Bobcat (Lynx rufus) breeding in captivity: the importance of environmental enrichment

Environmental enrichment is an improvement in the biological functioning of nonhuman animals in captivity resulting from modifications to their environment; however, specifying appropriate and practical measures of enrichment is problematic. This study analyzes the behavior of 4 bobcats (Lynx rufus) in the Jerez Zoo before and after the application of a global program of environmental enrichment that included (a) changes in the size and complexity of their installations, (b) the introduction of new objects into compounds, (c) changes in diet, and (d) modifications in the grouping of animals. A factorial correspondence analysis showed a highly significant relationship among individual animals, behavior, and experimental design. Behaviors such as locomotion, repeated pacing, vigilance, and grooming more often occurred before enrichment, whereas exploratory and food behaviors were more often associated with the enrichment phase. After the implementation of the enrichment program, the bobcats bred successfully for the first time since their arrival in the zoo.     

Understanding Fluctuations in Bobcat Harvest at the Northern Limit of Their Range

ABSTRACT In Quebec, Canada, harvest of bobcats (Lynx rufus) started to decline in 1985 and by 1991, harvest seasons were closed due to concerns of a perceived population decline. Since the closing of harvest season in 1991, the average temperature has increased, snow quantity has decreased, and important changes in agriculture and forest management have occurred. In light of changing conditions, the situation of Quebec bobcats needed reassessment. Thus, we analyzed harvest data to clarify the current status of bobcat populations in Quebec. From 1980 to 1991, bobcat harvest in Quebec was strongly correlated with bobcat harvest in Maine (USA), Nova Scotia (Canada), Ontario (Canada), and Vermont (USA). Extrapolations of harvest in Quebec relative to harvest in Maine, Ontario, Vermont, and Nova Scotia suggested an increase in number of bobcats after 1991. Mass of male and female bobcats before 1991 was less than mass of animals captured after 1991. Percentage of juveniles in the reported harvest before 1991 was higher than after 1991. However, percentage of males and litter sizes in the harvest did not differ before and after 1991. The geographic distribution of bobcats captured has gradually expanded after the closure of the harvest season. Our findings suggest that bobcat populations in Quebec have recovered from the 1985–1991 decline, and that the harvest season for this species could resume. This study also illustrates how managers can rely on data from neighboring jurisdiction to manage species when local harvest data is unavailable.     

Improving the Welfare of a Zoo-Housed Male Drill (Mandrillus leucophaeus poensis) Aggressive Toward Visitors

Improving the welfare of nonhuman animals in captivity and maintaining behavioral competence for future conservation purposes is of the highest priority for zoos. The behavior of an aggressive male drill (Mandrillus leucophaeus poensis) was assessed in Barcelona Zoo. The 2-year study presented in this article examined the effects of introducing changes in the exhibit of the drill to improve his welfare by analyzing scan behaviors. First, a partial visual barrier was applied and proved to be insufficient to decrease the long-term stress indicators assessed. Next, a feeding enrichment program was implemented. The results supported the hypothesis that feeding and explorative activities would increase, whereas apathetic and stereotypic behaviors would decrease. However, visitor-directed aggression did not vary, indicating that more profound structural modifications were needed to reduce the negative impact of the agonistic interactions between the drill and the public. The study emphasized the usefulness of environmental enrichment evaluations in assessing captive animal welfare.     

Behavioral effects of enrichment on singly-housed,yearling rhesus monkeys: An analysis including three enrichment conditions and a control group

Three cohorts of yearling rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) were maintained in single cages for one year as part of a derivation program to produce a breeding colony of specific pathogen-free (SPF) monkeys. During this year of social restriction, subjects were provided with three different types of environmental enrichment (physical, feeding, and sensory) to counteract the known effects of social restriction and to quantify the effects of these different conditions of enhancement on their behavior. Focal animal observations were conducted on enriched and control subjects for all cohorts. Enrichment conditions were presented in a different order to each cohort. Monkeys provided with enrichment spent significantly more time playing and less time self-grooming than did control monkeys in unenriched cages, suggesting that the overall enrichment program was of some benefit to the monkeys, because these changes in behavior were in species-typical directions. Among enriched subjects only, there were significant differences in the amount of time spent drinking, grooming, feeding, playing, exploring, and using enrichment across the three enrichment conditions. Both the physical and feeding enrichment conditions led to species-appropriate changes in behavior, therefore enhancing psychological well-being as some define it. Sensory enrichment was of little benefit. The first cohort was housed indoors, received less stimulation from the environment outside of the single cage, and used enrichment more than did the other two cohorts housed outdoors. This suggests that the external environment influences behavior in the single cage and that enrichment may be most effective for animals housed indoors. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Dispersal Characteristics of Juvenile Bobcats in South-Central Indiana

