Renner Michael J, Kelly Aislinn L
Department of Psychology, West Chester University.
J Appl Anim Welf Sci. 2006;9(3):233-9. doi: 10.1207/s15327604jaws0903_5.
The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) in most zoos attracts high levels of public attention and can play an important role in conservation education. Polar bears in the wild are typically solitary; bears in captivity often house socially. This study reported behavioral evidence on how bears manage this situation and whether proximity leads to aggression. The study recorded location and behavior once per minute for 106 hr for 2 female polar bears at the Philadelphia Zoo; the samples represented all times of day bears spent in the enclosure (off-exhibit time spent in separate, indoor dens). When changing locations, 1 bear more frequently moved away from the other, effecting a net increase in interindividual distance. When either bear moved into an adjacent zone, 1 typically moved away. The bears occupied the same enclosure zone for a low proportion of time; proximity did not routinely lead to overt aggression. These data indicate polar bears make behavioral decisions, minimizing aggression, to manage social distance and that enclosure designers for solitary species--to facilitate social avoidance--should consider using topographical complexity and multiple pathways throughout.
大多数动物园里的北极熊（ Ursus maritimus ）吸引了公众的高度关注，并且在保护教育中可以发挥重要作用。野生北极熊通常独居；圈养的北极熊常常群居。本研究报告了关于北极熊如何应对这种情况以及近距离接触是否会引发攻击行为的行为学证据。研究人员对费城动物园的两只雌性北极熊进行了为期106小时的观察，每分钟记录一次它们的位置和行为；样本涵盖了北极熊在圈舍中度过的全天所有时段（在单独的室内兽穴中度过的非展览时间）。当改变位置时，有一只熊更频繁地远离另一只熊，从而使个体间距离净增加。当任何一只熊进入相邻区域时，其中一只通常会离开。北极熊在同一圈舍区域停留的时间比例较低；近距离接触通常不会引发明显的攻击行为。这些数据表明，北极熊会做出行为决策，尽量减少攻击行为，以管理社交距离，并且对于独居物种的圈舍设计者而言，为便于社交回避，应考虑在整个圈舍中利用地形复杂性和设置多条通道。
