Avaliação do papel do enriquecimento ambiental em animais confinados individualmente em Zoos
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2021-10-31
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Diversos estudos indicam que o bem-estar animal tem um grande impacto na saúde dos animais e na maneira como estes se comportam. Com o progresso da sociedade, é cada vez mais relevante preocuparmo-nos com as necessidades dos animais que mantemos confinados. No meio natural os animais são expostos a uma variedade de informação sensorial que dificilmente pode ser replicada em condições de confinamento. No caso específico de um animal que está alojado individualmente, privado de contacto com a sua própria espécie, maior será a dificuldade em providenciar ao animal os estímulos necessários a uma vida saudável. O alojamento individual na maioria das espécies é indesejável porque diminui a capacidade do animal de expressar comportamento social normal e estabelecer relacionamentos com indivíduos da mesma espécie. Esta dissertação teve como objetivo avaliar o papel que o enriquecimento ambiental (EA) pode ter na melhoria do bem-estar em animais que estão confinados individualmente em Zoos. Para o efeito foram elaborados planos de enriquecimento ambiental rotativo, aplicados a três animais que se encontravam em confinamento individual: um urso-pardo (Ursus Arctos), uma leoa (Panthera leo) e um tigre (Panthera tigris). Estes planos englobaram diversos itens de enriquecimento ambiental como a boomer ball, canas com especiarias, esfera de sangue congelado, bobine de madeira, zebra de cartão e pirâmide pendurada. Para efeitos de avaliação foram consideradas três fases: a fase de controlo (FC), a fase de enriquecimento ambiental (FEA) e a fase do pós-enriquecimento ambiental (FPEA). Na primeira fase foi observado o comportamento normal do animal sem introdução de enriquecimento ambiental. Na segunda fase observamos o reportório comportamental dos animais após a introdução dos itens de enriquecimento. E na terceira fase avaliamos a manifestação comportamental dos animais após a remoção dos itens de EA. Durante o período de execução do plano de enriquecimento ambiental os animais foram filmados e posteriormente foi realizada a análise comportamental utilizando um etograma previamente estabelecido. Constatamos que o plano de enriquecimento ambiental rotativo aplicado neste trabalho apresentou benefícios para os animais em estudo. Os resultados mostram que o urso-pardo (Ursus arctos), apresentou uma diminuição dos comportamentos estereotipados (CE) e inativos na FEA (de 15% para 11%) e manteve esta expressão de reportório comportamental na fase de pós-enriquecimento (11 %). A leoa (Panthera leo) apresentou uma redução progressiva dos CE ao longo das três fases (de 1,7% em FC para 0,46% em FPEA) em conjunto com uma redução de comportamentos potencialmente indicadores de stress como grooming (de 5% para 3%) e vocalizações (de 2,1% para 0,04%). Já no caso do tigre (Panthera tigris), houve um aumento dos CE na FEA passando de 19,6% para 42%. Contudo na FPEA observamos valores percentuais de CE de 7% muito abaixo dos registados em FC ou FEA. Desta forma, podemos concluir que o plano de EA aplicado reduziu a expressão de comportamentos estereotipados na FPEA nos três animais avaliados, contudo será importante elaborar um plano de monitorização comportamental de longo prazo associado ao desenvolvimento pró-ativo de técnicas de enriquecimento ambiental.
