Uprooted trees facilitate the psychological well-being of captive chimpanzees

After the introduction of uprooted trees to their environment, the behavior of 28 socially housed, laboratory chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) was studied for five months. Subjects used the tree during 41.9% of the data points collected during the first day trees were introduced. Thereafter, the mean for tree use dropped to 3.5% and remained fairly consistent. Immature subjects used the trees significantly more than did adult subjects, as measured by the Mann-Whitney U-test. No sex difference was detected. The trees elicited a variety of species-appropriate behaviors. Increasing the similarity between the behavior of captive and wild chimpanzees can be viewed as promoting the psychological well-being of the captive animals.     

Social behavior of captive,group-living Orangutans

The behavior of orang-utans (Pongo pygmaeus)was observed in two captive groups (one adult group, one juvenile group). Activity profiles,animal interactions, and compartmental spatial use for both adult-group and juvenile-group individuals were recorded over a 9-month period. Behavioral repertoires for both groups included large amounts of social activity. Equivalent amounts of social activity were found for each group. The social behavior of juvenile animals involved more active behavior such as play. The social behavior of the adult animals was more subtle, involving social monitoring and allogrooming. These results indicate that orangutans, at least when group-living in captivity, exhibit the potential to display social behavior which is apparently of greater frequency and complexity than that which has been observed in the wild. These findings suggest that the solitary behavior of wild orangutans is not a necessary characteristic of orangutan behavior. Under different environmental conditions orangutans appear to readily adapt socially, and, like other nonhuman primates,they have the capacity to exhibit complex and subtle social behavior. This report is based on part of a senior thesis submitted by Sara D. Edwards     

Physical enrichment research for captive fish: Time to focus on the DETAILS

Growing research effort has shown that physical enrichment (PE) can improve fish welfare and research validity. However, the inclusion of PE does not always result in positive effects and conflicting findings have highlighted the many nuances involved. Effects are known to depend on species and life stage tested, but effects may also vary with differences in the specific items used as enrichment between and within studies. Reporting fine-scale characteristics of items used as enrichment in studies may help to reveal these factors. We conducted a survey of PE-focused studies published in the last 5 years to examine the current state of methodological reporting. The survey results suggest that some aspects of enrichment are not adequately detailed. For example, the amount and dimensions of objects used as enrichment were frequently omitted. Similarly, the ecological relevance, or other justification, for enrichment items was frequently not made explicit. Focusing on ecologically relevant aspects of PE and increasing the level of detail reported in studies may benefit future work and we propose a framework with the acronym DETAILS ( D imensions, E cological rationale, T iming of enrichment, A mount, I nputs, L ighting and S ocial environment). We outline the potential importance of each of the elements of this framework with the hope it may aid in the level of reporting and standardization across studies, ultimately aiding the search for more beneficial types of PE and the development of our understanding and ability to improve the welfare of captive fish and promote more biologically relevant behaviour.     

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 woodchips and buried food on behavior patterns and psychological well-being of captive rhesus monkeys

The effects of adding woodchip litter to bare-floored pens, burying monkey chow in the woodchips, and scattering sunflower seeds in woodchips was studied in 2 stable social groups of rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) to ascertain the effects of these manipulations on levels of foraging, exploration, abnormal behavior, social interactions, and urinary cortisol levels. The addition of woodchips increased exploration and feeding levels and decreased social interactions. Burial of regular monkey chow in woodchips had little effect on behavior beyond that of the woodchips alone, increasing exploration and decreasing passivity. The addition of sunflower seeds to the woodchips encouraged increased feeding and exploration and led to decreases in passivity and social interaction. There was little discernible effect of woodchip enrichment on urinary cortisol values. In contrast to some previous studies, there was no effect of wood chips or sunflower seeds on the occurrence of agonistic interactions, play, or abnormal behavior patterns.     

