DOCSLIB.ORG

Helarctos Malayanus) By

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Helarctos Malayanus) By Effects of food distribution and external factors on the activity budgets of captive sun bears (Helarctos malayanus) by Jessica Barber A thesis submitted to Sonoma State University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree MASTER OF SCIENCE In Biology Committee Members: Dr. Karin Enstam Jaffe, Chair Dr. Dan Crocker Darren Minier i Copyright 2018 By Jessica Barber ii Authorization for Reproduction of Master’s Thesis I grant permission for the print or digital reproduction of this thesis in its entirety, without further authorization from me, on the condition that the person or agency requesting reproduction absorb the cost and provide acknowledgment of authorship. Date: 1 May 2018 Name: Jessica Barber iii Effects of food distribution and external factors on the activity budgets of captive sun bears (Helarctos malayanus) Thesis by Jessica Barber Abstract All free-ranging bears spend a large portion of their day on foraging activities. In captivity, many bear species spend less time or energy foraging because of the highly predictable schedule and presentation of their diets. To combat this, zoos are increasingly using enrichment to encourage animals to engage with their environment. I used principles of optimal foraging theory to test whether manipulating food distribution could be used as a type of enrichment to alter behavior for three adult female sun bears at Oakland Zoo in California. I compared the effects of scattered vs. clumped food distribution on the sun bears’ activity budgets using continuous focal animal sampling. In addition, temperature and visitor presence were also measured using scan sampling to measure the effect on the sun bears behaviors. The results indicate that manipulating food distribution successfully increased the duration of feeding behavior and frequency of foraging in captive sun bears when food was clumped. Higher temperatures and increased visitor presence was correlated with increased stereotypic pacing and nighthouse use by the study subjects. This study may provide zoos with a relatively simple and cost-effective way to incorporate existing diets and enrichment devices to enhance animal welfare by focusing on the distribution of items. More broadly, these results may inform research into the behavioral ecology of sun bears, whose natural foraging behavior is little known. MS Program: Biology Date: 1 May 2018 Sonoma State University iv Table of Contents Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................ 1 Methods ........................................................................................................................................................................ 6 Study Site and Animals .................................................................................................................................... 6 Food Distribution ................................................................................................................................................ 7 Sun Bear Behavior .............................................................................................................................................. 7 External Factors .................................................................................................................................................. 8 Statistical Analyses ............................................................................................................................................. 9 Results ........................................................................................................................................................................ 10 Effects of Food Distribution ........................................................................................................................ 10 Feeding ............................................................................................................................................................. 10 Foraging .......................................................................................................................................................... 10 Pacing ............................................................................................................................................................... 10 Out of Sight Nighthouse ........................................................................................................................... 11 Effects of External Factors .......................................................................................................................... 11 Temperature .................................................................................................................................................. 11 Discussion ................................................................................................................................................................. 12 Effects of Food Distribution ........................................................................................................................ 12 Feeding ............................................................................................................................................................. 12 Foraging .......................................................................................................................................................... 13 Pacing ............................................................................................................................................................... 14 Out of Sight Nighthouse ........................................................................................................................... 16 Effects of External Factors .......................................................................................................................... 17 Temperature .................................................................................................................................................. 17 Visitor Presence ........................................................................................................................................... 18 Future Research ............................................................................................................................................... 19 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................................ 