Management of Captive Animals Global evidence for the effects of selected interventions Coral S. Jonas, Lydia L. Timbrell, Fey Young, Silviu O. Petrovan, Andrew E. Bowkett & Rebecca K. Smith SYNOPSES OF CONSERVATION EVIDENCE SERIES Management of Captive Animals Global evidence for the effects of selected interventions Coral S. Jonas, Lydia Timbrell, Fey Young, Silviu O. Petrovan, Andrew E. Bowkett & Rebecca K. Smith Synopses of Conservation Evidence 2 Management of Captive Animals Global Evidence for the effects of selected interventions www.conservationevidence.com Copyright © 2018 William J. Sutherland This document should be cited as Jonas, C.S., Timbrell, L.L., Young, F., Petrovan, S.O., Bowkett, A.E. and Smith, R.K. (2018) Management of Captive Animals: Global Evidence for the Effects of Selected Interventions. University of Cambridge, Cambridge. Cover image: Amur Tigers, Dartmoor Zoo, © Dartmoor Zoo All rights reserved. Apart from short excerpts for use in research or for reviews, no part of this document may be printed or reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, now known or hereafter invented or otherwise without prior permission. 3 Contents Contents ....................................................................................................... 4 About this book ...................................................................................... 11 1. Species management: Ex-Situ conservation – Increasing natural feeding behaviours in primates in captivity ............................................. 18 Key messages – Food Presentation ............................................................ 18 Key messages – Diet manipulation ............................................................. 19 Key messages – Feeding Schedule .............................................................. 20 Key messages – Social group manipulation ................................................ 20 Species Management: Food Presentation .................................................. 20 1.1. Scatter food throughout enclosure 20 1.2. Hide food in containers (including boxes and bags) 22 1.3. Present food in puzzle feeders 23 1.4. Present food which requires the use (or modification) of tools 24 1.5. Present food in water (including dishes and ponds) 24 1.6. Present food frozen in ice 25 1.7. Present food dipped in food colouring 26 1.8. Present food items whole instead of processed 26 1.9. Present feeds at different crowd levels 27 1.10. Paint gum solutions on rough bark 27 1.11. Add gum solutions to drilled hollow feeders 28 1.12. Provide live vegetation in planters for foraging 28 1.13. Maximise both horizontal and vertical food presentation locations 28 Species Management: Diet Manipulation .................................................. 29 1.14. Formulate diet to reflect nutritional composition of wild foods (including removal of domestic fruits) 29 1.15. Provide gum (including artificial gum) 31 1.16. Provide nectar (including artificial nectar) 31 1.17. Provide cut branches (browse) 31 1.18. Provide live invertebrates 32 1.19. Provide herbs or other plants for self-medication 32 1.20. Provide fresh produce 33 1.21. Modify ingredients/nutrient composition seasonally (not daily) to reflect natural variability 33 Species Management: Feeding Schedule .................................................... 34 1.22. Change the number of feeds per day 34 1.23. Change feeding times 34 1.24. Provide food at natural (wild) feeding times 35 1.25. Provide access to food at all times (day and night) 35 1.26. Use of automated feeders 35 Species Management: Social Group Manipulation ..................................... 36 1.27. Feed individuals separately 36 1.28. Feed individuals in social groups 36 1.29. Feed individuals in subgroups 37 4 2. Species management: Ex situ conservation - breeding amphibians ... 38 Key messages – refining techniques using less threatened species ............ 39 Key messages – changing environmental conditions/ microclimate ........... 39 Key messages – changing enclosure design for spawning or egg laying sites ........................................................................................................... 40 Key messages – manipulate social conditions ............................................ 40 Key messages – changing the diet of adults ............................................... 41 Key messages – manipulate rearing conditions for young .......................... 42 Key messages – artificial reproduction ....................................................... 42 Refining techniques using less threatened species ..................................... 