Noninvasive assessment of adrenal activity associated with husbandry and behavioral factors in the North American clouded leopard population

Abstract

The North American clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) population is far from self-sustaining. Breeding success is poor and behavioral problems (i.e., fur-plucking, tail-chewing, excessive hiding or pacing, and intersexual aggression that results in mate killing) are common. This study was undertaken to investigate whether some of these problems may be indicators of chronic stress (as reflected by persistently elevated glucocorticoid levels) and whether they are associated with specific management factors. A fecal corticoid metabolite assay was validated to monitor adrenal activity in clouded leopards. Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) challenges conducted in four clouded leopards established the biological relevance of the assay system. Fecal corticoid concentrations increased 14-fold above baseline within 24 hours after ACTH administration. Adrenal activity then was monitored in 72 (36 males; 36 females) clouded leopards (65% of the North American Species Survival Plan population) during a 6-week period and compared to husbandry and behavior data. There was a significant (P < 0.01) gender difference in fecal corticoid concentrations, with females producing higher concentrations than males. Multiple regression analyses revealed negative associations (P < 0.01) between enclosure height, number of hours keepers spent with each animal per week, and corticoid concentrations. A positive correlation (P < 0.001) was found between the number of keepers caring for an individual and corticoid concentrations. Higher fecal corticoid concentrations (P ≤ 0.05) were measured in clouded leopards kept on public display or near potential predators compared to individuals maintained off exhibit or in the absence of predators. Individuals that performed self-injuring *Correspondence to: Dr. Nadja Wielebnowski, Chicago Zoological Society, Brookfield Zoo, Brookfield, IL 60513. E-mail: nawieleb@brookfieldzoo.org behaviors also had elevated fecal corticoids (P < 0.01). Spearman-rank correlation analysis of keeper ratings and hormone data revealed positive associations (P ≤ 0.05) between some behaviors (pace, sleep, hide, and fearful/tense) and fecal corticoid concentrations. Overall these results indicate that noninvasive fecal corticoid monitoring has enormous potential for investigating how management and behavioral problems are related to animal well-being. If conducted under carefully controlled experimental paradigms, this technique could allow researchers and managers to identify problem areas of captive management for clouded leopards (e.g., enclosure height, keeper time) and evaluate the efficacy of strategies designed to promote animal welfare and increased reproductive success. Zoo Biol 21: 77-98, 2002.

Adrenal activity and anxiety-like behavior in fur-chewing chinchillas (Chinchilla lanigera)

“…Moreover, we previously demonstrated a female sex bias whereby 58.7% of fur-chewers were females (Ponzio et al, 2007). A similar sex-biased expression of other forms of ARBs has been reported in several species, including trichotillomania in humans (a compulsive urge to pull out the hair) (Christenson, 1995), barbering in mice (Garner et al, 2004), self-injuring in clouded leopards (Wielebnowski et al, 2002), and psychogenic alopecia in cats (Mon-Fanelli et al, 1999) and rhesus macaques (Steinmetz et al, 2006).…”

“…Moreover, we previously demonstrated a female sex bias whereby 58.7% of fur-chewers were females (Ponzio et al, 2007). A similar sex-biased expression of other forms of ARBs has been reported in several species, including trichotillomania in humans (a compulsive urge to pull out the hair) (Christenson, 1995), barbering in mice (Garner et al, 2004), self-injuring in clouded leopards (Wielebnowski et al, 2002), and psychogenic alopecia in cats (Mon-Fanelli et al, 1999) and rhesus macaques (Steinmetz et al, 2006).Several reports that studied similar forms of ARB's pointed out that life events related to the female hormonal cycle may trigger or exacerbate the obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and trichotillomania in women Author's personal copy patients, suggesting that ovarian hormones play a modulatory role in the course of those disorders (see reviews Albelda and Joel, 2012, in press). Indeed premenstrual, pregnancy and post-partum periods were associated with an increased risk of onset and exacerbation of OCD (Abramowitz et al, 2003;Labad et al, 2005;Vulink et al, 2006) and trichotillomania (Chamberlain et al, 2009;Duke et al, 2010).…”

How should the psychological well‐being of zoo elephants be objectively investigated?

“…Work on zoo animals, including elephants, lags far behind. However, there has been good work on some species [e.g., clouded leopards and black rhinos; see Carlstead et al, 1999;Wielebnowski et al, 2002]. Furthermore, several potential welfare indices have been well-validated for elephants, in the sense that reliable measurement techniques have been worked out, the indices have been shown to change in situations generally agreed a priori to cause stress or other forms of reduced well-being, confounds are fairly well-understood, and sometimes they have also been shown to co-vary with other potential welfare indices.…”

Clouded in mystery: the global trade in clouded leopards

“…Clouded leopards are also very sensitive to changes in their environment with exposure to novel objects, loud noises and new people documented as stressors (DeCaluwe et al 2013). These generally anxious animals display a diversity of stress behavior in captivity including hair plucking, tail chewing, pacing and excessive hiding (Wielebnowski et al 2002).…”