19 Literature Cited ..................................................................................................................................................... 21 Tables ......................................................................................................................................................................... 25 Table 1: Schedule of trials and description of each set ........................................................................ 25 Table 2. Ethogram describing behaviors used in analysis ................................................................... 25 Figures ....................................................................................................................................................................... 26 Figure 1: Average bout duration of behaviors by distribution in AM. ........................................... 26 v Figure 2: Average duration of bouts per clump type. ........................................................................... 26 Figure 3: Average bout duration of behaviors by distribution in PM. ............................................ 27 Figure 4: The frequency of behaviors in the AM and PM observations. ....................................... 27 ` vi Introduction Because wild animals forage in order to maximize energy gain and minimize energy expenditure (Schoener 1971; Pyke et al. 1977; Rapaport 1998; Schneider et al. 2014), food distribution and abundance affect foraging behavior (Charnov 1976; Pyke et al. 1977). Distribution is defined by how far apart the individual food items are separated. In general, food is considered clumped if it occurs in large patches, while scattered food occurs in smaller patches that are more dispersed throughout the environment (Pyke et al. 1977; Isbell et al. 1998; Mathy and Isbell 2001). Researchers label food as clumped when the density in the patch is higher than the surrounding areas and scattered when food is more evenly dispersed and smaller in size (Wiens 1976; Isbell et al. 1998; Isbell 2000). Differences between these two types of food distribution can be measured by the way animals forage. According to marginal value theorem, animals feeding on clumped resources should stay at a clump as long as the capture rate exceeds that of the surrounding environment (Charnov 1976; Pyke et al. 1977). Thus animals should feed at large clumps longer because there is more food to eat as clump size increases (as long as group size does not change). Animals feeding on scattered resources spend less time at a food site (Charnov 1976; Pyke et al. 1977; Isbell et al. 1998). In addition to distribution, food abundance also influences how animals forage in the wild (Charnov 1976; Pyke et al. 1977; Isbell et al. 1998). Food is considered abundant if it is not limited and there is an excess of food available
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Fall 2017 Vol
    International Bear News Tri-Annual Newsletter of the International Association for Bear Research and Management (IBA) and the IUCN/SSC Bear Specialist Group Fall 2017 Vol. 26 no. 3 Sun bear. (Photo: Free the Bears) Read about the first Sun Bear Symposium that took place in Malaysia on pages 34-35. IBA website: www.bearbiology.org Table of Contents INTERNATIONAL BEAR NEWS 3 International Bear News, ISSN #1064-1564 MANAGER’S CORNER IBA PRESIDENT/IUCN BSG CO-CHAIRS 4 President’s Column 29 A Discussion of Black Bear Management 5 The World’s Least Known Bear Species Gets 30 People are Building a Better Bear Trap its Day in the Sun 33 Florida Provides over $1 million in Incentive 7 Do You Have a Paper on Sun Bears in Your Grants to Reduce Human-Bear Conflicts Head? WORKSHOP REPORTS IBA GRANTS PROGRAM NEWS 34 Shining a Light on Sun Bears 8 Learning About Bears - An Experience and Exchange Opportunity in Sweden WORKSHOP ANNOUNCEMENTS 10 Spectacled Bears of the Dry Tropical Forest 36 5th International Human-Bear Conflict in North-Western Peru Workshop 12 IBA Experience and Exchange Grant Report: 36 13th Western Black Bear Workshop Sun Bear Research in Malaysia CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENTS CONSERVATION 37 26th International Conference on Bear 14 Revival of Handicraft Aides Survey for Research & Management Asiatic Black Bear Corridors in Hormozgan Province, Iran STUDENT FORUM 16 The Andean Bear in Manu Biosphere 38 Truman Listserv and Facebook Page Reserve, Rival or Ally for Communities? 39 Post-Conference Homework for Students HUMAN BEAR CONFLICTS PUBLICATIONS
    [Show full text]
  • The Effect of Positive Reinforcement Training on an Adult Female Western Lowland Gorilla’S (Gorilla Gorilla Gorilla) Rate of Abnormal and Aggressive Behavior
    ABC 2016, 3(2):78-87 Animal Behavior and Cognition DOI: 10.12966/abc.02.05.2016 ©Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0) The Effect of Positive Reinforcement Training on an Adult Female Western Lowland Gorilla’s (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) Rate of Abnormal and Aggressive Behavior Austin Leeds1,2, Roby Elsner3, & Kristen E. Lukas1,2 1Cleveland Metroparks Zoo 2Case Western Reserve University 3Audubon Zoo *Corresponding author (Email: [email protected]) Citation – Leeds, A., Elsner, R., & Lukas, K. E. (2016). The effect of positive reinforcement training on an adult female Western lowland gorilla’s (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) rate of abnormal and aggressive behavior. Animal Behavior and Cognition, 3(2), 78–87. doi: 10.12966/abc.02.05.2016 Abstract - Positive reinforcement training (PRT) has become a widely used tool in improving the ease with which husbandry and veterinary procedures are performed for animals under human care. PRT provides positive social interaction, cognitive stimulation, and choice, in addition to desensitization towards potentially stressful situations. As a result, PRT has been used as enrichment to decrease abnormal and aggressive behavior in various primate species, however, this has not been empirically tested in western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla). This study used an ABA design to test the effect of PRT on the abnormal and aggressive behavior of an adult female gorilla both during and outside of interaction sessions. No change in behavior was observed during the PRT phase of this study. However, a decrease in ear covering and keeper-directed aggression were observed in the post-training period. Here we argue that the combination of both PRT and non-training interactions cumulatively provided social and cognitive stimuli resulting in the observed changes.