The effect of feeding enrichment methods on the behavior of captive Western lowland gorillas

Three feeding enrichment treatments were tested in an outdoor yard used by six Western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla). In "Yard-toss," forage was thrown by hand over one third of the yard. In "Set-up," forage and browse were hand-scattered throughout the yard. "Set-up Enriched" was similar with the addition of either a hay- and forage-filled feeder or forage-filled boomer ball(s) suspended from a climbing structure. Each treatment was presented on 5 d. Behavior was recorded for 30 min before (baseline) and 30 min after the start of each treatment. All treatments led to more foraging and less inactivity compared with baseline (P80.05), but Yard-toss was the least effective, likely because resources were clumped and monopolized by dominant animals. In Set-up Enriched, dominant animals had the greatest increase in foraging (P=0.03), partly because they generally monopolized the suspended items, but this allowed others to forage at ground level. This separation of the animals likely explains why Set-Up Enriched led to more foraging than all other treatments (P80.05). Findings show that for these hierarchical animals, enrichment resources are most effective when distributed widely, including vertically, and that enrichment strategies must take social structure into account.     

Influence of the presence of seeds and litter on the behaviour of captive red-capped mangabeys Cercocebus torquatus torquatus

The aim of this study was to analyse the influence of the presence of seeds and litter on the time budget of a family group of red-capped mangabeys, to improve animal welfare. Five experimental situations were tested in succession: (1) bare ground (without making any particular modifications of the cage), (2) seeds added to fruits ration (seeds were dispersed over the bare ground), (3) litter on the ground and seed added to food ration, (4) litter added without seed, (5) bare ground as in first situation. Addition of seeds and litter modified to various degrees the behaviour of these animals. The addition of both litter and seeds induced a significant decline in self-directed activities and a significant increase in search for food. The presence of litter, with or without seeds, induced diversification of occupation of space. Behavioural responses to the different modifications of the environment in the cage varied between individuals with females varied more than males.     

Increasing activity in captive orangutans: Provision of manipulable and edible materials

The purpose of this research was to explore the impact of the provision of manipulable and edible materials on the activity level of captive orangutans. The effects of three environmental conditions—bare exhibit, manipulables present, and manipulables plus edibles present—on the gross motor activity of four captive orangutans were compared using a multielement design. Results indicated that activity increased under the enriched conditions with increases in activity type specific to the environmental change. In addition, zoo visitors rated the exhibit more favorably on days the enriched conditions were in effect than on bare exhibit days.     

Behavioral effects of enrichment on pair-housed juvenile rhesus monkeys

Among captive primates, inanimate environmental enrichment can lead to measurable changes in behavior indicative of an improvement in psychological well-being. Although this has been demonstrated repeatedly for singly caged primates, the relationship is not as well studied for pairhoused animals. Study of the pair-housed setting has become increasingly relevant because of the social housing mandate of the Animal Welfare Act regulations. We therefore observed 68 juvenile rhesus monkeys born in 1988 and 1989 and living in mixed-sex pairs from the ages of 2 to 3 years. All pairs were compatible. Half of the pairs received two types of enrichment, while the remaining pairs served as controls. Enriched and control juvenile subjects differed in the amount of time that they spent being inactive, playing, and drinking, but did not differ in the amount of time they spent interacting with their partner. Grooming and play were the two most common socially directed activities in both groups, a species-appropriate pattern. Males played more and vocalized less than did females. Overall, enriched and control subjects spent equivalent amounts of time located within a social distance of one another, but there was some difference between groups in allocation of behaviors while near the pairmate. Environmental enhancers were frequently utilized, and led to relatively small changes in behavior between control and enriched subjects, suggesting that the presence of a partner for juvenile rhesus monkeys acts as a form of enrichment that may dilute the effects of inanimate environmental enhancements. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Effect of simple and low-cost enrichment items on behavioral,clinical, and productive variables of caged laying hens

