A preliminary study of the effects of enrichment on stereotypic and non-stereotypic stabled horses

Abstract

Our preliminary study investigated: 1) differences of general behaviors between stereotypic (male, n=2, ST) and non-stereotypic (male, n=2, NST) stabled horses 2) the different reactions to enrichment items (hay nets, bedding straw and yoga ball) between ST and NST horses. The frequency of general behaviors, stereotypic behaviors and the reactions to enrichment items were recorded. The results showed that there was a significantly different frequency of ingestion, locomotion, standing alert, investigation and social interactions between ST and NST horses during 24 hours of observation (P<0.05). The ST horses performed weaving and wind sucking. There were significant differences in reactions, such as sniffing, watching and rolling when using enrichment items (P<0.05). The frequency of sniffing was the highest when bedding straw was used. The horses displayed watching behaviors when using yoga ball (P <0.05) and rolling (P <0.05) when using bedding straw. The frequency of sniffing straw bedding in NST horses was greater than that of ST horses (P=0.006). The NST horses preferred watching the ball (P<0.001). Only ST horses performed rolling when provided with straw bedding. In conclusion, the differences in general behaviors between ST and NST horses were established. Different reactions to enrichment items also occurred between ST and NST horses. A more extensive study with a larger sample size and a continuous recording of behavior for a longer period is recommended.

A preliminary study of the effects of enrichment tools on stereotypic behavior in captive Sun Bear (Helarctos malayanus)

“…During the observation, the female sun bear did not often get chance to use BC when the male sun bear using, therefore, BC might be needed to add one more, in order to let every sun bear has equal change to use it. Huo et al (2021) found that the different reactions to enrichment items occurred between stereotypic and non-stereotypic horses. Unfortunately, this study focused on a single bear, we did not compare the time budget between stereotypic and non-stereotypic sun bear, the future study should be needed.…”

“…It might because feeding enrichment related feeding or foraging motivation (Vickery and Mason, 2004). Moreover, the nonedible items are not useful for enrichment purposes when horses are appropriately reared (reviewed by Huo et al, 2021). During the observation, the female sun bear did not often get chance to use BC when the male sun bear using, therefore, BC might be needed to add one more, in order to let every sun bear has equal change to use it.…”

“…Stereotypic behaviors are the most common behavioral abnormalities in captive bears all over the world (Shih et al, 2016). The 48%-100% of Ursidae family was found to exhibit stereotypic behaviors (Mason et al, 2007), which is a repeated, relatively invariant sequence of movements with no obvious function (reviewed by Huo et al, 2021). The stereotypic behaviors are thought to be a consequence of suboptimal environmental or housing conditions in captivity, including pacing, begging and hand sucking (reviewed by Izzat-Husna et al, 2021).…”

A preliminary study of the effects of enrichment on the activity and spatial distribution of captive monitor lizards in Nakhon Ratchasima Zoo, Thailand

“…Huo et al (2023) claimed that the captive sun bear would be more interested in an edible enrichment tool compared with using other types, which could reduce the frequency of pacing. Both stabled non-stereotypic horses individually and in groups performed significantly more item-directed behaviors towards edible items (Huo et al, 2021). The enrichment items (cone and takraw: a rattan ball) used for the monitor lizards, which were made of plastic, easily to find and low cost.…”

“…The welfare of captive reptiles has been the object of various studies (Hayes et al,1998;Warwick et al, 2013;Bashaw et al, 2016;Pasmans et al, 2017;Hoehfurtner et al, 2021;Nagabaskaran et al, 2021), but a large part of their biological, physiological and behavioral characteristics is still not known (Scarpellini, 2018), not to mention the welfare of the reptile's requirements in captivity which are not always met, due in part to an apparent lack of awareness of their needs (Lambert et al, 2019). Enrichment has been documented to improve the welfare of mammals (Huo et al, 2021;Huo et al, 2023), birds, turtles and tortoises, but other taxa have not been well-studied (Swaisgood and Shepherdson, 2005;Burghardt, 2013, as cited in Bashaw et al, 2016. Giving captive animals the opportunity to interact with objects in a "playful" manner is often considered a method of environmental enrichment.…”