    [Show full text]
  • First Record of Hose's Civet Diplogale Hosei from Indonesia
    First record of Hose’s Civet Diplogale hosei from Indonesia, and records of other carnivores in the Schwaner Mountains, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia Hiromitsu SAMEJIMA1 and Gono SEMIADI2 Abstract One of the least-recorded carnivores in Borneo, Hose’s Civet Diplogale hosei , was filmed twice in a logging concession, the Katingan–Seruyan Block of Sari Bumi Kusuma Corporation, in the Schwaner Mountains, upper Seruyan River catchment, Central Kalimantan. This, the first record of this species in Indonesia, is about 500 km southwest of its previously known distribution (northern Borneo: Sarawak, Sabah and Brunei). Filmed at 325The m a.s.l., IUCN these Red List records of Threatened are below Species the previously known altitudinal range (450–1,800Prionailurus m). This preliminary planiceps survey forPardofelis medium badia and large and Otter mammals, Civet Cynogalerunning 100bennettii camera-traps in 10 plots for one (Bandedyear, identified Civet Hemigalus in this concession derbyanus 17 carnivores, Arctictis including, binturong on Neofelis diardi, three Endangered Pardofe species- lis(Flat-headed marmorata Cat and Sun Bear Helarctos malayanus, Bay Cat . ) and six Vulnerable species , Binturong , Sunda Clouded Leopard , Marbled Cat Keywords Cynogale bennettii, as well, Pardofelis as Hose’s badia Civet), Prionailurus planiceps Catatan: PertamaBorneo, camera-trapping, mengenai Musang Gunung Diplogale hosei di Indonesia, serta, sustainable karnivora forest management lainnya di daerah Pegunungan Schwaner, Kalimantan Tengah Abstrak Diplogale hosei Salah satu jenis karnivora yang jarang dijumpai di Borneo, Musang Gunung, , telah terekam dua kali di daerah- konsesi hutan Blok Katingan–Seruyan- PT. Sari Bumi Kusuma, Pegunungan Schwaner, di sekitar hulu Sungai Seruya, Kalimantan Tengah. Ini merupakan catatan pertama spesies tersebut terdapat di Indonesia, sekitar 500 km dari batas sebaran yang diketa hui saat ini (Sarawak, Sabah, Brunei).
    [Show full text]
  • The Illegal Exploitation of the Javan Leopard (
    Nature Conservation 43: 25–39 (2021) A peer-reviewed open-access journal doi: 10.3897/natureconservation.43.59399 RESEARCH ARticlE https://natureconservation.pensoft.net Launched to accelerate biodiversity conservation The illegal exploitation of the Javan Leopard (Panthera pardus melas) and Sunda Clouded Leopard (Neofelis diardi) in Indonesia Lalita Gomez1,2, Chris R. Shepherd1 1 Monitor Conservation Research Society, Big Lake, Canada 2 Oxford Wildlife Trade Research Group, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK Corresponding author: Chris R. Shepherd ([email protected]) Academic editor: M. Auliya | Received 6 October 2020 | Accepted 15 January 2021 | Published 22 March 2021 http://zoobank.org/17D9AAB6-8A94-4B5A-932F-6633FAD5D42B Citation: Gomez L, Shepherd CR (2021) The illegal exploitation of the Javan Leopard (Panthera pardus melas) and Sunda Clouded Leopard (Neofelis diardi) in Indonesia. Nature Conservation 43: 25–39. https://doi.org/10.3897/ natureconservation.43.59399 Abstract Indonesia is home to the Javan Leopard (Panthera pardus melas) and the Sunda Clouded Leopard (Neofelis diardi), both of which are threatened by habitat loss, human-wildlife conflict issues and the illegal wildlife trade. Leopards and clouded leopards are threatened by the illegal wildlife trade across their range, how- ever, very little is known of the illegal trade in these two species in Indonesia, or of the efforts made to tackle this crime. Both the Javan Leopard and Sunda Clouded Leopard are protected species in Indonesia and both species are listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), meaning commercial international trade is generally prohibited. To better understand the trade, and efforts to end this trade, we collected records of seizures and prosecutions relating to Javan Leopards and Sunda Clouded Leopards in Indonesia for the period 2011–2019.
