Environmental influences on stereotypy and the activity budget of Indian leopards (Panthera pardus) in four zoos in Southern India
Abstract 10.1002/zoo.10063.abs To eliminate abnormal behaviors in leopards (Panthera pardus), such as stereotypic pacing, by utilizing environmental enrichment techniques, a proper understanding of their behavior in captive environments is required. Hence there is a need for animal welfare studies in Indian zoos. The activity budgets of 16 leopards were recorded across four southern Indian zoos: […]
Behavioral and adrenocortical responses to environmental changes in leopard cats (Felis bengalensis)
Abstract 10.1002/zoo.1430120403.abs Indicators of environmental adequacy relevant to the well-being of small felids are developed by examining, in 4 captive leopard cats, interrelationships between behavioral and adrenocortical responses to changes in housing conditions. Singly housed cats were moved from their barren home cage (Cage 1, baseline) sequentially to 2 new, barren housing situations (Cages 2 […]
Faecal glucocorticoid level is not correlated with stereotypic pacing in two captive margays (Leopardus wiedii)
The ‘coping hypothesis’ of stereotypic behaviour — that stereotypies are performed as a means of helping the animal to cope with its environment by reducing stress — was tested using two adult female margays (Leopardus wiedii), an endangered neotropical small cat species. Within-individual and between-individual comparisons of the duration of stereotypic pacing and glucocorticoid concentration, […]
The Effects of Husbandry Training on Stereotypic Pacing in Captive African Wild Dogs (Lycaon pictus)
To examine the effects of operant conditioning on stereotypic pacing in 3 female African wild dogs located at the Franklin Park Zoo in Boston, this study made recordings of pacing behavior immediately following individual sessions of husbandry training and 2 no-training conditions. The study found significant differences in the percentage of observations spent in stereotypic […]