ABSTRACT Bobcat (Lynx rufus) populations in the Midwestern United States experienced historic declines due to habitat loss and exploitation but have rebounded in recent decades. We investigated natal dispersal of juvenile bobcats from a population in south-central Indiana, USA, from 1999 to 2006. We radiocollared 16 juvenile bobcats (11 M, 5 F) and monitored them for 237–1,014 days (x̄ = 506). One female (20%) and 11 males (100%) dispersed from natal home ranges that averaged 14.6 km² in size. Most juveniles (70%) initiated dispersal from mid-February through March, late in their first year. Only 5 bobcats (42%) ultimately established a final home range 63 ± 35 km² in size 13–92 km (x̄ = 44) from their natal range 140 ± 45 days after initiating dispersal. Survival did not differ (P = 0.93) between dispersing (S = 0.73) and philopatric (S = 0.75) individuals, although 4 bobcats (3 M, 1 F) were killed in collisions with vehicles. We found dispersal of bobcats in fragmented landscapes is prolonged and often unsuccessful; the ability of dispersers to locate suitable vacant habitat patches may be vital to the continued growth of bobcat populations recolonizing the agricultural Midwest.     

Anticoagulant Exposure and Notoedric Mange in Bobcats and Mountain Lions in Urban Southern California

Abstract: Humans introduce many toxicants into the environment, the long-term and indirect effects of which are generally unknown. We investigated exposure to anticoagulant rodenticides and evaluated the association between notoedric mange, an ectoparasitic disease, and anticoagulant exposure in bobcats (Lynx rufus) and mountain lions (Puma concolor) in a fragmented urban landscape in southern California, USA. Beginning in 2002, an epizootic of notoedric mange, a disease previously reported only as isolated cases in wild felids, in 2 years reduced the annual survival rate of bobcats from 0.77 (5-yr average) to 0.28. Anticoagulants were present in 35 of 39 (90%) bobcats we tested, multiple compounds were present in 27 of these 35 (77%), and total toxicant load was positively associated with the use of developed areas by radiocollared animals. Mange-associated mortality in bobcats showed a strong association with anticoagulant exposure, as 19 of 19 (100%) bobcats that died with severe mange were also exposed to the toxicants, and for bobcats with anticoagulant residues >0.05 ppm, the association with mange was highly significant (X² = 10.36, P = 0.001). We speculate that concomitant elevated levels of rodenticide exposure may have increased the susceptibility of bobcats to advanced mange disease. Bobcats were locally extirpated from some isolated habitat patches and have been slow to recover. In 2004, 2 adult mountain lions died directly from anticoagulant toxicity, and both animals also had infestations of notoedric mange, although not as advanced as in the emaciated bobcats that died with severe disease. Two other mountain lions that died in intraspecific fights also exhibited exposure to 2-4 different anticoagulants. These results show that the effects of secondary poisoning on predators can be widespread, reach even the highest-level carnivores, and have both direct and possibly indirect effects on mortality. Further research is needed to investigate the lethal and sub-lethal effects of anticoagulants and other toxicants on wildlife in terrestrial environments.     

Influence of Cinnamon and Catnip on the Stereotypical Pacing of Oncilla Cats (Leopardus tigrinus) in Captivity

Nonhuman animals in captivity can experience environmental privation that results in their exhibiting abnormal behaviors. Environmental enrichment techniques can help improve their welfare. This study investigated the behavior of 8 zoo-housed oncilla cats (Leopardus tigrinus) in response to 2 odors (catnip and cinnamon) introduced individually into the animals' enclosures for 3 consecutive days. Proportion of scans spent engaging in stereotypical pacing were compared before, during, and after treatments. The addition of cinnamon reduced the proportion of pacing during and after enrichment (Wilcoxon: Z = 3.16, p < .001; Z = 3.16, p < .001, respectively), indicating a prolonged effect of the enrichment on the animals' behavior. Catnip appears to have elicited no significant difference in the stereotypic pacing before, during, or after the enrichment (Friedman: X² = 2.69; p = .260). The results highlight the potential use of cinnamon as a method of environmental enrichment for small captive-housed cats.     

