Behavioural Study of Captive Sloth Bears Using Environmental Enrichment Tools

Abstract

Effects of environmental enrichment on behavioural changes were studied in five captive sloth bears kept in confined enclosure at Zoological Park, Chennai, India. Behavioural categories like active, passive, and abnormal behaviours were taken for the study. The activity budget was recorded as a single animal scan. The detailed baseline data of 150 hours, over a period of 30 days, were collected. At baseline, bears exhibited passive and more abnormal behaviours. Similarly, after application of the environmental tools like honey-log, underground food pipes, and wobbling box in the enclosure, the data were collected for 150 hours (30 days). Increased active behaviours and decreased abnormal behaviours were observed and showed highly significant changes in the abnormal behaviour as a whole when compared to the baseline level. During the postenrichment period, the data that were collected for 150 hours (30 days) showed no significant differences statistically between the behavioural categories. But certain level of difference was evident from the percentage of abnormal behaviours exhibited by individual bears. Among the enrichment devices, honey-log was the most preferred enrichment tool as revealed by the percentage of time spent by individual animal. The results show that application of enrichment tool continuously may bring long term effect in stereotypic behaviour.

Behavioural Profiles of Brown and Sloth Bears in Captivity

“…Behaviours like affiliation or aggression were rarely observed; this could be due to the fact that all the brown bears are female, thus having lower aggression displays [ 33 ]. As for affiliation, bears tend to be solitary animals, so low affiliation observations are expected [ 33 , 37 , 38 ]. A Montaudouin and Le Pape study [ 37 ] has shown that a large number of bears show stereotypic behaviour due to the small or unnatural enclosures or the absence of landmarks such as pools or ponds.…”

“…Moreover, felids have more expressive behaviours: they use different body stances and vocalisations, as well as facial, ear, or tail movements, and positions to show their behaviour and feelings, such as vigilance, anger, fear, submission, and affiliation, at the time [ 54 , 55 ]. On the contrary, bears are not so expressive, and females have less affiliative behaviour since they are solitary species [ 33 , 37 , 38 ]. None of the animals in this study exhibited very low frequencies of affiliative, aggressive, and vocal behaviour ( Table 5 ).…”

“…Among others, these include: pacing, head rolling, over grooming, and self-directed behaviours, all of which are considered to be caused by the stress of the artificial settings of the environment [ 34 ]. Bear species have been found to be exceptionally prone to stereotypical behaviours [ 36 , 37 , 38 ], with sloth bears in particular being very susceptible to pacing [ 37 ]. Simple observational studies can be used to create activity time budgets to ascertain if wild and captive behaviours are similar and to observe any possible stereotypical behaviour that may affect the welfare of the animal [ 39 ].…”

A multipronged approach for the detection of leptospirosis in captive sloth bears (<i>Melursus ursinus</i>) in Agra and Bannerghatta sloth bear rescue centers in India

“…Sloth bear population in India has declined alarmingly due to habitat loss, poaching, the use of bear gall bladder in traditional medicine [33] and predation by tigers [6]. Infectious diseases such as leptospirosis and tuberculosis have also contributed to the decline of sloth bear population [38,39]. However, reporting of leptospirosis in sloth bears has been rare due to unavailability of penside diagnostics.…”

“…However, reporting of leptospirosis in sloth bears has been rare due to unavailability of penside diagnostics. In India, the only instance where leptospirosis was previously reported in sloth bear was in Nehru Zoological Park, Hyderabad [38].…”