Avaliação do bem-estar em felinos selvagens em cativeiro
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2016
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As práticas de saúde e de maneio têm evoluído ao longo do tempo, contudo, os
Zoológicos têm por vezes dificuldade em facultar condições adequadas que respeitem o
espaço, ambiente e comportamento social natural, resultando em problemas de bem-estar
animal. Para a avaliação do bem-estar animal, segundo a World Association of Zoos and
Aquariums (WAZA) deve-se ter como base, o Modelo dos Cinco Domínios. Este modelo
engloba a componente Física/Funcional, onde estão incluídos a nutrição, o ambiente, a saúde
física e o comportamento e a componente Mental, devendo ser avaliados conjuntamente.
Os felinos não fogem à regra e a manutenção de felinos selvagens em cativeiro é
complexa devido à sua grande diversidade. O grande desafio para promover o bem-estar de
felinos selvagens em cativeiro, é o de promover um gasto de energia equivalente à atividade
de caça em estado natural, que é alterado radicalmente nos estímulos, desafios cognitivos de
tomada de decisão e/ou de aprendizagem espacial e navegação encontrados na natureza, onde
há uma variação regular ou substancial nos estímulos visuais, olfativos, auditivos e tácteis.
O objetivo do presente trabalho é a avaliação do bem-estar de felinos selvagens em
cativeiro durante o treino. No decurso do estudo de campo houve filmagem das sessões de
treino de 7 felinos selvagens no Parque Zoobotânico Arruda Câmara, mais conhecido por
BICA, localizado na cidade João Pessoa, Brasil.
Observou-se que o treino em felinos promove comportamentos positivos e diminui
comportamentos negativos como agressividade, medo e ansiedade. Foi possível observar
também, que uma interação humano animal (IHA) positiva, pode ajudar os animais a
solucionar problemas, diminuindo o stress. Foi também observado que o treino pode auxiliar
no exame clínico geral e permite aplicação de procedimentos médicos, neste caso acupuntura.
Constatamos também que durante o treino ocorreu uma diminuição da concentração de
metabolitos de cortisol nas fezes, nas fases de pré-treino, treino e pós-treino, sendo, a
concentração de 28,15 ng/g, 19,50 ng/g e 4,35 ng/g, respetivamente.
Desta forma, conclui-se que o treino pode promover e manter a boa qualidade do bemestar
em felinos selvagens em cativeiro.
Health and management practices have evolved over time, however, zoos sometimes have difficulty in providing adequate conditions that respect space, environment and natural social behaviour, resulting in problems of animal welfare. For an assessment of animal welfare, according to the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) the Model of the Five Domains should be used as a basis. This model encompasses a Physical/Functional component, which includes nutrition, environment, physical health and behaviour and a Mental component, and it must be determined jointly. Felines are no exception the rule and the keeping of wild felines in captivity is complex because of their great diversity. The major challenge to promote the welfare of wild felines in captivity is to promote an energy expenditure level equivalent to natural hunting activity that is radically altered in stimuli, cognitive decision-making and/or spatial learning challenges and navigate nature where there is a regular or substantial variation in visual, olfactory, auditory, and tactile stimuli. The objective of the study is to evaluate the welfare of wild felines in captivity during training. In the course of the field study, the training sessions of 7 wild felines were recorded at the Zoological Park Arruda Câmara, better known as BICA, located in the city of João Pessoa, Brazil. It has been observed that training felines promotes positive behaviours and diminishes negative behaviours such as aggression, fear and anxiety. It was also possible to observe that a positive human animal interaction (HAI) can help animals solve problems, reducing their stress. It was also observed that the training can help general clinical examination and allow the application of medical procedures, in this case acupuncture. We also found that during the training there was a decrease in the concentration of cortisol metabolites in the faeces, in the pre-training, training and post-training phases, being 28,15 ng/g, 19,50 ng/g and 4,35 ng/g, respectively. In this way, it is concluded that training can promote and maintain a good quality of well-being in wild felines in captivity.
Health and management practices have evolved over time, however, zoos sometimes have difficulty in providing adequate conditions that respect space, environment and natural social behaviour, resulting in problems of animal welfare. For an assessment of animal welfare, according to the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) the Model of the Five Domains should be used as a basis. This model encompasses a Physical/Functional component, which includes nutrition, environment, physical health and behaviour and a Mental component, and it must be determined jointly. Felines are no exception the rule and the keeping of wild felines in captivity is complex because of their great diversity. The major challenge to promote the welfare of wild felines in captivity is to promote an energy expenditure level equivalent to natural hunting activity that is radically altered in stimuli, cognitive decision-making and/or spatial learning challenges and navigate nature where there is a regular or substantial variation in visual, olfactory, auditory, and tactile stimuli. The objective of the study is to evaluate the welfare of wild felines in captivity during training. In the course of the field study, the training sessions of 7 wild felines were recorded at the Zoological Park Arruda Câmara, better known as BICA, located in the city of João Pessoa, Brazil. It has been observed that training felines promotes positive behaviours and diminishes negative behaviours such as aggression, fear and anxiety. It was also possible to observe that a positive human animal interaction (HAI) can help animals solve problems, reducing their stress. It was also observed that the training can help general clinical examination and allow the application of medical procedures, in this case acupuncture. We also found that during the training there was a decrease in the concentration of cortisol metabolites in the faeces, in the pre-training, training and post-training phases, being 28,15 ng/g, 19,50 ng/g and 4,35 ng/g, respectively. In this way, it is concluded that training can promote and maintain a good quality of well-being in wild felines in captivity.
Descrição
Dissertação de Mestrado Integrado em Medicina Veterinária, Ciências Veterinárias
Palavras-chave
Felidae , Cativeiro , Bem-estar animal , Treino , Medicina do comportamento