Uncertainty in determination of sex from harvested bobcats

Considerable uncertainty often exists in estimates of demographic parameters based on data collected from harvested furbearer species. We used molecular genetic techniques to estimate rates of error in 2 methods of sex determination of harvested bobcats (Lynx rufus): manual examination of the carcass (field sex) and laboratory-based maximum canine root area (MRA sex). Error rates were high for both sexing techniques, and were associated with age and an age–sex interaction for the field and MRA sexing methods, respectively. These findings do not support the use of the field methods for identifying sex of harvested bobcats. The MRA method may be effective for determining sex of older bobcats but is limited by considerable overlap between sexes in juveniles and yearlings. If critical demographic parameters are estimated from harvest data, efforts should be made to identify and reduce rates of error before data are used to assess population status. © 2011 The Wildlife Society.     

Interspecific interactions between wild felids vary across scales and levels of urbanization

Ongoing global landscape change resulting from urbanization is increasingly linked to changes in species distributions and community interactions. However, relatively little is known about how urbanization influences competitive interactions among mammalian carnivores, particularly related to wild felids. We evaluated interspecific interactions between medium‐ and large‐sized carnivores across a gradient of urbanization and multiple scales. Specifically, we investigated spatial and temporal interactions of bobcats and pumas by evaluating circadian activity patterns, broad‐scale seasonal interactions, and fine‐scale daily interactions in wildland–urban interface (WUI), exurban residential development, and wildland habitats. Across levels of urbanization, interspecific interactions were evaluated using two‐species and single‐species occupancy models with data from motion‐activated cameras. As predicted, urbanization increased the opportunity for interspecific interactions between wild felids. Although pumas did not exclude bobcats from areas at broad spatial or temporal scales, bobcats responded behaviorally to the presence of pumas at finer scales, but patterns varied across levels of urbanization. In wildland habitat, bobcats avoided using areas for short temporal periods after a puma visited an area. In contrast, bobcats did not appear to avoid areas that pumas recently visited in landscapes influenced by urbanization (exurban development and WUI habitat). In addition, overlap in circadian activity patterns between bobcats and pumas increased in exurban development compared to wildland habitat. Across study areas, bobcats used sites less frequently as the number of puma photographs increased at a site. Overall, bobcats appear to shape their behavior at fine spatial and temporal scales to reduce encounters with pumas, but residential development can potentially alter these strategies and increase interaction opportunities. We explore three hypotheses to explain our results of how urbanization affected interspecific interactions that consider activity patterns, landscape configuration, and animal scent marking. Altered competitive interactions between animals in urbanized landscapes could potentially increase aggressive encounters and the frequency of disease transmission.     

Nutrient digestibility and fecal characteristics are different among captive exotic felids fed a beef‐based raw diet

Nutrient digestibility has not been well characterized in exotic felids. The objective of this experiment was to evaluate differences in nutrient digestibility and fecal characteristics in five large exotic captive felid species, including bobcats, jaguars, cheetahs, Indochinese tigers, and Siberian tigers. All animals were individually housed and adapted to a beef‐based raw diet (Nebraska Brand^® Special Beef Feline, North Platte, NE) for 16 d. Total fecal collections were conducted from days 17 to 20. Fecal samples were weighed and scored on collection. Diet and fecal samples were evaluated for dry matter, organic matter, protein, fat, and energy to determine total tract digestibility. Fresh fecal samples were collected to determine fecal pH, ammonia, phenol, indole, short‐chain fatty acid, and branched‐chain fatty acid concentrations. Fecal scores were greater (P<0.01) in Indochinese tigers when compared with all other species, and cheetahs had greater (P<0.01) fecal scores than jaguars and bobcats. Fat digestibility was greater (P<0.01) in Siberian tigers, Indochinese tigers, and bobcats (96%) compared with cheetahs and jaguars (94%). Digestible energy was greater (P<0.05) in bobcats and Indochinese tigers at 93.5 and 92.9%, respectively, compared with cheetahs and jaguars, 91.6%. Fecal pH was greater (P<0.01) in bobcats compared with all other species evaluated. Indole concentrations were greater (P<0.05) in cheetahs and jaguars compared with bobcats and Indochinese tigers. Fecal ammonia concentrations were increased (P<0.05) in cheetahs compared with all other species. The beef‐based raw diet was highly digestible; however, differences in fat and digestible energy suggest that species should be considered when determining caloric needs of exotic felids. Zoo Biol 27:126–136, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Frustrated Appetitive Foraging Behavior,Stereotypic Pacing,and Fecal Glucocorticoid Levels in Snow Leopards (Uncia uncia) in the Zurich Zoo

