07.Szokalski Et Al FINAL
eScholarship International Journal of Comparative Psychology Title Behavioral Monitoring of Big Cats Involved in ‘Behind-the-Scenes’ Zoo Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5xv8p6hp Journal International Journal of Comparative Psychology, 26(1) ISSN 0889-3675 Authors Szokalski, Monika S. Foster, Wendy K. Litchfield, Carla A. Publication Date 2013 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ 4.0 Peer reviewed eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California International Journal of Comparative Psychology , 2013, 26, 83-104. Copyright 2013 by the International Society for Comparative Psychology Behavioral Monitoring of Big Cats Involved in ‘Behind-the-Scenes’ Zoo Visitor Tours Monika S. Szokalski University of South Australia, Australia Wendy K. Foster Zoos South Australia, Australia Carla A. Litchfield University of South Australia, Australia While interactive tours have been argued to hold great conservation potential for zoo visitors, the influence on the participating animal’s behavior is often ignored. To investigate this, we observed the behavior of one Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae ) and three African lions ( Panthera leo leo ) involved in a protected contact tour, as well as that of three cheetahs ( Acinonyx jubatus ) involved in a hands-on tour, at Zoos South Australia. Instantaneous scan sampling (30-s intervals) was used to record animal behavior before, during, and after behind-the-scenes tours, as well as for equivalent times on non-tour days, over a three-month period. Estimated proximity (close, < 2 m; moderate, 2-5 m; and distant, > 5 m) to humans was also recorded as an indirect measure of interaction. The animals in the protected contact tour displayed decreased inactivity and increased feeding and pacing during the tours, compared to before and after.
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