43 2.1. Identify and breed a similar species to refine husbandry techniques prior to working with target species 43 Changing environmental conditions/ microclimate .................................... 44 2.2. Vary enclosure humidity to simulate seasonal changes in the wild using humidifiers, foggers/misters or artificial rain 44 2.3. Vary enclosure temperature to simulate seasonal changes in the wild 44 2.4. Vary quality or quantity (UV% or gradients) of enclosure lighting to simulate seasonal changes in the wild 45 2.5. Vary duration of enclosure lighting to simulate seasonal changes in the wild 46 2.6. Simulate rainfall using sound recordings of rain and/or thunderstorms 46 2.7. Allow temperate amphibians to go through hibernation period 46 2.8. Allow amphibians from highly seasonal environments to have a period of dormancy during a simulated drought period 47 2.9. Vary water flow/speed of artificial streams in enclosures for torrent breeding species 47 2.10. Provide artificial aquifers for species which breed in upwelling springs47 2.11. Vary artificial rainfall to simulate seasonal changes in the wild 48 Changing enclosure design for spawning or egg laying sites ...................... 49 2.12. Provide multiple egg laying sites within an enclosure 49 2.13. Provide natural substrate for species which do not breed in water (e.g. burrowing/tunnel breeders) 50 2.14. Provide particular plants as breeding areas or egg laying sites 51 2.15. Provide particular enclosure furniture for calling sites, breeding areas or egg laying sites 52 Manipulate social conditions ..................................................................... 53 2.16. Provide visual barriers for territorial species 53 2.17. Manipulate adult density within the enclosure 53 2.18. Manipulate sex ratio within the enclosure 53 2.19. Separate sexes in non-breeding periods 54 2.20. Play recordings of breeding calls to simulate breeding season in the wild 55 2.21. Allow female mate choice 56 Changing the diet of adults ........................................................................ 57 2.22. Vary food provision to reflect seasonal availability in the wild 57 5 2.23. Formulate adult diet to reflect nutritional composition of wild foods 57 2.24. Supplement diets with vitamins/ calcium fed to prey (e.g. prey gut loading) 58 2.25. Supplement diets with vitamins/ calcium applied to food (e.g. dusting prey) 58 2.26. Supplement diets with carotenoids (including for colouration) 58 2.27. Increase caloric intake of females in preparation for breeding 59 Manipulate rearing conditions for young ................................................... 60 2.28. Formulate larval diets to improve development or survival to adulthood 60 2.29. 60 2.30. Leave infertile eggs at spawn site as food for egg-eating larvae 61 2.31. Manipulate humidity to improve development or survival to adulthood61 2.32. Manipulate quality and quantity of enclosure lighting to improve development or survival to adulthood 62 2.33. Manipulate temperature of enclosure to improve development or survival to adulthood 62 2.34. Manipulate larval density within the enclosure 63 2.35. Allow adults to attend their eggs 64 Artificial reproduction ................................................................................ 64 2.36. Use hormone treatment to induce sperm and egg release 64 2.37. Use artificial fertilization in captive breeding 65 2.38. Use artificial cloning from frozen or fresh tissue 65 2.39. Freeze sperm or eggs for future use 65 3. Species management: Ex-Situ conservation – Interventions in reference to feeding captive carnivores to improve health and welfare. 66 Key message – Diet and food type ............................................................. 67 Key Messages – Food presentation and enrichment .................................. 68 Key Messages – Feeding Schedule.............................................................. 69 Key Messages – Social feeding ................................................................... 70 Species Management: Diet and food type .................................................. 70 3.1 Feed commercially prepared diets 70 3.2 Feed whole carcasses (with or without organs/gastrointestinal tract) 73 3.3 Provide bones, hides or partial carcasses 75 3.4 Feed a plant-derived protein diet 77 3.5 Supplement meat-based diets with prebiotic plant material to facilitate digestion 78 3.6 Supplement meat-based diet with vitamins or minerals 79 3.7 Supplement meat-based diet with amino acids 79 3.8 Supplement meat-based diet with fatty acids 80 3.9 Increase variety of food items 80 Species Management: Food Presentation and Enrichment ........................ 81 3.10 Hide food around enclosure 81 3.11 Change location of food around enclosure 83 3.12 Scatter food around