One common visitor complaint in zoos is that the nonhuman animals are not visible. This problem needs to be resolved without compromising the animals' welfare; environmental enrichment could solve the problem. This study investigated whether enrichment would increase public exposure time of lowland tapir (Tapirus terrestris) in the Belo Horizonte Zoo in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Observations were made before (62 hr) and during (62 hr) the introduction of enrichment using focal animal sampling with instantaneous recording of behavior. The 5 enrichment items were a bamboo fence covered in vines, logs, a sandbox, dry leaves, and bamboo bushes. Before the enrichments were applied, the tapir was not visible to the public for more than 85% of the time. In addition, during the analysis of the enrichment treatment, other variables were considered—such as weekday, time of day, and weather conditions—which could influence the animals' interaction with the enrichments. The enrichments increased and decreased the expression of some behaviors; however, public viewing time of the animals did not increase. Thus, the enrichment applied was not strong enough to overcome the animals' crepuscular behavior.     

Effects of social and inanimate enrichment on the behavior of yearling rhesus monkeys

Certain types of inanimate environmental enrichment have been shown to positively affect the behavior of laboratory primates, as has housing them in appropriate social conditions. While social housing is generally advocated as an important environmental enhancement, few studies have attempted to measure the influence of social conditions on the effects of inanimate enrichment or to compare the relative merits of social and inanimate enhancements. In the present study, inanimate enrichment (predominately physical and feeding enhancements) resulted in increased species-typical behavior for socially restricted subjects. However, social enrichment (living in groups) appeared to be more beneficial for young rhesus monkeys, leading to increased species-typical activities and decreased abnormal activities. The behavior of one cohort of yearling rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) housed in small peer groups was compared with the behavior of four yearling cohorts housed in single cages. Half the animals in each cohort received a three-phase enrichment program and the rest served as controls. Group-housed yearlings spent significantly more time feeding and exploring and significantly less time behaving abnormally, self-grooming, and drinking than did singly housed yearlings. Enriched subjects spent significantly more time playing by themselves, and significantly less time self-grooming and exploring than did controls. Among group-housed subjects only, there were no differences between enriched and control monkeys. Captive primates should be housed socially, whenever appropriate, as the first and most important step in an enrichment program, with the provision of inanimate enhancements being considerably less important. Limited resources for inanimate enrichment programs instead should be focused on those individuals who can not be housed socially. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Maximizing the effectiveness of environmental enrichment: Suggestions from the experimental analysis of behavior

Environmental enrichment programs provide benefits to both captive animals and the facilities that house them, but cost time and resources to design, implement, and maintain. As yet, there have been few theoretically based guidelines to assist animal care staff in establishing cost-efficient enrichment methods that both elicit the desired behavioral changes and maintain their success over time. We describe several well-studied principles from the field of experimental analysis of behavior, including intrinsic reinforcement, extrinsic reinforcement, habituation, extinction, and schedules of reinforcement that could be very useful for evaluating the short- and long-term effectiveness of enrichment. We use this theoretical framework to generate testable hypotheses and provide examples of enrichment studies relevant to our predictions. In particular, we suggest that enrichment devices that offer extrinsic reinforcement (food, social access, etc. as a result of performing behaviors) should produce greater and more prolonged changes in behavior than devices that rely on the behavior itself being reinforcing to the animal. For techniques that provide no extrinsic reinforcement, using stimuli that are novel, are more different from the environment, have been withheld or altered in some way, or are presented less frequently may help reduce habituation. For techniques that provide extrinsic reinforcement, making reinforcement more difficult to obtain and providing more or higher quality reinforcers may increase the long-term success of the enrichment program. In addition, enrichment may be more effective if animal care staff avoid continuously reinforcing behaviors after they are established, enriching immediately after feeding, and exposing animals to enrichment when reinforcement is no longer available. While the current enrichment literature supports the application of behavior analytic theory, empirical evaluation of many of our predictions is still needed.     

