Abstract:
The behavior of zoo carnivores has received intense attention due to their propensity for locomotor stereotypies. We observed two adult male tiger (Panthera tigris) siblings kept together for the duration of 104 days by round-the-clock video observation. The period consisted of three baseline periods with the zoo\'s regular feeding regime of five feeding days per week interrupted by two individual fasting days, with feeding occurring in the evening (B1-B3 of 14 days each). These periods were interrupted by two intervention periods (I1: randomized feeding times, 28 days; I2: gorge-feeding with three 10-day fasting periods, 34 days). As expected, day and night-time behavior was different, with the majority of sleep occurring at night. Pacing, which was mainly considered anticipatory, significantly decreased from 88 ± 132 min/day during B1 to 20 ± 33 min/day during B3. Pacing did not increase during the fasting days of I2. Over the course of whole study, lying time decreased and nonpacing locomotion increased. A major difference was observed between gorge-feeding and the subsequent first fasting days: during gorge-feeding, tigers spent a large part of the day feeding and locomoting (and less sleeping); on the subsequent day, they locomoted about 4.5 h less and slept about 4.3 h more. We suggest that interrupting routines by fasting periods of several days may be effective for reducing regular anticipatory behavior and creates an across-day structure that may correspond to the evolved psychological disposition of large carnivores.
摘要:
由于动物园食肉动物倾向于运动刻板印象,其行为受到了广泛关注。我们通过全天候视频观察观察到两个成年雄性老虎(Pantheratigris)兄弟姐妹在一起持续104天。这段时间包括三个基线期,动物园的常规喂养方式为每周5天,分别为两个禁食日,晚上进食(B1-B3共14天)。这些时期被两个干预期打断(I1:随机喂食时间,28天;I2:有三个10天禁食期的峡谷喂养,34天)。不出所料,白天和黑夜的行为是不同的,大部分睡眠发生在晚上。起搏,这主要被认为是预期的,从B1期间的88±132分钟/天下降到B3期间的20±33分钟/天。在I2的禁食期间起搏没有增加。在整个研究过程中,躺下时间减少,非起搏运动增加。在峡谷喂养和随后的第一个禁食日之间观察到主要差异:在峡谷喂养期间,老虎一天的大部分时间都在进食和运动(睡眠不足);在第二天,他们运动时间减少约4.5小时,睡眠时间增加约4.3小时。我们建议,通过禁食几天来中断常规活动可能会有效地减少常规的预期行为,并创建跨日结构,该结构可能与大型食肉动物的进化心理倾向相对应。