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Why Does Natural Home Range Size Predict Captive Carnivora Welfare?

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Why Does Natural Home Range Size Predict Captive Carnivora Welfare? Why does Natural Home Range Size Predict Captive Carnivora Welfare? by Miranda Bandeli A Thesis presented to The University of Guelph In partial fulfilment of requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Animal Biosciences Guelph, Ontario, Canada © Miranda Bandeli, May, 2018 ABSTRACT WHY DOES NATURAL HOME RANGE SIZE PREDICT CAPTIVE CARNIVORA WELFARE? Miranda Bandeli Advisor(s): University of Guelph, 2018 Dr. Georgia Mason Natural ranging behaviours were investigated as risk factors for stereotypic behaviour (SB) and infant mortality (CIM) in captive Carnivora. Data collected via literature searches were added into previously created databases. Species-typical median home range size predicted stereotypic route-tracing, but not total SB or CIM. I then assessed whether any correlates of range size proved better predictors of route-tracing. No correlates statistically eliminated the effect of range size, but two greatly increased the R2 when combined with range size: wide-ranging species that are also not predated and travel a small proportion of their annual distance daily spent the most time route-tracing. Additionally, ranging flexibility proved important: species with large home ranges that also have little variability in their range sizes spent the most time route-tracing. However, since the effect of home range size on route-tracing was not explained by any correlate tested, home range size may be intrinsically important. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First, I would like to thank my advisor Georgia Mason for finding me a project that perfectly aligned with my interests and skills. Thank you also for all your guidance and support throughout my time at Guelph and helping me grow as a researcher. I would also like to thank my committee members, Hafiz Maherali and Esther Finegan, for their valuable assistance with this work. Additionally, I want to thank my external committee member, Amy Newman, for her insight to my thesis as well as my defense chair, Anna-Kate Shoveller for her help during my defense. I especially have to thank Emma Mellor, who worked tirelessly with me to collect all of our data, had many Skype calls with me to sort out the databases and work through various problems, and responded to emails up until going into labor. I already love my little birthday buddy and can’t wait to be able to visit and meet her! I also have to thank the department, as well as Georgia, for the financial support that allowed me to be able to affordably complete my degree. I want to thank my lab group for their ideas and edits to my defense talk and helping me get through the multiple practice sessions. To my parents, thank you for supporting my move up to Canada. I know we said I could go anywhere for graduate school, but at least Guelph was still within driving distance. Thank you also for instilling in me the love and respect of animals, even if it unintentionally drove me down this path. Thank you, to Katrina and Nadi for helping me with the initial move up, always checking up on me, and perfectly timing a baby to have in the wedding. Also thank you to my Waterloo church family for welcoming me into your homes and church community with open arms. Your love will always be with me. Thank you to all my friends who helped push me through these last two years. Maria, thank you for always including me in your family events while I was too far from my own family and driving up on your own birthday to visit me in Canada. Fariha, thank you for always being there to hear my rants and taking me on adventures to escape from the stress of work. And of course thank you to the Last Ones Standing for being the most fantastic group of friends. I am truly humbled by your love and support and so very blessed to have been able to meet you all and have you in my life forever now. Finally, I have to thank my fiancé Paul, who on our first date said he would support my move to anywhere I needed to be to follow my dreams. You have been my biggest supporter and continue to push me to believe in myself as much as you believe in me. Thank you for keeping me focused on finishing my goal and never letting me quit. I love you forever and dedicate this to you and, God willing, our future children. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables ...................................................................................................................vi List of Figures ................................................................................................................. vii Chapter 1. General Introduction and Research Aims ...................................................... 1 1.1 Background and introduction.............................................................................. 1 1.2 Welfare issues in captive wild animals ............................................................... 1 1.2.1 Common problems in wild animal husbandry .............................................. 1 1.2.2 Wild animals in captivity: species differences in how well they adjust ......... 4 1.2.3 Species difference in Carnivora captive welfare .......................................... 5 1.3 My research aims ............................................................................................... 9 1.3.1 An overview ................................................................................................. 9 1.3.2 Potential risk factors for Carnivore welfare: Exploring the correlates of home range size ..................................................................................................... 10 1.4 Data analysis: An overview of phylogenetic comparative methods .................. 22 1.5 Aims of this thesis ............................................................................................ 25 Literature Cited…………………………………………………………………………………25 Chapter 2. Exploring why being wide-ranging is a risk factor for stereotypic route-tracing ...................................................................................................................................... 32 2.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 32 2.2 Methods ........................................................................................................... 33 2.2.1 Building the databases .............................................................................. 33 2.2.2 The Captive Infant Mortality Database ...................................................... 38 2.2.3 The ‘Potential Risk Factors’ Database ....................................................... 38 2.2.4 Data analyses ............................................................................................ 43 iv 2.3 Results ............................................................................................................. 45 2.3.1 Database updates ..................................................................................... 45 2.3.2 Identifying whether home range size still predicts total SB, route-tracing, and CIM ................................................................................................................. 57 2.3.3 Identifying potential determinants of median home range size .................. 57 2.3.4 Identifying potential natural consequences of being a wide-ranging species 58 2.3.5 Regression matrix to identify collinearity.................................................... 58 2.3.6 Identifying the predictors of route-tracing................................................... 61 2.3.7 Post hoc analyses aimed at refining understanding of the final results ..... 64 2.4 Discussion ........................................................................................................ 66 Literature Cited…………………………………………………………………………………69 Chapter 3. Suggestions for data collection methods and PCMs to use when replicating and refining this work in the future ................................................................................ 73 3.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 73 3.2 Issues with data collection: limited studies on Carnivora species .................... 73 3.2.1 Data collection issues to do with welfare-related variables ........................ 73 3.2.2 Data collection issues to do with potential predictor variables ................... 75 3.3 Future ideas for refining the PCM statistical methods used ............................. 77 3.3.1 Adjusting for unequal within-species sample sizes .................................... 77 3.3.2 Phylogenetic Path Analyses ...................................................................... 77 3.4 Conclusions...................................................................................................... 80 Literature Cited…………………………………………………………………………………80 v List of Tables Chapter 1 Table 1: Summary of results from Clubb and Mason (2003, 2007) and Kroshko et al (2016). ............................................................................................................................. 8 Table 2: Summary of selective pressures and their influences on species natural home range size. ..................................................................................................................... 14 Table 3: Hypotheses and predictions for how driving factors of home range size in the wild might influence SB and CIM in captive Carnivora species…………………………..17 Table 4: Hypothesis and prediction for how flexibility of home range size
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