Housing layers in battery cages is a practice still used by many countries but it has been criticized because of its influence on behavioral repertoire of birds. We investigated whether simple and affordable enrichment devices alone impact behavior, foot condition and performance of laying hens housed in conventional cages. Hens were divided into plain cages (CON), cages with perches (PER), and cages with tassels and scratch-pads (ENR), and parameters were evaluated before and after enrichment placement. After perch placement inactivity, drinking and competition for space reduced 35.6%, 40.8% and 70.3%, respectively, whereas social interaction increased 19.3%. Both modifications decreased locomotion (75.0% and 42.4% for PER and ENR respectively) and abnormal behaviors (62.5% and 43.9.4% for PER and ENR respectively). None of the performance variables were affected by ENR or PER. Thermography was more efficient than visual inspection in detecting subclinical bumblefoot, and it confirmed that PER reduced subclinical and clinical cases. Our findings indicate that perches increased welfare-related behaviors and foot health of hens, supporting the use of these inexpensive and highly adaptable alternatives for the enrichment of battery cages.     

The effects of olfactory stimulation on the behavior of captive ring‐tailed lemurs (Lemur catta)

Ring‐tailed lemurs reside in many animal collections worldwide. Lemur welfare may be a cause of concern due to some captive individuals exhibiting stereotypic behavior. Despite these concerns, there has been little exploration of methods of environmental enrichment for ring‐tailed lemurs. Olfactory stimulation can enhance captive animal welfare by encouraging species‐typical behaviors, enhancing behavioral diversity, and decreasing stereotypic behaviors. We aimed to investigate the effects of olfactory stimulation via lavender, peppermint, coconut, and prey odor upon the behavior of eight captive ring‐tailed lemurs. We exposed the lemurs to six individual odor conditions (odor control, novel object control, lavender, peppermint, coconut, and Morio worms) and observed them for 4 hr a day for 3 days with an intervening period of 4 days between conditions. We recorded the lemurs’ behavior under each condition using instantaneous scan sampling. We found significant effects of olfactory stimulation on the ring‐tailed lemurs’ behavior in the initial analysis but these did not survive correction for multiple testing. Overall, while our findings are suggestive of a general effect of olfactory stimulation on the captive ring‐tailed lemurs they did not indicate a marked influence of olfactory condition. However, further investigation with a larger sample size and more biologically relevant odors may be beneficial to fully examine potential effects of olfactory stimulation in captive lemurs.     

Influence of flexibility and variability of working hours on health and well-being

Flexible working hours can have several meanings and can be arranged in a number of ways to suit the worker and/or employer. Two aspects of “flexible” arrangement of working hours were considered: one more subjected to company control and decision (variability) and one more connected to individual discretion and autonomy (flexibility). The aim of the study was to analyze these two dimensions in relation to health and well-being, taking into consideration the interaction with some relevant background variables related to demographics plus working and social conditions. The dataset of the Third European Survey on working conditions, conducted in 2000 and involving 21,505 workers, was used. Nineteen health disorders and four psycho-social conditions were tested by means of multiple logistic regression analysis, in which mutually adjusted odds ratios were calculated for age, gender, marital status, number of children, occupation, mode of employment, shift work, night work, time pressure, mental and physical workload, job satisfaction, and participation in work organization. The flexibility and variability of working hours appeared inversely related to health and psycho-social well-being: the most favorable effects were associated with higher flexibility and lower variability. The analysis of the interactions with the twelve intervening variables showed that physical work, age, and flexibility are the three most important factors affecting health and well-being. Flexibility resulted as the most important factor to influence work satisfaction; the second to affect family and social commitment and the ability to do the same job when 60 years old, as well as trauma, overall fatigue, irritability, and headache; and the third to influence heart disease, stomachache, anxiety, injury, and the feeling that health being at risk because of work. Variability was the third most important factor influencing family and social commitments. Moreover, shift and night work confirmed to have a significant influence on sleep, digestive and cardiovascular troubles, as well and health and safety at work. Time pressure also showed a relevant influence, both on individual stress and social life. Therefore, suitable arrangements of flexible working time, aimed at supporting workers' coping strategies, appear to have a clear beneficial effect on worker health and well-being, with positive consequences also at the company and social level, as evidenced by the higher “feeling to be able to work until 60 years of age”.     