狒狒圈舍废弃栖杠的嗅觉丰容对圈养食肉动物行为的影响

单调的饲养环境是导致圈养食肉动物表现刻板行为的主要原因之一。为减少圈养动物刻板行为的发生,探索便于操作、经济且有效的丰容方式是动物饲养管理者面临的一个挑战。本研究以狒狒圈舍废弃栖杠作为嗅觉丰容材料,对北京动物园小型(9种)、中型(4种)和大型(7种)食肉动物进行嗅觉丰容实验。在非投喂时段,采用扫描动物取样和瞬时记录法,分别对28只动物在丰容前后的5种行为进行观察和比较分析。结果显示,小型和中型食肉动物在丰容后对旧设施的使用频次显著下降(小型：P=0.026;中型：P=0.038),而大型食肉动物无显著变化(P> 0.05)。仅小型食肉动物的刻板性走动、休息和观望行为频次显著下降(走动：P=0.023;休息：P=0.023;观望：P=0.017),其他类群的各类行为均无显著变化(P> 0.05)。同时,丰容后小型食肉动物的行为多样性指数显著降低(P=0.008),主要表现为动物花费较多的时间探究新的丰容设施;中型和大型食肉动物的行为多样性指数变化不显著。结果表明,使用带有狒狒身体气味的栖杠进行嗅觉丰容,仅对小型食肉动物有效,对中型和大型食肉动物无效。研究认为,以其他动物圈舍的...     

Bobcat Spatial Distribution and Habitat Use Relative to Population Reduction

Abstract Understanding interactions among bobcats (Lynx rufus) may lend insight into less understood life history traits of the bobcat and improve management of the species. Moreover, data from manipulative experiments pertaining to bobcat ecology are largely absent from the scientific literature. Therefore, we investigated bobcat spatial organization and habitat use after an experimental population reduction on an 11,735-ha study site in southwestern Georgia, USA. In response to an approximate 50% population reduction, male bobcats shifted their space use (26.4 ± 1.7% more shift relative to baseline) more (F_1,3 = 138.08, P=0.001) than males where no bobcat removal occurred (28.1 ± 5.5% less shift relative to baseline). Dispersion of radio locations for all female bobcats increased following the population reduction; however, females that were exposed to the removal of a potentially interacting male remained more (F_1,14 = 6.78, P = 0.021) static (increase in dispersion = 7.8 ± 7.3%) than females that were not exposed to removed males (increase in dispersion 41.2 ± 11.1%). Male bobcats likely shifted their central tendency to increase breeding opportunities, whereas the difference in dispersion of female radio locations may be the result of decreased intraspecific competition. Alternatively, reduced dispersion of females following harvest of neighboring males may increase the likelihood that remaining males will interact with females for breeding purposes. Neither habitat use nor habitat selection differed as a function of removal, suggesting that density-dependent habitat selection was not occurring on our study site. Although it is generally accepted that male bobcats use space to increase breeding opportunities, our study suggests that male bobcats may also influence space use of females, but in counterintuitive ways. Because bobcat movements are altered by harvest of neighbors, we suggest that inferring habitat quality for bobcats based on their space use patterns should be avoided unless researchers incorporate knowledge of both short- and long-term population perturbations.     

Influence of cinnamon and catnip on the stereotypical pacing of oncilla cats (Leopardus tigrinus) in captivity

Nonhuman animals in captivity can experience environmental privation that results in their exhibiting abnormal behaviors. Environmental enrichment techniques can help improve their welfare. This study investigated the behavior of 8 zoo-housed oncilla cats (Leopardus tigrinus) in response to 2 odors (catnip and cinnamon) introduced individually into the animals' enclosures for 3 consecutive days. Proportion of scans spent engaging in stereotypical pacing were compared before, during, and after treatments. The addition of cinnamon reduced the proportion of pacing during and after enrichment (Wilcoxon: Z = 3.16, p < .001; Z = 3.16, p < .001, respectively), indicating a prolonged effect of the enrichment on the animals' behavior. Catnip appears to have elicited no significant difference in the stereotypic pacing before, during, or after the enrichment (Friedman: X(2) = 2.69; p = .260). The results highlight the potential use of cinnamon as a method of environmental enrichment for small captive-housed cats.     