    [Show full text]
  • Sun Bear Zoo Experiences
    SUN BEAR ZOO EXPERIENCES 3000 Turtle Time Party You and a guest are invited to Woodland Park Zoo’s Western Pond Turtle Recovery Project to learn how these amazing little guys are hatched at the zoo to get a head start for eventual release into the wild. Once the turtles are ready to hatch, you may be invited back to watch and experience their introduction to their new life at the zoo as field biologists weigh, measure and tag them. Restrictions: Arrangements will have to be based on the breeding cycles of the turtles and program release dates. EXPIRATION DATE: 7/31/2012 DONOR: Woodland Park Zoo Tropical Rain Forest Crew VALUE: $450 3001 Precious Penguins for Five Five lucky people will get the chance to know our penguins up close and personal. You and your friends will talk with a keeper about our penguins and participate in watching them feast on their favorite treats. You don’t want to miss your chance on getting to know these well-dressed birds! Restrictions: Please make mutually agreeable arrangements at least eight weeks in advance. Experience will not be redeemable during breeding season or while the birds are in molt. EXPIRATION DATE: 7/31/2012 DONOR: Woodland Park Zoo Penguin Crew VALUE: $450 3002 Evening Zoo Adventure for Two After the zoo has closed its doors for the night, you and a friend are invited to spend a very special evening of nighttime exploration at Woodland Park Zoo. Your guide will take you through the zoo for a special after hours look at the animals.
    [Show full text]
  • International Bear News
    International Bear News Quarterly Newsletter of the International Association for Bear Research and Management (IBA) and the IUCN/SSC Bear Specialist Group Spring 2013 Vol. 22 no. 1 Ms. Jayanthi Natarajan (front row center), Union Minister for Environment and Forests, Government of India, opened the 21st IBA Conference in New Delhi, India that was attended by 373 delegates from 35 nations. Read more about the conference proceedings on page 21. IBA website: www.bearbiology.org Table of Contents IBA Student Forum 3 International Bear News, ISSN #1064-1564 29 Truman’s List Serve Council News Eurasia 4 From the President 30 News From Project “Rehabilitation, Release 6 Research and Conservation Grants and Behavioral/Ecology Research of Asiatic black (Ursus thibetanus) and Brown Bears (Ursus arctos) in Sikhote-Alin (Russian Far Bear Specialist Group East) 7 New Chairs Selected for Bear Specialist 31 A Novel Interaction Between a Sun Bear Group Expert Teams and Pangolin in the Wild 11 Bear Specialist Group Coordinating 32 Climate Change – No Thanks: German Committee (2013) Kids are Concerned About Polar Bears 12 Expert Teams of Bear Specialist Group 34 M13 and the Fate of Bears in Switzerland: Report on Projects A Short Note 16 New Co-Chair of Sloth Bear Expert Team Models BSG T-shirts with Students 17 Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre Prevails Americas against Eviction Challenge 35 Using Landscape-Scale Habitat Suitability 18 Irma: The “Swimmer” Brown Bear of Modeling to Identify Recovery Areas Kastoria Lake, Greece for the Louisiana Black Bear (Ursus
    [Show full text]
  • Enrichment Portfolio for Bears
    Enrichment Portfolio for Bears Supporting Good Animal Welfare for Bears in Captivity The goal of this enrichment Enrichment is not a replacement for a natural portfolio is to provide easy exhibit and the best form of enrichment is to guidance for the house them in a naturalistic environment. The development of enrichment best form of enrichment is a combination of ideas that will improve bear natural features and an intensive enrichment welfare in captive program situations. Choice – enrichment is about creating choices for Enrichment can enhance animals so they are in greater control of their the zoo environment for environment. an animal, encouraging them to explore & interact Change – while some enrichment requires with their surroundings. regular changes, other forms needs to be the Enrichment also enhances same every day. Either way, variety is important the visitor experience as Create – enrichment is increasing the the animals show more natural behaviours and are complexity of the environment that is much more active. meaningful to the animal’s genetic & behavioural needs, is species relevant and addresses specific ! species needs.! 123 Wild Welfare Bear Enrichmentlorem ipsum Portfolio dolor issue, date Enrichment for Bears Can Be…. Olfactory – About different Why is Enrichment What is SMELLS Good? Animals with Enrichment Not? good mental health Enrichment is not a Gustatory – About different substitute for poor TASTES will engage with their environment more, be enclosure design, a Manipulative – About less aggressive, less poor diet, lack of INTERACTIONS with the fearful and more health care or any other poor environment (within peaceful. They are enclosure) more exploratory and management at ease with their activities.
