Abstract
A significant challenge for animal care staff in zoos is the prevention or reduction of stereotypic behaviors in the animals they manage. Zoo professionals work to create opportunities for animals to demonstrate species-typical behaviors and to teach visitors about the natural behaviors of the animals on exhibit. Therefore the expression of stereotypic behavior presents a multi-disciplinary problem. Behavioral researchers have repeatedly examined stereotypic behavior in zoological settings to determine successful approaches to address this challenge. Three investigations of pacing in two adult male sloth bears (Melursus ursinus) at Smithsonian's National Zoological Park are presented here. In addition, a case report detailing observations of the rapid onset of an intense stereotypy in a young male sloth bear is included. The first study investigates the effects of five different enrichment strategies on pacing behavior in an adult male with a long history of pacing. The second is a two-year study examining seasonal changes and the effects of social companionship on pacing when the same adult male was housed with a breeding female, a non-breeding (contracepted) female, or a young male. In the third study, we present preliminary data on the effects of the selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor, fluoxetine, as an adjunct pharmacological treatment for pacing. And finally, our case report details the development an intense stereotypy in a young male sloth bear just after he is weaned and separated from his mother. The findings reveal that the causes, degree, and effective management of even a single observed behavior such as pacing within even a single species can vary greatly by individual and circumstance, highlighting the need for individualized assessment and management plans.
Highlights
Potters Bar, UK: Universities Federation for Animal Welfare
We found only two other published cases describing the use of this drug to effectively help reduce pacing in bears - one in a polar bear (Poulsen et al, 1995, 1996), and one in a brown bear (Yalcin & Aytug, 2007)
Bala's case report demonstrates how quickly a behavior such as digging at a door to try to gain access to a conspecific can become an established stereotypy, and how difficult it can be to manage an animal as it experiences the stressful events that set the stage for the development of such a behavior
Summary
The subject of Study 1 was Merlin, an adult male sloth bear (25 yrs old). Merlin was born at NZP in 1981, and for his first 25 years was exhibited in older, grotto style enclosures. In late summer 2006, Merlin was moved within NZP to a newly constructed exhibit at Asia Trail comprised of two large, naturalistic outdoor habitats Merlin shared the new exhibit and holding space with an adult female sloth bear and her cub (sired by Merlin) but they were housed as a separate social group; each group typically had access to one yard during the day and two adjoining enclosures overnight. Merlin had a long history (18+ years) of stereotypic pacing in his former exhibit, and this behavior continued after his move into the larger and more complex habitats at Asia Trail. He developed a clear preference for pacing in. This pacing was typically exhibited as a leisurely pace, and Merlin could be distracted from his pacing activity with minimal effort (i.e., he would respond quickly to the calls of his keepers or other environmental stimuli), but he would often return to the same pacing location after such distractions
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