生态系统服务对人类福祉的影响——以浙江省桐庐县为例

近年来,生态系统变化与人类福祉间的关系成为生态学领域的研究热点。基于桐庐县农业生产及土地利用情况,采用谢高地提出的生态系统服务价值当量表,对其进行了较有针对性地修正,据此计算桐庐县生态系统服务价值,以HDI(人类发展指数,Human Development Index)作为衡量人类福祉的指标,最后分析两者之间的相关关系,以探究生态系统服务对人类福祉的影响。研究结果显示:2005—2008年,生态系统服务价值平均每年减少0.157%,2009—2014年生态系统服务价值平均每年减少0.0948%,且两个时期的生态系统服务价值减少速率均都呈现逐年减少的趋势。人类发展指数一直在升高,其中2006年增长最多,达3.15%,2013年最少仅为0.64%,其中教育、预期寿命和经济这3个维度中经济指数增长最快,发展势头最为明显。但总体看来,2005—2014年期间桐庐县HDI的增长速度在不断减缓。表明桐庐县经济发展势头迅猛,经济社会快速发展。因此构成HDI的经济指标增长比较显著,从而促使HDI逐年增长。但随着桐庐县各行业用地需求不断增大,可耕作和建设的土地资源更加紧缺,保护与建设耕地难度越来越大,以致生态系统服务价值进一步缩减。生态系统服务价值与HDI及构成HDI的经济指数都呈现负相关关系,其中2005—2008年在控制经济指数的情况下,各项生态系统服务价值与教育指数均呈现显著正相关关系,随着生态系统服务价值的减少,HDI的增长速率不断降低。表明经济因素的高度发达,在一定程度上减缓了生态系统服务价值减少对人类福祉的负面影响,且生态系统服务对人类福祉的影响具有一定的滞后性。在特定的社会经济条件下,生态系统服务价值与教育会产生积极的相互作用。根据变化趋势,随着生态系统服务价值不断减少,人类福祉最终还是会受到负面影响。     

Evaluation of a chimpanzee enrichment enclosure

A large, three-part playground for captive chimpanzees was constructed and evaluated in terms of area use and behavior changes. Comparative behavioral samples were obtained on 38 subjects in the existing indoor-outdoor run and in the enclosure. The chimpanzees used the inside run, connective chute, concrete slab, and grass areas most. Activity and environmental manipulation increased in the enclosure while abnormal and self-directed behaviors decreased.     

Methylphenidate improves the behavioral and cognitive deficits of neurogranin knockout mice

Neurogranin (Ng), a brain‐specific calmodulin‐binding protein, is expressed highly in hippocampus, and is important for cognitive function. Deletion of the Ng gene from mice caused attenuation of signal reaction cascade in hippocampus, impairments in learning and memory and high frequency stimulation‐induced long‐term potentiation (LTP). Environmental enrichment alone failed to improve cognitive function. In this study, behavioral testing revealed that Ng knockout (NgKO) mice were both hyperactive and socially withdrawn. Methylphenidate (MPH) was given to mice while they were also kept under an enrichment condition. MPH treatment reduced the hyperactivity of NgKO mice tested in both the open field and forced swim chamber. MPH improved their social abilities such that mice recognized and interacted better with novel subjects. The cognitive memories of MPH‐treated mutants were improved in both water maze and contextual fear conditioning tests. High frequency stimulation‐induced LTP of NgKO mice was also improved by MPH. The present treatment regimen, however, did not fully reverse the deficits of the mutant mice. In contrast, MPH exerted only a minimal effect on the wild type mice. At the cellular level, MPH increased the number of glial fibrillary acidic protein‐positive cells in hippocampus, particularly within the dentate gyrus of NgKO mice. Therefore it will be of interest to determine the nature of MPH‐mediated astrocyte activation and how it may modulate behavior in future studies. Taken together these NgKO mice may be useful for the development of better drug treatment to improve cognitive and behavioral impairments.     

