Felid Hunting Behaviors: a Challenge for Zoo Animals and Staff by Jennie Westander, Ph.D., Parken Zoo, Sweden
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A Quarterly Source of Ideas for Enrichment Felid Hunting Behaviors: A Challenge for Zoo Animals and Staff By Jennie Westander, Ph.D., Parken Zoo, Sweden ne of the major goals of the husbandry Cheetah Oprograms at Parken Zoo is to give our In the cheetah enclosure, there is a cable animals opportunity to perform the full running through several pulleys creating range of their a motor-driven lure system similar to that natural behav- used for greyhound racing. The pulleys are Parken Zoo iors. The last nailed to the ground and can be moved to few years, focus create a new track. The speed and direction has been on can be changed to give more variation to hunting behav- every new hunting situation. The cheetahs iors, because this is such Parken Zoo a challenge when the law does not allow feeding with live prey. Zoo staff needs to be very creative and innovative Cheetah when finding ways to give the animals a Amur leopard with “prey” in a tree. chasing a lure. hunting experience at feeding time. The ani- mals face hunting challenges in the wild and were not interested every time this system we con- was used, but they often used it and showed sider it our speed and fantastic agility. Parken Zoo job to also give them Pallas’ cat this type of The Pallas’ cats in Parken Zoo are given challenge the chance to hunt a dead mouse or chick in the zoo. attached with a clothes peg to the string of As a spin- a fishing rod. The keeper actively “plays” off effect, with the cats from outside of the enclosure, visitors are giving them a simulated hunt situation that given the can easily be varied each time. The Pallas’ Pallas’ cat chance to see the animals in action. cats have become very active and alert from hunting. these hunts and have also been seen to catch Volume 19, No. 3 August 2010 t f J Z P V i x S E I m v G j Q K U T g o L w t f J Z P r live birds that fly into the enclosure. Fishing cat Our fishing cats are fed dead fish in their Amur leopard water pools, and fish are also attached to The Amur leopard is a very good climber a string running in the water to simulate a and is encouraged to climb up the high natural swimming fish. The string can be trees in the pulled from outside of the enclosure to vary Parken Zoo the speed and direction of the “prey.” The Parken Zoo enclosure fishing cats jump in the water and dive to during a reach the fish, and show explorative and simulated alert behavior. hunting situation. A The methods shown as examples here rope with a have been successful for both animals and large piece visitors. No negative effects have been no- of meat ticed. The animals can always choose wheth- is moved er or not to participate. These activities have across the been performed according to a schedule that enclosure is varied over time so the animals do not get and several Sand cats meters leaping for up a tree, pulled by staff from outside dead mice on a the enclosure. As time progressed, the string. leopard became more fit, agile, and stronger, and the rope had to be pulled by two keepers instead of only one. The Amur leopard often pulls the meat down to the ground and then climbs up in another tree to eat the “prey.” Sand cat Parken Zoo In the sand cat enclo- sure, there used to it. Visitors have reacted very posi- is a cable tively to the fact that they are able to see ani- running mals more active and expressing a range of overhead hunting behaviors, such as stalking, crouch- on which a ing, chasing, leaping, reaching, grabbing, string with a pulling, and jumping. Further research is in dead mouse progress studying visitor responses as well Fishing cat or chick can be attached. The speed of the as the effects on the animals’ behavior. G diving for fish. cable can be varied by using a motor from a radio-controlled car to run the cable so that the “hunt” can be varied from time to time. The sand cats are more active and curious than before and also more visible for the visitors. 