General Session 7 Abstracts
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DOES OLFACTORY STIMULATION
PROMOTE SCENT ROLLING BEHAVIOURS IN CAPTIVE WOLVES CANIS LUPUS? Jessica Hayward, Kingston University Watch Video (Login required) Full Abstract
Wolves (Canis lupus) have a highly developed sense of smell which they use in the wild to detect danger, discover prey and to communicate with other wolves. Scent rolling is a natural behaviour and is exhibited when wolves are presented with novel and interesting scents. This study endeavoured to establish whether olfactory enrichment promotes scent rolling behaviours in captive wolves. To test this scents were presented to seven wolves in a captive environment. These scents included a control, lavender, (Lavandula angustifolia), peppermint, (Mentha piperita), goat (Capra hircus) faeces and lion (Panthera leo persicus) faeces. Hessian sacks, filled with straw, with the various scents poured or rubbed onto the sacks individually were used to present the olfactory enrichment to the wolves; one sack for each wolf for each observation period. Ethograms were recorded during half hour observation periods, at fifteen second intervals, with one week between each presentation. The results showed that the wolves interacted with lavender the most, followed by goat faeces then peppermint. The wolves interacted with the lion faeces the least. The results suggested that the wolves are more likely to scent roll on scents that promote restfulness (lavender) and not those that are energising (peppermint) and with those that are associated with prey (goat faeces) and not with predators (lion faeces). The results proved that olfactory enrichment (presented on hessian sacks, using a range of scents) does promote scent rolling behaviours in captive wolves. |
SCENT MARKS AS A TOOL TO FACILITATE SOCIAL ENRICHMENT Annie Valuska, University of California, Davis Watch Video (Login required) Full Abstract
Olfactory enrichment is an increasingly popular method for improving the welfare of zoo animals. It has been demonstrated to increase activity and encourage exploration in felids, ursids, and other taxa, but odorants could potentially also be used to facilitate social enrichment. We evaluated the effectiveness of scent marks in reducing aggression and increasing affiliative behavior between unfamiliar does using the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), a species where scent plays an important role in establishing and maintaining social relationships in the wild. Pairs of unfamiliar does in the marked treatment received three mL of male urine on a cotton pad to their foreheads three times (once per day, beginning two days before the trial). Unmarked pairs received the same handling, but no urine was added to the cotton pads. The does were then placed in a test apparatus for an hour, separated by a vertical PVC barrier that allowed some contact but prevented injurious aggression. Data were analyzed using a general linear model. Urine-marked pairs engaged in fewer aggressive behaviors (1.6 ± 2.8) than unmarked pairs (8.3 ± 12.8, p = 0.04). Male urine also significantly increased the frequency of affiliative behavior in marked pairs (35.9 ± 22.8) compared to unmarked pairs (20.3 ± 10.1, p = 0.02). In conclusion, scent marking was effective in facilitating the introduction of unfamiliar does. While this method may be particularly suited to species that engage in conspecific scent-marking, more work is needed to explore its effectiveness in a broader range of taxa. |
LEAF ME ALONE, I DON'T NEED ENRICHMENT: PROBLEMS AND
SOLUTIONS TO ENRICHING LANGURS! Mark Kingston Jones, Howletts Wild Animal Park Watch Video (Login required) Full Abstract
Enrichment for langurs is limited due to their sensitive digestive system and the wide variety of materials that could potentially do them harm. Additionally, enrichment attempts with langur species are often reported as unsuccessful or unnecessary due to their limited behavioural repertoire as folivores. Despite this, enrichment attempts with our large population of langurs and leaf monkeys at Howletts Wild Animal Park, in Kent, have provided positive results. Howletts houses the only captive population of grizzled leaf monkeys (Presbytis comata comata) outside of their native home of Indonesia. We currently hold four groups comprising two pairs and two families. In addition very little is known about this species in the wild, making them perfect test subjects for this study. To date 25hrs of baseline data has been collected, using 10min focal sampling (30sec intervals). During enrichment presentations initial responses will be assessed using 90min all-occurrence focal object sampling, followed by focal sampling to compare overall changes in activity budgets. Our enrichment goal is to increase behavioural diversity, employing all five categories of enrichment. More specifically our aims are to 1) increase foraging opportunities and lengthen feeding time; 2) increase enclosure use; 3) increase investigative behaviours. Two enrichment devices will be tested per aim and each device will be presented four times per group. This presentation will report on our preliminary findings and possible solutions to material limitations, in the hope of stimulating debate on enrichment provisions for these species. |