325. INVESTIGATION INTO THE EXPRESSION OF HUMAN FRIENDLY BEHAVIOUR IN THE OSTRICH (STRUTHIO CAMELUS) - EFFECT OF IMPRINTING

Abstract

In birds, filial imprinting to humans occurs after artificial hatching, which may lead to human following and sexual imprinting. We investigated the effect of imprinting on expression of favourable to human behaviours in juvenile ostriches. For the first seven days from hatching, the birds were exposed to a dummy female. At 12 months of age, a year before ostriches reach sexual maturity, the males (n = 25) were given testosterone intramuscularly in five every second day injections to induce precocial sexual behaviour. Additional six males, not exposed to the dummy, received the vehicle. Two weeks after the first injection, behavioural data collection commenced and, a range of behaviours were scored in five times over the period of 2 weeks from the last injection. The behaviours were given a score of 1 (behaviour present) or 0 (behaviour not present). The males exposed to a dummy female (n = 11) scored less for friendly to human behaviours than those not exposed to a dummy. No courtship type behaviour was observed in all males. Plasma testosterone concentrations increased and reached maximum levels by day 6 post-injection in exposed and not exposed to a dummy males but the levels were not different from the control (vehicle). We conclude that exposure to a dummy led to less friendly to human behaviour, while absence of the dummy led to more friendly behaviour towards humans. Testosterone injections failed to induce precocial sexual behaviour possibly because the amount given was insufficient or the birds could not yet express sexual behaviour to humans. The levels of testosterone in blood plasma occurred coincidently as they were probably associated with pre-pubertal development.