Medicina veterinária de espécies exóticas e selvagens: “abordagem médico-veterinária em problemas comportamentais de animais em cativeiro”
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2018-06-20
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Há várias décadas que os termos problemas comportamentais, comportamentos anómalos e comportamentos estereotipados estão presentes no léxico da comunidade veterinária. Os comportamentos estereotipados estão descritos em diversas espécies, incluido animais selvagens e exóticos em cativeiro, animais de laboratório, animais de produção, animais de companhia e cavalos. Estes comportamentos já há muito definidos, por vários autores, como comportamentos anormais, invariáveis, desadequados e repetitivos sem aparente função para o animal, carecem ainda de consenso na comunidade científica relativamente à sua etiologia. Tal parece dever-se ao facto de variarem de animal para animal e serem, aparentemente, de origem multifactorial. Em animais em cativeiro a presença/ausência de comportamentos estereotipados é utilizada muitas vezes como uma medida para avaliação do bem-estar animal devido à sua frequente associação a factores de stress. Além do comprometimento do bem-estar animal, estes indivíduos apresentam com frequência dificuldades reprodutivas e de performance, elementos fundamentais nos programas de conservação ex situ. Na actualidade existem várias medidas ao dispor do Médico Veterinário para abordar este tipo de problemas comportamentais. Entre elas encontram-se o enriquecimento ambiental e a abordagem farmacológica. Neste trabalho, são apresentados problemas comportamentais em duas espécies, o tigre-siberiano (Panthera tigris altaica) e a pomba-de-socorro (Zenaida graysoni), ambas mantidas em cativeiro, nas quais é caracterizado o comportamento anómalo e a intervenção médico-veterinária realizada. As medidas de enriquecimento foram o método selecionado no caso do tigre em estudo, tendo os resultados obtidos revelado diferenças significativas, especialmente durante o período da manhã, em relação ao tempo despendido pelo animal no comportamento anómalo e noutras categorias comportamentais. Na pomba-desocorro, optou-se por uma intervenção farmacológica, com resultados positivos nas primeiras semanas do estudo, sem que no entanto estes se mantivessem até ao final do estudo
Stereotypical behaviour, abnormal repetitive behaviour and behavioural problems have been well-known concepts in the veterinary community for a few decades. These have been described in different species, including wild animals in captivity, farm and laboratory animals, pets and horses. Stereotypical behaviours are defined by several authors as abnormal, unchanging, inadequate, repetitive and lacking function to the animal. The precise reason for their performance is still a matter for debate in the scientific community, due to their apparently multifactorial origin and variation between animals. Since the presence of stereotypes can be linked to stress, the presence or absence of stereotyped behaviours are often used to assess animal welfare. Besides having their welfare at risk, animals displaying these behaviours often have reproduction and performance issues, elements that are essential in ex situ conservation programs. Nowadays, veterinaries have access to different approaches to deal with these behavioural problems. Environmental enrichment and the use of pharmacological agents are amongst these approaches. In this work, abnormal repetitive behaviour in two species, the Amur tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) and the Socorro dove (Zenaida graysoni), will be introduced and discussed. The veterinary interventions made in order to minimize these behaviours are also described. An environmental enrichment plan was developed for the tiger under study, with results showing statistical differences, especially in the morning period, regarding stereotypy all the other behavioural categories studied. The use of pharmacological agent was the selected method for the socorro dove, showing significant results in the first weeks of treatment, which however were not sustained until the end of the study.
Stereotypical behaviour, abnormal repetitive behaviour and behavioural problems have been well-known concepts in the veterinary community for a few decades. These have been described in different species, including wild animals in captivity, farm and laboratory animals, pets and horses. Stereotypical behaviours are defined by several authors as abnormal, unchanging, inadequate, repetitive and lacking function to the animal. The precise reason for their performance is still a matter for debate in the scientific community, due to their apparently multifactorial origin and variation between animals. Since the presence of stereotypes can be linked to stress, the presence or absence of stereotyped behaviours are often used to assess animal welfare. Besides having their welfare at risk, animals displaying these behaviours often have reproduction and performance issues, elements that are essential in ex situ conservation programs. Nowadays, veterinaries have access to different approaches to deal with these behavioural problems. Environmental enrichment and the use of pharmacological agents are amongst these approaches. In this work, abnormal repetitive behaviour in two species, the Amur tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) and the Socorro dove (Zenaida graysoni), will be introduced and discussed. The veterinary interventions made in order to minimize these behaviours are also described. An environmental enrichment plan was developed for the tiger under study, with results showing statistical differences, especially in the morning period, regarding stereotypy all the other behavioural categories studied. The use of pharmacological agent was the selected method for the socorro dove, showing significant results in the first weeks of treatment, which however were not sustained until the end of the study.
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Problemas comportamentais , Comportamento estereotipado , Cativeiro , Bem-estar animal , Enriquecimento ambiental , Tigre-siberiano (Panthera tigris altaica) , Pomba-de-socorro (Zenaida graysoni)