), and suggest basal ganglia (BG) dysfunction. We investigated whether similar patterns occur in Carnivora via a model, American […]
Impact of a new exhibit on stereotypic behavior in an elderly captive African elephant
Stereotypic behavior in zoo elephants is considered an indicator of impaired welfare. The underlying causes are diverse and many aspects are still unexplored. Nevertheless, many zoological institutions take huge efforts to improve the well-being of their elephants. The construction of a new exhibit provides a chance to gain further evidence on the impact of such […]
Preference for and behavioural response to environmental enrichment in a small population of sexually mature, commercial boars
An increasing public concern over the welfare of livestock species is motivating more producers to consider changes to production practices. Providing environmental enrichment for intensively housed animals is one such potentially welfare-enhancing change. The goal of environmental enrichment is to provide biologically relevant environmental stimuli that allows an animal to perform highly motivated, species-specific behaviours. […]
Stereotypic Behavior of a Female Asiatic Elephant (Elephas maximus) in a Zoo
This study recorded daytime behavior of a female Asiatic elephant at the Municipal Zoo, Wroclaw, Poland, in both an indoor pen and an outdoor paddock as continuous scan sampling for 140 hr, over 35 days in 1 year. Stereotypic sequences involved bouts of highly repetitive stereotypic movements and much more variable interbout behavior. The study […]
Low environmental temperature causes an increase in stereotypic behaviour in captive Asian elephants (Elephas maximus)
(1) Captive Asian elephants exhibited a strong negative correlation between maximum daily temperature and the frequency of stereotypic behaviour, in those animals predisposed to exhibit stereotypies. (2) The frequency of stereotypic behaviours increased throughout each study day (1000–1400 h), reaching maximum values at the end of the day, asfeeding time approached. (3) The frequenciesof stereotypic […]
Stereotypic swaying and serum cortisol concentrations in three captive African elephants (Loxodonta africana)
The behaviour and serum cortisol concentrations of three captive female African elephants (Loxodonta africana) were studied to determine whether their stereotypic swaying was more prevalent before regularly scheduled events in the elephants’ routine, and whether the elephants that exhibited more stereotyped swaying had lower mean serum cortisol concentrations. Behavioural data were collected during hour-long observations […]
Environmental effects on the behavior of zoo-housed lions and tigers, with a case study of the effects of a visual barrier on pacing
Tigers and lions in the wild are nocturnal nonhuman animals who may hunt and mate opportunistically during daylight hours. In captivity, they spend most time on exhibit sleeping or pacing. To better understand their activity budget, this study examined the daily behavior patterns of 2 Sumatran tigers and 3 African lions in different housings. The […]
Stereotypic behavior of circus tigers: Effects of performance
Little is knownabout the effects of performances on the behavior of animals used for entertainment in circuses. The objective of the study was to determine how one or three performances per day influenced the frequency of stereotypic behavior performed by circus tigers (n = 4) in their home cage, shortly before and after performances and […]