Orban David A, Siegford Janice M, Snider Richard J
Department of Integrative Biology (formerly Zoology), Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan.
Department of Animal Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan.
Zoo Biol. 2016 Mar-Apr;35(2):157-66. doi: 10.1002/zoo.21275. Epub 2016 Feb 22.
Zoological institutions develop human-animal interaction opportunities for visitors to advance missions of conservation, education, and recreation; however, the animal welfare implications largely have yet to be evaluated. This behavioral study was the first to quantify impacts of guest feeding programs on captive giraffe behavior and welfare, by documenting giraffe time budgets that included both normal and stereotypic behaviors. Thirty giraffes from nine zoos (six zoos with varying guest feeding programs and three without) were observed using both instantaneous scan sampling and continuous behavioral sampling techniques. All data were collected during summer 2012 and analyzed using linear mixed models. The degree of individual giraffe participation in guest feeding programs was positively associated with increased time spent idle and marginally associated with reduced time spent ruminating. Time spent participating in guest feeding programs had no effect on performance of stereotypic behaviors. When time spent eating routine diets was combined with time spent participating in guest feeding programs, individuals that spent more time engaged in total feeding behaviors tended to perform less oral stereotypic behavior such as object-licking and tongue-rolling. By extending foraging time and complexity, guest feeding programs have the potential to act as environmental enrichment and alleviate unfulfilled foraging motivations that may underlie oral stereotypic behaviors observed in many captive giraffes. However, management strategies may need to be adjusted to mitigate idleness and other program consequences. Further studies, especially pre-and-post-program implementation comparisons, are needed to better understand the influence of human-animal interactions on zoo animal behavior and welfare.
动物园机构为游客提供人与动物互动的机会，以推进保护、教育和娱乐使命；然而，动物福利方面的影响在很大程度上尚未得到评估。这项行为研究首次通过记录长颈鹿的时间分配（包括正常行为和刻板行为）来量化游客投喂项目对圈养长颈鹿行为和福利的影响。使用瞬时扫描取样和连续行为取样技术，对来自9家动物园的30只长颈鹿（6家有不同游客投喂项目的动物园和3家没有的）进行了观察。所有数据均在2012年夏季收集，并使用线性混合模型进行分析。长颈鹿个体参与游客投喂项目的程度与空闲时间增加呈正相关，与反刍时间减少呈微弱相关。参与游客投喂项目的时间对刻板行为的表现没有影响。当将日常饮食进食时间与参与游客投喂项目的时间相加时，在总进食行为上花费更多时间的个体往往较少表现出如舔物体和卷舌等口腔刻板行为。通过延长觅食时间和增加觅食复杂性，游客投喂项目有可能起到环境富集的作用，并缓解许多圈养长颈鹿可能存在的未满足的觅食动机，而这些动机可能是口腔刻板行为的潜在原因。然而，可能需要调整管理策略以减轻空闲时间及其他项目带来的影响。需要进一步的研究，尤其是项目实施前后的对比研究，以更好地理解人与动物互动对动物园动物行为和福利的影响。
