Veterinary medicine in exotic and wild species: behavioral enrichment and management of two captive snow leopards (Panthera uncia uncia)
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2018-02-01
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A comunidade Zoológica tem sofrido alterações marcantes, ao longo das últimas décadas, na conduta diretiva das suas instituições. Apesar de continuarem a ser centros lúdicos com fins lucrativos, objetivos de outra natureza têm, agora, maior prioridade: a conservação da fauna e flora mundiais e a Proteção do Bem-Estar Animal. Inúmeras espécies mantidas em cativeiro têm dificuldade em adaptar-se aos ambientes artificiais em que vivem e em lidar com o stress a que neles são submetidas, acabando por desenvolver distúrbios comportamentais ou aumentar a sua suscetibilidade a fatores de risco que possam exacerbar diversas patologias. A análise comportamental é uma área em desenvolvimento que se tem provado uma ferramenta essencial na avaliação do bem-estar geral dos animais cativos, ao permitir a deteção precoce de problemas comportamentais e a correta intervenção para o maneio e resolução dos mesmos.
Neste trabalho, é descrito um estudo comportamental realizado com felinos da espécie Pantera das Neves (Panthera uncia), um macho e uma fêmea residentes no Zoo de Santo Inácio, Portugal, nas quais foram identificados determinados padrões de comportamento anormal como comportamento estereotipado (pacing) por parte do macho, e agressividade, ansiedade e relutância em sair da recolha por parte da fêmea. Os animais foram observados de manhã, à tarde e ao final do dia, recorrendo ao método de amostragem focal contínua, após ser construído um etograma organizado em 8 categorias funcionais de comportamento. Este trabalho teve por objetivo avaliar os efeitos do enriquecimento ambiental no comportamento dos dois indivíduos e determinar se os seus problemas comportamentais poderiam ser assim corrigidos, bem como o seu reportório comportamental aumentado. Paralelamente, foi criado um protocolo de maneio comportamental que tinha como objetivo proceder á introdução gradual dos dois animais com fins reprodutivos. O estudo foi dividido em 3 etapas: Controlo (fase I); Enriquecimento Ambiental (fase II); e Enriquecimento Ambiental e Social (fase III). Os resultados demonstraram diferenças estatisticamente significativas entre as fases para as categorias Afiliativo, Atividade e Agonista no período da manhã, bem como para a categoria Afiliativo no período do fim do dia, para a fêmea. No macho, as categorias que sofreram diferenças estatisticamente significativas incluem Atividade, Marcação, Estereótipo e Afiliativo no período da manhã; Afiliativo nas tardes; e Exploratório e Afiliativo no final do dia.
Parks and Zoological gardens have undergone outstanding changes over the decades. Although they continue to be recreative centers with profitable ends, major goals have won priority: the conservation of worldwide fauna and flora and the protection of animal welfare. Numerous captive species have difficulty coping with the artificial environments in which they live and dealing with the stress they are submitted to. They may, eventually, develop behavioral disorders or increase their susceptibility to risk factors that will exacerbate other pathologies. Behavior analysis is an evolving field that is proving itself as an essential tool in the assessment of the overall welfare of animals in captivity as it enables the early detection of behavioral problems and the use of effective intervention techniques concerning their management and resolution. A behavioral study was conducted in the months December through March in a male and a female of Snow Leopards (Panthera uncia uncia) housed at Saint Inácios’s Zoo in Portugal, in which were identified certain abnormal behavior patterns. The first presented stereotypic behavior (pacing) whereas the second showed signs of aggression, anxiety and reluctance to leave the indoor enclosure. The animals were recorded during the morning, afternoon and evening, using the Continuous Focal Animal Sampling method, after the construction of an Ethogram and its organization into 8 functional behavioral categories. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of environmental enrichment on the behavior of the two individuals and to determine if their behavioral problems could be rectified as well as their behavioral repertoire expanded. A behavioral management protocol was developed simultaneously in order to progressively introduce the animals to each other, bearing in mind reproductive ends. The study was divided into 3 stages: Baseline (phase I); Environmental Enrichment (phase II); and Environmental and Social Enrichment (phase III). Results have shown statistically significant differences between the different phases, for the Affiliative, Active and Agonist categories during morning period, as for Affiliative category in the evening as well, regarding the female. In the male, categories which suffered statistically significant differences included Active, Marking, Stereotypy and Affiliative, during morning; Affiliative in the afternoon; and both Exploratory and Affiliative in the evening.
Parks and Zoological gardens have undergone outstanding changes over the decades. Although they continue to be recreative centers with profitable ends, major goals have won priority: the conservation of worldwide fauna and flora and the protection of animal welfare. Numerous captive species have difficulty coping with the artificial environments in which they live and dealing with the stress they are submitted to. They may, eventually, develop behavioral disorders or increase their susceptibility to risk factors that will exacerbate other pathologies. Behavior analysis is an evolving field that is proving itself as an essential tool in the assessment of the overall welfare of animals in captivity as it enables the early detection of behavioral problems and the use of effective intervention techniques concerning their management and resolution. A behavioral study was conducted in the months December through March in a male and a female of Snow Leopards (Panthera uncia uncia) housed at Saint Inácios’s Zoo in Portugal, in which were identified certain abnormal behavior patterns. The first presented stereotypic behavior (pacing) whereas the second showed signs of aggression, anxiety and reluctance to leave the indoor enclosure. The animals were recorded during the morning, afternoon and evening, using the Continuous Focal Animal Sampling method, after the construction of an Ethogram and its organization into 8 functional behavioral categories. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of environmental enrichment on the behavior of the two individuals and to determine if their behavioral problems could be rectified as well as their behavioral repertoire expanded. A behavioral management protocol was developed simultaneously in order to progressively introduce the animals to each other, bearing in mind reproductive ends. The study was divided into 3 stages: Baseline (phase I); Environmental Enrichment (phase II); and Environmental and Social Enrichment (phase III). Results have shown statistically significant differences between the different phases, for the Affiliative, Active and Agonist categories during morning period, as for Affiliative category in the evening as well, regarding the female. In the male, categories which suffered statistically significant differences included Active, Marking, Stereotypy and Affiliative, during morning; Affiliative in the afternoon; and both Exploratory and Affiliative in the evening.
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Dissertação de Mestrado Integrado em Medicina Veterinária
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Panthera , Jardim Zoológico Santo Inácio , Avintes (Vila Nova de Gaia, Porto, Portugal) , Comportamento animal , Enriquecimento ambiental , Bem estar animal , Enriquecimento social