An ethometric analysis in a zoological garden: Modification of ungulate behavior by the visual presence of a predator

Abstract

AbstractZoological gardens often juxtapose enclosures of predator and prey for educational purposes under the assumption that the predator and prey habituate to each other. To determine if prey are aware of the predator, we studied an exhibit with five species of African ungulates separated by a dry moat from their natural predator, the African lion. Using both focal and scan sampling, activity budgets of ungulates in response to various predator behaviors were quantified. Interindividual distances also were recorded as a measure of the degree of herding relative to predator behavior. Ungulates spent significantly less time in seven behaviors (Lying Down, Feeding, Drinking, Sniffing Ground, Sniffing Each Other, Defecating, Urinating) when the predator was visually present than when the predator was visually absent. Five of these behaviors (Drinking, Sniffing Ground, Sniffing Each Other, Defecating, Urinating) occurred at low frequencies and durations. Interindividual distances, on the other hand, varied little, although intraspecific distances were significantly shorter than interspecific distances. The changes in ungulate behavior indicate an awareness of the predator; for example, less time was spent with the head down (Feeding, Drinking, Sniffing Ground) when the predator was present, allowing more time for predator surveillance. These results indicate that the ungulates in this zoo exhibit modify their behavior when a lion is visually present. These modifications, though, seem to have no deleterious effects on ungulate behavior.