Abstract
Long-term evaluations of whether modern zoological exhibits help to maintain variation in the behavior of zoo animals are lacking despite the hope that animals avoid falling into monotonous patterns of behavior or boredom. This study evaluated changes in behavior and habitat use over multi-year periods in nine individuals of five bear species at two zoological facilities. Behavioral data gathered over months to years were analyzed graphically for trends in the direction of change. The habitat use dynamics were assessed graphically by looking for trends in the entropy values over time. We found that the activity budgets remained diverse and were dynamic over time, more so in younger compared to older bears. Changes in behavior suggesting positive welfare were observed, while changes that may reflect declining welfare seemed more likely to be due to age or seasonality. The observed behavioral changes suggest that the bears did not become bored with their habitats; there was likely one to several hours of daily variation in behavior, and stereotypy was rare. The diversity in the habitat use decreased over time as the animals settled into patterns of use reflecting preferences for certain areas of their habitats.
Highlights
Modern zoological exhibits that reflect the current thinking on the proper way to house animals and meet the accreditation standards of zoological associations often cost millions of dollars, for large mammals
The male sun bear was observed for 347 h in three June–November periods in the first three years of habitat occupancy starting in week two of occupancy
The grizzly bears were observed for 424 h during the first full year of habitat occupancy starting in week three of occupancy
Summary
Modern zoological exhibits that reflect the current thinking on the proper way to house animals and meet the accreditation standards of zoological associations often cost millions of dollars, for large mammals. The hope is that these costly exhibits provide the substrate for achieving these various goals for decades and for multiple generations of occupants of the enclosure. Despite these initial large investments, it is relatively rare that exhibits are evaluated over the long-term to see if they are meeting their goals. In the mid-1980s, Maple & Finlay [1] were perhaps the earliest in advocating for the post-occupancy evaluation (POE) of zoo exhibits, which they defined as the use of systematic methods to determine if a built environment works well for all of its users (animals, visitors, and staff). The assessment of long-term effects, on animal occupants, is missing from these discussions of POE and exhibit evaluations in both presentations and the literature. Animals are sometimes transferred between zoos, making it difficult to assess the long-term changes in behavior in a single exhibit
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