Environmental enrichment for laboratory rodents and rabbits: requirements of rodents, rabbits, and research

Environmental conditions such as housing and husbandry have a major impact on the laboratory animal throughout its life and will thereby influence the outcome of animal experiments. However, housing systems for laboratory animals have often been designed on the basis of economic and ergonomic aspects. One possible way to improve the living conditions of laboratory animals is to provide opportunities for the animals to perform a species-specific behavioral repertoire. Environmental enrichment should be regarded both as an essential component of the overall animal care program and equally important as nutrition and veterinary care. The key component of an enrichment program is the animal staff, whose members must be motivated and educated. It is critically important to evaluate environmental enrichment in terms of the benefit to the animal by assessing the use of and preference for a certain enrichment, the effect on behavior and the performance of species-typical behavior, and the effect on physiological parameters. At the same time, it is necessary to evaluate the impact on scientific outcome, how the enrichment influences the scientific study, and whether and how the statistical power is affected. The result will depend on the parameter measured, the type of enrichment used, and the animal strain. In this article, goals of enrichment are defined and discussed. Animal behaviors and needs are described, along with the translation of those needs into environmental enrichment programs. Specific types of environmental enrichment are outlined with examples from the literature, and an evaluation of environmental enrichment is provided.     

Competitive interactions between felid species may limit the southern distribution of bobcats Lynx rufus

Bobcats are opportunistic felids occurring in a diverse range of habitats and with a widespread distribution from southern Canada to southern Mexico. To explore why the bobcat's distribution stops at the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, we modelled the ecological niches, projected as potential distributions, of the felid community (bobcat Lynx rufus, puma Puma concolor, jaguar Panthera onca, margay Leopardus wiedii, jaguarundi Herpailurus yagouaroundi, and ocelot Leopardus pardalis) in southern Mexico, using occurrence data, environmental maps, the computer algorithm GARP, and a GIS platform. The resulting geographical projection of the ecological niche of bobcats extends south of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, suggesting that ecological conditions exist for the establishment of populations. The overlap of the modelled distribution of the bobcat was large with that of the puma (97%), but low with that of the ocelot (44%), margay (46%), jaguar (49%), and jaguarundi (52%), the latter three having relatively similar size and feeding habits to bobcats. Moreover, an independent analysis computing a geographic co‐occurrence index showed a similar trend of geographic avoidance (values 0.15), while all felids, except bobcats, showed a geographic co‐occurrence in southern Mexico (values ranging from ?1.91 to 4.71). The Isthmus of Tehuantepec, a lowland region with subtropical habitat, is unlikely to serve as a geographic and ecological barrier to bobcats. As mammal inventories have been conducted for over a century in this region with no records of bobcats, it is unlikely that bobcats are present but have just not been seen. Fossil records also provide no support for the presence of bobcats in that region in the past. Thus, competitive interactions with other felid species appear important in limiting the southern distribution of bobcats, preventing dispersal to a suitable but geographically reduced area south of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.     

丰容对圈养雌性岩羊活动时间分配的影响

为了探究环境丰容和食物丰容对岩羊行为和活动节律的影响,于2017年3月—7月,以上海动物园的5只雌性岩羊(Pseudois nayaur)为研究对象,设计环境丰容和食物丰容试验,利用瞬时扫描法对岩羊进行行为学观察,分析岩羊丰容前后昼间行为的变化。结果表明:经过环境丰容,岩羊的运动行为和反刍行为显著增加,卧息行为和其他行为显著减少,取食行为无明显变化。在环境丰容基础上,开展食物丰容后,运动行为明显减少,取食行为明显增加。卧息行为有所减少、反刍行为和其他行为有所增加,但变化均不明显。丰容后岩羊的昼间活动节律也发生了变化。取食行为呈现2个高峰期(8:00—11:00和15:00—18:00),取食行为普遍提高;运动行为在13:30—17:30时段较丰容前提前一个小时左右发生;卧息行为有相似的波动规律,但丰容后其昼间发生频次在16:00之前均降低;反刍行为波动最大,呈现出明显的2个高峰期(6:00—9:00和10:00—15:00)。试验表明,在进行环境和食物丰容后,岩羊的活动增加,优化了时间分配,福利状况得到了有效改善。     

Effects of visitors and cage changes on the behaviors of mangabeys

Three groups of golden-bellied mangabeys were studied to determine the effects of visitors and cage changes on their aggressive displays, grooming and sexual behavior, and play. Assessments of changes in behavior were made by comparing categorized observer comments. Animals moved to cages having more visitors increased their aggressive displays toward people, decreased their aggressive displays toward other species in neighboring cages, and increased their withingroup aggression. On the other hand, grooming, sexual behavior, and play increased after cage changes regardless of numbers of visitors. The view that it is the pattern of behavior changes in enrichment that is important in assessment of attempted enrichment was supported. Aggressive and affiliative behaviors are affected quite differently by different environmental stimuli in the zoo.