Several studies show that the wellbeing of animals has a great impact in their health and in the way these behave. With the advancement of consciousness and ethics in society, it is of greater relevance to worry about the needs of the animals we keep in confinement. In the natural environment, animals are exposed to a set of different sensory information which are hardly replicated under confinement conditions. In the specific case of an animal who is confined individually, deprived of contact with its own species, all these problems worsen. Individual confinement, in most species, is undesired since it removes the ability of the animal to express normal social behaviour and establish relationship with individuals of the same species. This dissertation aimed to evaluate the role that environmental enrichment (EA) can play in improving the welfare of animals that are individually confined in zoos. For that purpose, rotating environmental enrichment plans were elaborated and applied to three animals that were in individual confinement: a brown bear (Ursus Arctos), a lioness (Panthera leo) and a tiger (Panthera tigris). These plans comprise of diverse items for environmental enrichment such as the boomer ball, canes with spices, frozen spheres of blood, a wooden coil, a cardboard zebra, and a hanging pyramid. Three phases were considered for evaluation purposes: the control phase (FC), the environmental enrichment phase (FEA) and the post-environmental enrichment phase (FPEA). In the first phase, the normal animal behaviour without the introduction of environmental enrichment was observed. In the second phase, we observe the repertoire of behaviours of the animals after the introduction of enrichment items. Lastly, in the third phase we evaluate the behavioural manifestations of the animals after the removal of the EA items. During the implementation of the environmental enrichment plan the animals were recorded; and subsequently the behavioural analysis was performed following a previously established ethogram. We notice the rotating environmental enrichment plan applied in this paper presented benefits for the animals studied. The results show that the brown bear (Ursus arctos) demonstrated a decrease in stereotyped behaviours (CE) and inactive behaviours in the FEA (from 15% to 11%), and maintained this expression of behavioural repertoire in the post-enrichment phase (11%). The lioness (Panthera leo) presented a progressive reduction in CE throughout the three phases (from 1,7% in FC to 0,46% in FPEA) along with a reduction in potentially stressful behaviours like grooming (from 5% to 3%) and vocalisations (from 2,1% to 0,04%). In the case of the tiger (Panthera tigris), there was an increase in CE in FEA segueing from 19,6% to 42%. Nonetheless, in FPEA, we observed EC percentage values of 7%, far below those recorded in FC or FEA. Thus, we can conclude that the EA plan applied reduced the expression of stereotyped behaviours in FPEA in the three animals evaluated, yet it is of relevance to design a long-term behavioural monitoring plan associated with the pro-active development of environmental enrichment techniques.
Several studies show that the wellbeing of animals has a great impact in their health and in the way these behave. With the advancement of consciousness and ethics in society, it is of greater relevance to worry about the needs of the animals we keep in confinement. In the natural environment, animals are exposed to a set of different sensory information which are hardly replicated under confinement conditions. In the specific case of an animal who is confined individually, deprived of contact with its own species, all these problems worsen. Individual confinement, in most species, is undesired since it removes the ability of the animal to express normal social behaviour and establish relationship with individuals of the same species. This dissertation aimed to evaluate the role that environmental enrichment (EA) can play in improving the welfare of animals that are individually confined in zoos. For that purpose, rotating environmental enrichment plans were elaborated and applied to three animals that were in individual confinement: a brown bear (Ursus Arctos), a lioness (Panthera leo) and a tiger (Panthera tigris). These plans comprise of diverse items for environmental enrichment such as the boomer ball, canes with spices, frozen spheres of blood, a wooden coil, a cardboard zebra, and a hanging pyramid. Three phases were considered for evaluation purposes: the control phase (FC), the environmental enrichment phase (FEA) and the post-environmental enrichment phase (FPEA). In the first phase, the normal animal behaviour without the introduction of environmental enrichment was observed. In the second phase, we observe the repertoire of behaviours of the animals after the introduction of enrichment items. Lastly, in the third phase we evaluate the behavioural manifestations of the animals after the removal of the EA items. During the implementation of the environmental enrichment plan the animals were recorded; and subsequently the behavioural analysis was performed following a previously established ethogram. We notice the rotating environmental enrichment plan applied in this paper presented benefits for the animals studied. The results show that the brown bear (Ursus arctos) demonstrated a decrease in stereotyped behaviours (CE) and inactive behaviours in the FEA (from 15% to 11%), and maintained this expression of behavioural repertoire in the post-enrichment phase (11%). The lioness (Panthera leo) presented a progressive reduction in CE throughout the three phases (from 1,7% in FC to 0,46% in FPEA) along with a reduction in potentially stressful behaviours like grooming (from 5% to 3%) and vocalisations (from 2,1% to 0,04%). In the case of the tiger (Panthera tigris), there was an increase in CE in FEA segueing from 19,6% to 42%. Nonetheless, in FPEA, we observed EC percentage values of 7%, far below those recorded in FC or FEA. Thus, we can conclude that the EA plan applied reduced the expression of stereotyped behaviours in FPEA in the three animals evaluated, yet it is of relevance to design a long-term behavioural monitoring plan associated with the pro-active development of environmental enrichment techniques.
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Mestrado Integrado em Medicina Veterinária