Welfare of a pair of Captive Tigers: a Hand-Reared Female and a Parent-Reared Male

Mara Bertocchi,Macchi Elisabetta,Parmigiani Enrico,Sandri Camillo,Di Ianni Francesco,Spiezio Caterina,Ponzio Patrizia,Quintavalla Fausto

doi:10.24297/jaa.v5i1.4508

Abstract

Animal welfare assessment has undergone considerable development. The management and rearing of big cats may lead these animals to express behavioral problems. This study was performed to assess the well-being of a non-breeding pair of Siberian tigers using ethological and physiological parameters. During the day, the animals were kept together in the outdoor exhibit, whereas overnight the tigers were individually housed. Twenty 45-min sessions were run for each subject. The Focal Animal Sampling method was used to record individual and social behaviors. In addition, fecal cortisol levels were monitored and determined by enzyme immunoassay. Single case analysis was run to analyze behavioral data and cortisol levels. Findings highlight that species-specific behaviors were performed by both animals. However, significant differences between the two tigers were observed in stress-related behaviors: the female showed stereotypic behavior, whereas the male did not. No significant differences in fecal cortisol levels were observed. Results suggest that the ethological parameters could be more sensitive than the physiological ones in detecting a stressful condition. Analyzing behavioral data together with physiological stress markers may allow for a more complete assessment of animal welfare.

Highlights

Animal welfare assessment is becoming increasingly important for zoo animals and even more so for hand-reared individuals in whom this evaluation is essential [23]
No significant differences in fecal cortisol levels were observed
There are some limitations in the assessment of animal welfare through fecal cortisol levels

Summary

Introduction

Animal welfare assessment is becoming increasingly important for zoo animals and even more so for hand-reared individuals in whom this evaluation is essential [23]. Independently of whether socialization occurs at a later stage, these animals may develop behavioral problems, such as fear or aggression around conspecifics, lack of conspecific play, difficulty with reproduction and fixation on humans [25, 31] For this reason, in the case of hand-rearing exotic carnivores, it is crucial to provide young animals with enrichment and interactions with conspecifics [25, 31]. There is a dearth of published literature regarding the use of both physiological and ethological approaches to assess the level of welfare of tigers kept in captivity. When using the ethological method, both the individual and social behaviors of the animals were evaluated, while with the physiological approach, fecal cortisol metabolites were assessed

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion