The Effect of a Yearling on Its Iberian Wolf (Canis lupus signatus) Parent Pair: Welfare Indicators in Captivity
Publication Type: |
Journal Article |
Authors: |
Ana Isabel Soriano, Dolors Vinyoles, Carme Maté |
Abstract:
Maintaining biologically functional and compatible social groups is a primary welfare concern for curators of captive animals. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of a yearling’s presence on the daily activity, use of space and inter-individual distance on its parental pair of Iberian wolves (Canis lupus signatus) housed at the Barcelona Zoo. Multifocal sampling methods were used for data collection, and instantaneous scans were made at 15-min intervals during 10-hr sessions. 432 sampling points were balanced for the daily periods – morning, midday, and afternoon – for two different phases: dyad and triad phases. The subjects studied during the dyad phase—from April to May 1999—were the adult mated pair during the adult female pregnancy. For the triad phase—from May to June 2000—we studied the mated pair together with its new yearling. When comparing these two study phases, there were statistically significant differences for the daily activity, particularly for exploration, locomotion, feeding, and inactivity of the mated pair. In addition, the pair used the space more homogenously during the triad phase. During this phase, the inter-individual distance of the mated pair was significantly smaller in the morning and in midday and the yearling was closer to the adult female than to the adult
male. The mated pair also showed individualized results for their daily activity, use of space and inter-individual proximity during the triad phase. Increasing the understanding about the effects of pregnancy and the birth of a new pack member enables the improvement of captive management and helps providing wolf packs with the most appropriate social environments.