    [Show full text]
  • Assessing Animal Welfare with Behavior: Onward with Caution
    Perspective Assessing Animal Welfare with Behavior: Onward with Caution Jason V. Watters *, Bethany L. Krebs and Caitlin L. Eschmann Wellness and Animal Behavior, San Francisco Zoological Society, San Francisco, CA 94132, USA; [email protected] (B.L.K.); [email protected] (C.L.E.) * Correspondence: [email protected] Abstract: An emphasis on ensuring animal welfare is growing in zoo and aquarium associations around the globe. This has led to a focus on measures of welfare outcomes for individual animals. Observations and interpretations of behavior are the most widely used outcome-based measures of animal welfare. They commonly serve as a diagnostic tool from which practitioners make animal welfare decisions and suggest treatments, yet errors in data collection and interpretation can lead to the potential for misdiagnosis. We describe the perils of incorrect welfare diagnoses and common mistakes in applying behavior-based tools. The missteps that can be made in behavioral assessment include mismatches between definitions of animal welfare and collected data, lack of alternative explanations, faulty logic, behavior interpreted out of context, murky assumptions, lack of behavior definitions, and poor justification for assigning a welfare value to a specific behavior. Misdiagnosing the welfare state of an animal has negative consequences. These include continued poor welfare states, inappropriate use of resources, lack of understanding of welfare mechanisms and the perpetuation of the previously mentioned faulty logic throughout the wider scientific community. We provide recommendations for assessing behavior-based welfare tools, and guidance for those developing Citation: Watters, J.V.; Krebs, B.L.; tools and interpreting data. Eschmann, C.L. Assessing Animal Welfare with Behavior: Onward with Keywords: behavioral diagnosis; zoo; behavioral diversity; anticipatory behavior; stereotypy; natural Caution.
    [Show full text]
  • Sun Bear (Helarctos Malayanus) Animal Welfare
    Care For Us Sun Bear (Helarctos malayanus) Animal Welfare Animal welfare refers to an animal’s state or feelings. An animal’s welfare state can be positive, neutral or negative. An animal’s welfare has the potential to differ on a daily basis. When an animal’s needs - nutritional, behavioural, health and environmental - are met, they will have positive welfare. A good life in captivity might be one where animals can consistently experience good welfare - throughout their entire life. Understanding that animals have both sentient and cognitive abilities as well as pain perception, reinforces the need to provide appropriate husbandry provisions for all captive animals, to ensure positive welfare. In captivity, the welfare of an animal is dependent on the environment provided for them and the daily care and veterinary treatment they receive. The sun bear is found in the tropical forest habitats of Southeast Asia. They are the smallest of all the bears and are characterised by their long tongues – used to extract food, their strong sense of smell and very powerful front paws and long claws which make them very efficient tree-climbers. Sun bears do not hibernate due to living in tropical regions and are primarily diurnal (active in the day) but can be active at night for short periods. Their numbers have declined rapidly in recent years and they are classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN, due to large- scale deforestation and commercial hunting for the wildlife trade and body parts. Sun Bears Like to Dig and Forage Sun bears have extremely powerful front legs and long claws.
