Abstract
Animals in captivity are frequently exposed to environmental deprivation resulting in abnormal behaviors that indicate distress. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of the surprise pack environmental enrichment technique in improving the welfare of small neotropical felids in captivity. In order to accomplish this, we used five individuals from the Rio de Janeiro Zoo. The experiment was divided into three steps corresponding to: I) period prior to the enrichment, II) period in which the animals were being submitted to enrichment stimuli, and III) period after the enrichment. In phase II, we observed a significant reduction in abnormal behavior compared to phases I and III. Only in phase II did the animals demonstrate the following behaviors: predation, social interaction and territory demarcation. However, in this same phase, the mean time spent interacting with the enrichment throughout the day showed a decrease.
Highlights
Felidae encompasses 37 species, of which 10 are found in South America (NOWELL & JACKSON 1996)
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of the “surprise pack” environmental enrichment technique in improving the welfare of small neotropical felids in captivity
Many individuals develop abnormal behaviors that differ in form, frequency or context from the behaviors displayed by conspecifics living in the wild (BROOM & JOHNSON 1993)
Summary
Felidae encompasses 37 species, of which 10 are found in South America (NOWELL & JACKSON 1996). Animals may not have the motivation, opportunity or need to exhibit a series of behaviors considered normal for the species (MACPHEE 2002). Under these conditions, many individuals develop abnormal behaviors that differ in form, frequency or context from the behaviors displayed by conspecifics living in the wild (BROOM & JOHNSON 1993). Many individuals develop abnormal behaviors that differ in form, frequency or context from the behaviors displayed by conspecifics living in the wild (BROOM & JOHNSON 1993) Such behaviors include coprophagy, inactivity, hyperaggressivity, hypersexuality, low socialization, selfmutilation, and stereotyped behaviors, among others (BOERE 2001). One of the most common forms of environmental enrichment, leads to an increase in time spent feeding by inducing foraging behaviors (YOUNG 2003)
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