Bennett Cynthia, Torgerson-White Lauri, Fripp Deborah, Watters Jason, Petric Ann
a Dallas Zoo , Dallas , Texas.
b eLearning Systems International , Dallas , Texas.
J Appl Anim Welf Sci. 2015;18 Suppl 1:S43-61. doi: 10.1080/10888705.2015.1075835.
The okapi (Okapia johnstoni), native to the Democratic Republic of Congo, is a large, solitary, and diurnal forest-dwelling ungulate highly sensitive to captive conditions. The captive population demonstrates persistent health problems, reproductive abnormalities, and several potentially abnormal repetitive behaviors. This study reports on locomotion and pacing in adult male and female okapis. Commonly, data on repetitive behavior have been derived from surveys. Although insightful, the results are often highly generalized and provide little information about the true preponderance and nature of such behavior in a population. In this study, direct observations determining how often and when a behavior of interest occurs are paired with information on factors (intrinsic and extrinsic) that can impact a nonhuman animal's propensity to perform repetitive behavior. More than half of the North American okapi population comprised the study population. Each animal was studied for 2 summer and winter seasons. Factors predictive of pacing in both males and females included 3 housing and habitat factors and 4 management factors. Patterns of locomotion and the rate and pattern of pacing in males when compared with females suggested different mechanisms may be driving these behaviors in the different sexes and that a sex-specific management strategy would benefit this species.
霍加狓（Okapia johnstoni）原产于刚果民主共和国，是一种大型、独居且昼行性的森林有蹄类动物，对圈养环境高度敏感。圈养种群存在持续的健康问题、生殖异常以及一些潜在的异常重复行为。本研究报告了成年雄性和雌性霍加狓的运动和踱步情况。通常，关于重复行为的数据来自调查。尽管有一定见解，但结果往往高度概括，几乎没有提供关于该行为在种群中的真实优势和本质的信息。在本研究中，确定感兴趣行为发生频率和时间的直接观察与可能影响非人类动物表现重复行为倾向的因素（内在和外在）信息相结合。北美霍加狓种群的一半以上构成了研究群体。每只动物都在夏季和冬季各研究两个季节。预测雄性和雌性踱步的因素包括3个饲养和栖息地因素以及4个管理因素。与雌性相比，雄性的运动模式以及踱步的速率和模式表明，不同的机制可能在驱动不同性别的这些行为，并且针对性别的管理策略将有益于该物种。
