Influence of Enclosure Conditions and Visitors on the Behavior of Captive Malayan Tapir (Tapirus indicus): Implications for Ex Situ Management and Conservation

Abstract

The population of Malayan tapirs (Tapirus indicus) in the wild is experiencing a radical decline mainly due to habitat destruction throughout their regions. Therefore, as an initiative measure to sustain the population, ex-situ conservation was established. However, the ability of captive management to maintain and breed endangered species has been proved challenging. In this study, we investigated how the behavior of Malayan tapirs in captivity is affected by enclosure conditions; type (semi-natural versus zoo enclosures/artificial) and weather (temperature and humidity), and visitors. Behaviors (categorized as resting, locomotion, ingestion, swimming, investigative) were observed using instantaneous sampling over 20 minute periods with intervals of 30 seconds, and analyzed using generalized linear mixed-effects model, glmer. Enclosure type had a significant effect on feeding behavior where tapirs in semi-natural enclosures fed more frequently than tapirs in artificial environments, mirroring natural feeding activity. Significant adverse effects from background noises and visitors caused tapirs in artificial enclosure to be more alarmed and increased their investigative behaviors. High number of visitors overall lowered the activity of tapirs, while low humidity caused tapirs to suffer from dryness, and thus resulted in frequent ingestion (drinking) and locomotion behavior which indicative of thermal stress. Overall from this study, it is concluded that unsuitable enclosure conditions of extreme dryness and number of visitors are prone to be potential stressors that lower the activity pattern which possibly alter the natural behaviors of Malayan tapir in captivity. Therefore, further evaluation on exhibit design and management practices are encouraged to identify variables that could increase the well-being of captive Malayan tapirs.