Bandoli Francesca, Mace Jenny, Knight Andrew
Giardino Zoologico di Pistoia, Via Pieve a Celle 160a, 51100 Pistoia, Italy.
Centre for Animal Welfare, Faculty of Health and Wellbeing, University of Winchester, Sparkford Road, Winchester SO22 4NR, UK.
Animals (Basel). 2023 Jul 6;13(13):2228. doi: 10.3390/ani13132228.
Zoos and aquaria have the ethical responsibility to provide animals under their care with conditions that promote good welfare. This study evaluated the combined influence of human presence and environmental factors on the behaviour of zoo-housed Asian small-clawed otters (). Data collection was conducted on a pair hosted at Pistoia Zoo (Italy). Data were collected from July to September 2020 (over 14 days). We video-recorded the otters' behaviours, using the continuous focal animal sampling, obtaining 42 h of observation per subject. The otters displayed a wide array of species-specific behaviours. Compared to previous captive studies, the subjects engaged less in locomotion, food-related and affiliative behaviours, and more in vigilance. Human-animal interactions were limited, and mostly elicited neutral or positive responses, except for begging behaviours performed towards caregivers. Time of day and animal identity were the main significant predictors for behaviours. No effects of visitor presence or background noise were detected. Nonetheless, increasing enrichment use could stimulate food-related behaviours, and reduce vigilance and begging. This study confirms the importance of applying an integrated approach to analyse the complexity of otters' experiences, and provides insights to guide husbandry improvements.
动物园和水族馆有道德责任为其所照料的动物提供促进良好福利的条件。本研究评估了人类在场和环境因素对圈养在动物园的亚洲小爪水獭行为的综合影响。数据收集是在意大利皮斯托亚动物园饲养的一对亚洲小爪水獭身上进行的。数据收集时间为2020年7月至9月（超过14天）。我们使用连续焦点动物取样法对水獭的行为进行视频记录，每个研究对象获得了42小时的观察数据。这些水獭表现出了一系列特定物种的行为。与之前的圈养研究相比，研究对象的运动、与食物相关的行为和亲和行为较少，而警惕行为较多。人与动物的互动有限，除了对饲养员的乞讨行为外，大多引发中性或积极反应。一天中的时间和动物个体身份是行为的主要显著预测因素。未检测到游客在场或背景噪音的影响。尽管如此，增加环境丰容的使用可以刺激与食物相关的行为，并减少警惕行为和乞讨行为。本研究证实了采用综合方法分析水獭经历复杂性的重要性，并为指导饲养管理的改进提供了见解。
