Which Enrichment Device Elicits More Interest From Maned Wolves In Captivity? ____________ A Behavior Paper Presented to the Junior Science, Engineering, and Humanities Symposium University of Missouri- St. Louis ____________ by Olivia Monroe Senior Rockwood Summit High School 1780 Hawkins Road Fenton, MO. 63026 April 30, 2007- June 19, 2007 Cheryl Apperson Research Teacher 1780 Hawkins Road, Fenton, MO. 63026 1 Abstract: Enrichment is a process of creating a challenging environment to address an animal’s social, psychological, and physical needs. Animal enrichment programs have changed the way that zoos design, construct, and manage their exhibits. This study employs three enrichment devices and includes three experiments to evaluate which device elicited the most interest from captive maned wolves. The hypotheses were that in each of the three experiments, the introduction of the initial device would elicit some response, but the modified device would spark increased interest. The first experiment employed a plain, cardboard box and a box with cut-out shapes with color panels behind them as enrichment devices. The wolves were interested in the device on the first day, but interest waned quickly. The change in boxes (plain to colored shapes) did not have any affect on the interest level of the wolves. The second experiment employed a Boomer ball without and with food as enrichment devices. As expected, the wolves showed more interest in the ball with food. However, the wolves never learned to get food out of the ball (did not roll it far enough). The last experiment provided a plain, cardboard box without, and with, food as enrichment devices. Since the wolves had already been presented a plain box, they were not extremely interested with its recurrence. Some interest was shown in the box with food. Throughout the course of this study, the wolves were not as interested in the devices as anticipated. Although the devices themselves did not elicit a great deal of response, it was noteworthy that the wolves’ general level of activity increased, sometimes a great deal, when the enrichment devices were present in their compound. This was encouraging, since enrichment seeks to increase the activity level of the animals, and these devices seemed to do so indirectly. 2 Table of Contents: Page Numbers 1. Abstract 2 2. Introduction 4 3. Methods and Materials 8 4. Review of Enrichment in Maned Wolves 10 5. Procedures 12 6. Results and Discussion 16 7. Conclusion 27 8. Acknowledgements 29 9. Tables and Graphs 30 10. Bibliography 39 3 INTRODUCTION Remember seeing the animals in the zoo for the first time? Were the animals moving about their enclosure, pacing, or laying down? Is this how they really behave in the wild? At one time zoos were simply a warehouse of different species the public could visit. Captive breeding facilities have really evolved over time. Now facilities do a great deal more than housing and caring for threatened and endangered species. In basic research, they play a major role to attain a better understanding of the needs of the species that they maintain [12]. Over the past twenty years, zookeepers have been making a conscious effort to increase the animals’ quality of life [17]. One of the main goals for captive breeding programs is to maintain a variety of healthy species so facilities can release animals into the wild. Having said this, the preservation of natural behaviors needs to be one of the main focuses of management of the animals [12], and that’s where a program called enrichment comes into the picture. Enrichment is a process of creating a challenging environment to address an animal’s social, psychological, and physical needs [1]. Animal enrichment programs have changed the way that zoos design, construct, and manage their exhibits. Zoos no longer manage animals simply as holdings to benefit the visiting public [7]. However, even though animals sometimes may not be viewed “close-up,” enrichment is anticipated to increase exploratory behavior, thus enhancing visitor education because animals are more active and display more of their natural behaviors [11]. Enrichment aims to enhance animal activity, provide mental stimulation, and even improve the success of captive breeding of endangered species [1]. It is often a process that provides an opportunity for the animals to make decisions for themselves [6]. Much research occurs 4 that focuses on assessing the effectiveness of specific enrichment approaches. These investigations typically involve comparing an animal’s behavior before and after a new stimulus is introduced into its environment [4]. Although this is somewhat subjective, it is an effective method to measure whether the enrichment changed the behavior of the animals (i.e., time spent with object or activity). Also important, is to see if the enrichment makes a difference in the breeding success as well. According to the Maned Wolf Species Survival Plan Husbandry Manual, enrichment cannot be overemphasized and must