2 THE SHAPE OF ENRICHMENT Volume 19, No. 3 August 2010 t f J Z P V i x S E I m v G j Q K U T g o L w t f J Z P r A Honey Pot for Gorillas By Emily Clarke, Gorilla Keeper, Howletts Wild Animal Park, Kent, United Kingdom owletts Wild Animal Park in Kent, U.K. trays: honey, peanut butter, jam, lemon curd, His currently home to 5 groups of western mushy peas, blended chick peas, canned toma- lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) made up toes, and other food items of a similar consisten- of 48 individuals. The gorilla keepers are con- cy. Once the trays are prepared with the chosen stantly trying food type, two keepers work together. One to think up new keeper goes around the outside of the cages plac- ideas and ways ing the trays into the honey pots (about 3 honey we can enrich pots per cage). The second keeper goes onto the owletts Wild Animal Park H the lives of the roof and scatters food around the enclosure at the gorillas in our same time. We have found that this method of Photos: care. The Honey implementing the honey pots works well—it pro- Pot is one of our vides the gorillas with the opportunity to forage most success- for food and use the device, preventing individu- ful enrichment designs. It has been observed both in the wild and in captivity that gorillas are very good tool users. The Honey Pot requires tool use by the gorillas, encouraging them to use their cognitive abilities and their coordination skills. The Honey Pot itself is a circular steel structure with mul- tiple tubular openings (fig 1). The device is a permanent fixture that is incorporated into the cage design. However, it has a removable tray als from dominating the food. where the food source is The gorillas receive more than 10 different placed (fig 2), allowing types of browse. During the summer months, the keepers to random- browse is plentiful and is given on a daily basis; ize the frequency of its in winter, the amount given is reduced and use. Having the abil- offered three times per week. The leaves are con- ity to decide when to sumed, the bark is stripped, and then the remain- implement the device is ing sticks are often fashioned into suitable sized important to keep this tools. By expressing natural tool using behaviors, idea novel and maintain the gorillas are able to use their coordination and the gorillas’ interest. their cognitive abilities to retrieve the food source Figure 1 (top) The metal trays are in the tray within the honey pot device. The pho- and Figure 2 approx 11x 9 inches in size and can be easily tos above show one of our female gorillas using (below) cleaned. We place a variety of food types in the one of the honey pots. G THE SHAPE OF ENRICHMENT Volume 19, No. 3 August 2010 3 t f J Z P V i x S E I m v G j Q K U T g o L w t f J Z P r Enrichment Options for Pumas: What Are the Effects? By Caroline Marques Maia, Laboratorio de Fisiologia e Comportamento Animal, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Sao Paulo, Brazil study to test the influence of different kinds and chicken neck/head). Aof environmental enrichment on the behav- The first enrichment offered in the morn- ior of three pumas (Puma concolor) was conducted ing session was the foliage, the blood, and the at Associação Mata Ciliar (AMC), unit of Jundiaí, chili powder, distributed in different parts of the Sao Paulo, Brazil. Two enclosures. At the second enrichment session, the of the pumas studied, vine ball was given to Curió and the Boomer Ball ata Ciliar M one male called Bem- was given to Zara. Both the balls were previously te-vi and one female placed into the enclosure of wild dogs, in order called Zara, were singly to increase the stimulus of the felines when these Associação housed in two enclo- objects were introduced in their enclosures. For sures that were located the third enrichment session, a “surprise box” side by side, while the was introduced into each enclosure. third puma, a male Curió interacted with the enrichments faster called Curió, was in than others, particularly with the “surprise box.” corridor between the Bem-te-vi was slower to interact with the enrich- other two enclosures ments than the others, and he seemed to par- due to the lack of an ticularly appreciate the foliage and scents. Zara appropriate enclosure. preferred the Boomer Ball and the “surprise box,” The animals were ob- which had more damaged in her enclosure than Zara the puma served in three different phases: before exposure the others. says hello. to the enrichment, during the enrichment, and The behavioral frequencies were recorded at after the cessation of the environmental enrich- the three phases and then they were individually ment. grouped in the following categories: Resting (lie In each phase the animals were observed dur- down, sleep and sit), Pacing (Stress), Movement/ ing two consecu- Exploration (walk, jump, sniff, and observe), tive days with and Maintenance (urinate, defecate, eat, drink- ata Ciliar M three hours of ing water, vocalize, wash, scratch, stretch, pant, observation each rub, and sharpen claws).