Breeding and Post-Breeding Behavior of the Ghost Bat (Macroderma gigas) at Perth Zoo

Abstract

Understanding the behavior of wildlife in zoo environments is necessary to determine species’ welfare states and minimize stress whilst optimizing social groupings, particularly where breeding programs are being undertaken. This observational study investigated the behavior and welfare of six groupings of ghost bats (Macroderma gigas) across the breeding and post-breeding seasons within Perth Zoo, Western Australia. Scan sampling was used to record behavioral states and interactions along with spatial preferences within enclosures for 198 hours of observations. A total of 11,895 interval observations were conducted during the study period. Exploratory behavior was correlated with enclosure size, with 18.7% of the total observations in the largest enclosure compared with only 7.1% of them in the smallest enclosure. Male ghost bats engaged in negative behaviors in 40.2% of observed male-male interactions, regardless of the season. Non-breeding females engaged in more female-female negative behaviors during the breeding season, while negative behaviors increased in the breeding female group after the end of the breeding season. This study highlights areas where management practice may be optimized in a zoo setting and provides evidence to consider revising standards of enclosure size for chiropteran species. An increase in heating structures and feeding platforms could also reduce the number of negative interactions between individuals. Given that ghost bats in the wild are listed as Vulnerable, zoo population management and breeding may form an integral part of conservation planning for this species in the near future. As the first published study of zoo-housed ghost bats, these findings help provide insight into the behaviors and interactions of ghost bats in different social groupings across the breeding and post-breeding seasons.