May unpredictable events affect monkey welfare under human care?
This study aimed at evaluating the effects of unpredictability on behavioral and clinical aspects of Geoffroy’s woolly monkey (Lagothrix cana cana) – a frugivorous Amazonian primate species – under human care. We studied seven individuals subjected to five conditions: two control conditions (PRE and POST; 10 days each), and three experimental conditions in which unpredictability […]
Traumatic Stress Disorder Observed in an Adult Wild Captive Wolf (Canis lupus)
Tenino was an adult female wolf, born in the wild and placed into captivity at 1 year of age because of her participation in livestock depredation. Her method of capture, well documented, involved being darted twice by helicopter and translocated twice. This method of capture would have exposed her to the 2 factors that are […]
Unpredictability, Controllability, and Optimal Arousal/Stimulation Level as Applied to Zoo Environment Enrichment Theory and Practice
Success of zoo environmental enrichment, in spite of its widespread use and high significance for animals’ welfare, depends mainly upon keepers’ experience or the application of other zoos’ examples of daily practice. That’s why an algorithm based on some theoretical premises may be very useful for choosing the exact method of enrichment. We define the […]
Effects of varying feed provision on behavioral patterns of farmed collared peccary (Mammalia, Tayassuidae)
Feeding enrichment regime has been widely employed as an important tool to mimic foraging behavior and improve farm animals’ welfare. Some authors have argued that creating some level of uncertainty in the animals’ environment is beneficial. Therefore, we evaluated the effects of challenge feeders plus spatial and temporal unpredictability as feeding enrichment on 18 captive […]
Determination of a stray voltage threshold in Holstein heifers, influence of predictability and past experience on behavioural and physiological responses
Stray voltage (< 10 V) may impair animal welfare. Our objectives were to: i) determine the threshold at which heifers react to voltage and ii) investigate effects of past experience and random applications of voltage. Firstly, forty heifers were trained to eat from two metallic feeders at the end of a test corridor. For 20 […]