Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, Faculty of Health & Life Sciences, University of Exeter, EX4 4QG, UK.
School of Philosophy, Anthropology & Film Studies, University of St Andrews, KY16 9AL, UK.
Behav Processes. 2022 Nov;203:104763. doi: 10.1016/j.beproc.2022.104763. Epub 2022 Oct 7.
In the zoo, the sound environment experienced by captive wild animals will contain numerous anthropogenic features that may elicit different responses to those stimulated by naturally created, or more biologically relevant, sounds. Husbandry activities, visitor presence and neighbouring species (free-living and captive) will all influence the sounds around zoo-housed species; an animal's behavioural responses may therefore provide an insight into how its welfare state is influenced by this changing sound environment. This project aimed to investigate how animal behaviour was influenced by the sound environment at two large UK zoos; one situated in a more rural location and the other in an urban location. Species were selected based on their location in the zoo, the relevance of sound to their natural ecology (e.g., as a form of communication and/or for anti-predator responses) and their novelty as research subjects in the scientific literature. Behavioural data collection was conducted for five days per enclosure per zoo at the population and individual level for birds housed in different styles of enclosure. Instantaneous sampling at one-minute intervals was used to collect information on state behaviours, assessed using a pre-determined species-specific ethogram. Event behaviours were collected continuously for each observation period. The sound environment around or in the enclosure was recorded continuously during each behavioural recording session using a recorder mounted on a tripod. Results showed a variety of responses to the presence of visitors and potential associated changes to sound around the enclosure with some behaviours being more influenced by the presence of visitors (and increases in the volume of sound) compared to others, e.g., vigilance and vocalisations. Overall, birds showed few of the changes thought to indicate poor or impoverished welfare states linked to changes to the sound environment in their enclosure or to the presence of visitors, but we recommend that zoos consider further measurement and recording of sound on a species-by-species basis to capture individual responses and behavioural changes to variation in visitor number and the sound environment.
在动物园中，圈养野生动物所经历的声音环境将包含许多人为特征，这些特征可能会引起与自然产生或更具生物相关性的声音不同的反应。饲养活动、游客的存在以及邻近的物种（自由生活和圈养）都会影响圈养物种周围的声音；因此，动物的行为反应可以提供一个深入了解其福利状态如何受到这种不断变化的声音环境影响的视角。本项目旨在调查动物行为如何受到英国两个大型动物园声音环境的影响；一个位于更农村的位置，另一个位于城市的位置。选择的物种基于它们在动物园中的位置、声音对其自然生态的相关性（例如，作为一种交流形式和/或用于抗捕食反应）以及它们作为科学文献中研究对象的新颖性。在每个动物园的每个围栏中，每天进行五天的行为数据收集，每个动物园的鸟类都采用不同的围栏风格进行收集。在一分钟的间隔内进行即时采样，以收集关于状态行为的信息，使用预先确定的特定物种行为图谱进行评估。每个观察期连续收集事件行为。在每个行为记录会议期间，使用安装在三脚架上的录音机连续记录围栏周围或围栏内的声音环境。结果表明，鸟类对游客的存在和潜在相关的围栏周围声音变化有多种反应，与其他行为相比，一些行为更容易受到游客的存在（和声音音量的增加）的影响，例如警觉性和发声。总体而言，鸟类在其围栏中或游客存在时声音环境变化所表明的不良或贫困福利状态的变化很少，但我们建议动物园考虑进一步按物种对声音进行测量和记录，以捕捉个体对访客数量和声音环境变化的反应和行为变化。