Psychological and social well-being of bony fishes in zoos and aquariums

Research on the behavior of animals in zoos has been conducted for decades and observations have provided information that has improved the psychological and social well-being of animals. However, research on fishes in zoos and aquariums seems to be lacking. Here we assess the current state of research on fishes in zoos and aquariums by surveying peer-reviewed literature. Our assessment differs from previous surveys in that we examine the taxonomic classes Chondrichthyes (sharks and rays) and Osteichthyes (bony fishes) separately. Our survey finds that bony fishes have been drastically underrepresented in zoo journals, more so than chondrichthyans, revealing an urgent need for zoos and aquariums to conduct research on the behavior of the bony fishes in their care, to ensure a positive state of psychological and social well-being. To plot a course for the future, we discuss the few studies that have been conducted on the behavior of bony fishes in zoos and aquariums, and we discuss research conducted on bony fishes in food-fish aquaculture and biomedicine to identify the types of studies that could be conducted in zoos and aquariums. We conclude that data-driven analyses of fish behavior could aid in development of evidence-based practices that enhance the well-being of bony fishes in zoos and aquariums, just as they already do for terrestrial animals.     

三江源地区环境足迹及居民福祉的动态变化特征评价

环境足迹表征人类发展过程对环境的影响程度。环境足迹和居民福祉水平是衡量区域可持续发展能力的重要指标。计算了2000—2018年三江源地区的环境足迹与环境边界,构建了三江源地区居民福祉评价框架,评估了2000—2018年三江源地区环境足迹及居民福祉的耦合协调关系及动态变化特征,得到了2000—2018年三江源地区环境足迹与居民福祉间的定量关系,可为有关部门制定合理的区域发展策略提供科学支撑。结果表明：(1) 2000—2018年三江源地区人均环境足迹呈一直超过环境边界限额的状态。(2)三江源地区居民福祉按重要性排序表现为社会文化福祉高于安全健康福祉和基本需求福祉。2000—2018年,三江源地区居民福祉总体呈波动式上升趋势,其中安全与健康福祉的波动最大且对居民福祉的贡献度最高。(3)三江源地区环境足迹与居民福祉的耦合度与耦合协调度呈现波动上升趋势,二者关联水平逐渐提高,逐步趋于协调发展。     

Influence of environmental manipulation and nest-box availability on reproductive success of captive cockatiels (Nymphicus hollandicus)

Environmental conditions greatly influenced breeding induced by nest-box presentation in pair-bonded cockatiels. Thirty-six pairs were first held under nonstimulatory environmental conditions for 13 weeks. To provide potential breeding cues, photoperiod, light intensity, ambient temperature, and humidity were then increased over a 12-day period; millet was replaced by a nutritionally adequate, crumbled diet; and nest-boxes were presented. Compared to previous trials performed under more constant conditions, number of pairs laying eggs, pair-day egg production, clutch size, and chick hatch weight were significantly increased. In experiment 2, either millet or crumbled diet was fed to 36 pairs during a 9-week nonstimulatory period. Both groups were then exposed to stimulatory environments, fed crumbled diet, and presented with nest-boxes. Their reproductive performances were not different, indicating that diet change was not required to stimulate breeding. In experiment 3, birds were fed crumbled diet throughout the trial. Nest-boxes were presented to 31 pairs during nonstimulatory conditions (group 1) or to 28 pairs during the transition to stimulatory conditions (group 2). Percent of pairs laying (85.7 v. 16.7), pair-day egg production (0.279 ± 0.036 v. 0.036 ± 0.014), and clutch size (9.1 ± 1.0 v. 4.6 ± 1.2) were greater in group 2, indicating that nest-box presentation is an insufficient stimulus to evoke maximal breeding under nonstimulatory environmental conditions.