Mehrkam Lindsay R, Thompson Roger K R
a Department of Psychology , University of Florida.
J Appl Anim Welf Sci. 2015;18(1):1-16. doi: 10.1080/10888705.2014.923773. Epub 2014 Jun 18.
Mixed-species exhibits are becoming increasingly common in the captive management of a wide range of species. Systematic evaluations of enclosures consisting of multiple subspecies, however, are relatively infrequent. The aim of this study was to measure seasonal trends in aggressive behaviors within a captive pack of wolves and wolf-dog crosses in a sanctuary setting. The frequency of intrapack social behaviors occurring within scan-sampling intervals was recorded for wolves and wolf-dog crosses during autumn, winter, and spring (2008-2009). Both subspecies displayed distinct seasonal trends in aggression. Wolf-dog crosses exhibited overall higher levels of aggression than wolves, although these instances were mostly noncontact and no significant differences were observed in the relative frequencies of aggressive behaviors between subspecies during any season. These findings suggest that wolves and wolf-dog crosses may be housed successfully given continuous behavioral monitoring, and these findings represent the first empirical account of wolf-dog cross behavior directly compared to wolves. Future studies should be conducted with similar packs to determine if this dynamic is universal. Such research will aid in the development of management and welfare strategies for captive facilities that provide permanent residences for wolves and wolf-dog crosses.
在多种物种的圈养管理中，混种展览正变得越来越普遍。然而，对由多个亚种组成的圈舍进行系统评估相对较少。本研究的目的是测量在一个保护区环境中，一群圈养的狼和狼狗杂交种之间攻击行为的季节性趋势。在2008 - 2009年的秋季、冬季和春季，记录了狼和狼狗杂交种在扫描取样间隔内发生的群体内社交行为的频率。两个亚种在攻击性方面都表现出明显的季节性趋势。狼狗杂交种总体上比狼表现出更高水平的攻击性，尽管这些情况大多是非接触性的，并且在任何季节，亚种之间攻击行为的相对频率没有观察到显著差异。这些发现表明，在持续的行为监测下，狼和狼狗杂交种可以成功地圈养在一起，并且这些发现代表了首次将狼狗杂交种行为与狼直接进行比较的实证描述。未来应该对类似的群体进行研究，以确定这种动态是否具有普遍性。这样的研究将有助于为为狼和狼狗杂交种提供永久住所的圈养设施制定管理和福利策略。