become as routine as feeding and cleaning [5]. There are several goals of enrichment, but one of the main goals is to encourage natural behaviors and discourage abnormal behaviors, particularly pacing, exhibited by the animal in the exhibit or holding area. This is done by evaluating the animal’s natural history, individual history, and exhibit considerations [2]. Another goal is to help keep animals mentally and physically fit [6]. In the wild, animals must make decisions about their activities and movements and are constantly challenged both physically and mentally by an ever-changing environment. In captivity, animals do not have much control, if any, over their daily lives. This can be very stressful for the animals, and they have to learn to adapt. One of the main stressors for captive animals is that they cannot escape and may not be able to avoid undesirable situations. Confined animals have injured themselves or failed to reproduce because of the conditions of their poorly designed facility (inability to escape unwanted conditions). The presence of humans can induce many stressors for animals such as olfactory and auditory cues as well [12]. Therefore, another goal of enrichment is to provide animals with some control over their environment. To be in control of one’s surroundings means that the animal has the 5 ability to respond effectively to change. This is done by linking the performance of behaviors with functional consequences. One option for providing animals with both control and mental stimulation is through the use of species-appropriate mental tasks [3]. In captivity, animals have a great deal of time to just lie around. They don’t have to forage for food, because the food is provided for them. In the wild, this activity would be very time consuming. They have no chance to perform the natural behavior of foraging, and therefore, “boredom” is another thing they cannot control in their environment [12]. The first formal experimental studies of enrichment in zoos began in the late 1970’s when San Francisco State University psychologist Hal Markowitz created a mechanical food dispenser for the white-handed gibbon (Hylobates lar). The device reinforced the primate to use creative problem-solving abilities [16]. Enrichment has definitely grown since then. Zoos and other captive breeding facilities have made a great deal of progress in providing animals with enrichment. Enrichment can be visual, olfactory, auditory, tactile, and taste stimuli. It can be incorporated into the captive environment itself, but also in daily behaviors like foraging [15]. Many devices used for enrichment have been developed. Some of these devices include: Kong toys, Boomer balls, furniture for the enclosures, feeding devices, rubber hoses, plastic containers, old car/truck tires, scented objects, etc. Novel objects, or toys, have been a very common tool used in enrichment techniques to provide the animal opportunities for interaction and exploration [12]. However, enrichment is only enriching for an individual animal if the animal finds it so [8]. Most enrichment items are highly attractive on the first day that they are presented, but animals’ reactions typically decrease to zero within a matter of a few days [10]. Other items may keep an 6 animal’s interest for a longer period of time, and some items may never elicit interest from the animals whatsoever. Hall et al. performed a study of object-play with cats in 2002, and presented data that showed that domestic cats displayed a decrease in play when the same object was presented repeatedly [9]. In contrast, they displayed an increase in play when a certain object characteristic, such as the color of the object, changed. The effect of familiarization with the sensory characteristics of an object causes acclimatization to occur. Therefore, there appears to be a relationship between an object’s stimulus and the animals’ interest in a particular object [9]. The most effective enrichment items are those which contain species-specific stimuli and, therefore, cause the animals to use natural behaviors, so those used with mammals help stimulate play or hunting/foraging behaviors [10, 13]. Enrichment objects offer an easy way to slightly alter an exhibit in order to create a more interactive environment. Novel objects can also affect the way a group of animals behave toward each other. If there is only one object, the animals might display more aggression than they normally would. This might be desirable if aggression is natural. Often though, it would make sense to present a number of objects, especially if there are many individuals in one compound, so major aggression does not occur. While presenting a limited number of objects may produce more aggression through competition, a wide variety might allow all individuals in the enclosure, including subordinate animals, to have access to the enrichment. A study done with primates showed that the presentation of an abundance of novel objects was very successful.