    [Show full text]
  • Sun Bear (Finally!) Kaeng Krachan National Park, Thailand: 12‐14 January, 2018
    Sun bear (finally!) Kaeng Krachan National Park, Thailand: 12‐14 January, 2018 Although I live in Laos, the defaunation of its forests means I frequently cross the border into neighboring Thailand for a quick wildlife fix. Over the last ten years, I must have visited Thai parks on over 30 occasions split between Khao Yai, Phu Khiao and Kaeng Krachan in my quest to see Sun and Asiatic black bear and other Southeast Asian species. In January, I was transiting through Bangkok when I received a tip-off from a wildlife guide that a Sun bear had been frequenting the lower campground in Kaeng Krachan National Park. I decided to delay my flight back to Laos and give it a go. Kaeng Krachan is Thailand’s largest national park at nearly 3,000 km2. Most importantly its part of a complex of connected parks on the border with Myanmar which creates a contiguous forest area of 175,000 km2 where elephants and tigers still roam. This colossal area of tropical and sub-tropical forest is key to the persistence of the large mammal fauna coupled with the Thai government’s impressive track record of protecting National Parks and also providing facilities for visitors. On the first night in the park the bear stayed away but Golden jackal and Malayan porcupine were frequent visitors to the lower campground at Baan Krang. At 5.30 am the next day we were the first car up the steep mountain track to the upper campground. This requires a 4x4 vehicle and takes about an hour.
    [Show full text]
  • Effects of Increasingly Complex Enrichment on the Behavior of Captive Malayan Sun Bears (Helarctos Malayanus)
    Effects of Increasingly Complex Enrichment on the Behavior of Captive Malayan Sun Bears (Helarctos malayanus) by Yasmeen Ghavamian A thesis submitted to Sonoma State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE in Biology Committee Members: Dr. Karin Enstam Jaffe, Chair Darren E. Minier Dr. Daniel E. Crocker Date: 04/29/20 i Copyright 2020 By Yasmeen Ghavamian ii Authorization for Reproduction of Master’s Thesis I grant permission for the print or digital reproduction of this thesis in its entirety, without further authorization from me, on the condition that the person or agency requesting reproduction absorb the cost and provide proper acknowledgment of authorship. DATE: 04/29/20 Name: Yasmeen Ghavamian iii Effects of increasingly complex enrichment on the behavior of captive Malayan sun bears (Helarctos malayanus) Thesis by Yasmeen Ghavamian ABSTRACT All zoos grapple with challenges of keeping captive animals engaged in natural behaviors, especially for bears which prove to be among the more challenging species to keep stimulated. In captivity, a common indicator of poor welfare is the presence of stereotypic behaviors. In this study, we test whether providing increasingly complex feeding enrichment decreases the duration of stereotypic behavior and increases enrichment interaction for three adult female sun bears (Helarctos malayanus) at Oakland Zoo in California. We compared the effects of two different feeding enrichment devices- presented to the bears at three complexity levels- on sun bear stereotypic behavior. After three weeks of baseline data collection when no complex enrichment was present, we introduced the complex enrichment three times a week per level over six weeks.
    [Show full text]
  • Abnormal Behaviours in Two Captive Brown Bear (Ursus Arctos Linnaeus
    Abnormal Behaviours in Two Captive Brown Bear (Ursus arctos Linnaeus, 1758) Females: Individual Differences and Seasonal Variations Abnormales Verhalten in zwei gefangen Grizzlybär-Weibchen (Ursus arctos Linnaeus, 1758): einzelne Unterschiede und saisonale Variationen a,∗ a b Ana I. Soriano , Dolors Vinyoles , Carmen Maté a Department of Animal Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain b Barcelona Water Cycle, Anonymous Society, Barcelona, Spain Received 6 September 2016 Abstract Abnormal behaviours are common in captive environments that not supply the physical and psycho- logical needs of animals. There are animals, like brown bears, more susceptible to develop abnormal behaviours due to their seasonal biology related to food, hibernation or reproduction. The two brown bear Ursus arctos females from Barcelona Zoo, Spain, showed two different patterns of abnormal behaviours. The old ♀ displayed episodes of biting a tree trunk while the young ♀ carried out head- tossing events. The studied period was from March to December 2004 divided into seasonal periods: autumn, spring and summer. A total of 63 hours of observations were recorded using a multi-focal continuous method. The time invested on abnormal behaviour was higher in spring followed by sum- mer and autumn in both females. The other variables related to the abnormal behaviour studied were duration, intensity, occurrence and space use which also showed statistically significant differences among seasonal periods. The old ♀ space use during abnormal behaviour was in the same zone mean- while the young ♀ showed statistically significant differences among seasonal variations and zones of the enclosure. These results should be taken into account to improve the management of bears in zoological institutions.
    [Show full text]