Soft and persistent—The influence of sand‐flooring and calves on the resting behavior of a zoo‐kept African elephant (Loxodonta africana) group

Abstract

Caring for all aspects of zoo elephants' well-being is considered a major challenge. Providing an appropriate flooring substrate to facilitate lying rest presents a meaningful part of a holistic management concept. Investigating the impact of a new sand flooring on the nocturnal resting behavior of a breeding group of seven African elephants living at one zoo revealed more total lying rest, longer bouts of lying rest and a reduced side preference in the adult females.With an average total daily lying rest of about 1.5-2.0 hrs, the investigated zoo elephants expressed longer lying rest compared to recently reported data from free-ranging individuals in Botswana. In addition, the presence of nursing calves in the observed elephant group seemed to impact the resting pattern of all group members, with around 60% of all lying bouts being discontinued after interruption by the youngsters. With respect to observed nursing during leaning rest, we encourage the installation of appropriate horizontal structures in breeding facilities to support leaning rest behavior of their female elephants. In doing so, zoos may improve rest quality of nursing females, and, in general, the welfare aspect of sleep for their elephants. K E Y W O R D S lying and leaning rest, sand flooring, zoo elephants ORCID Christian Schiffmann

The African Elephant (<i>Loxodonta africana</i>): Mini-Review of an Endangered Species

“…The references are in accordance with the ones suggested in the articles tools, except the references of 6 articles (Bastille-Rousseau et al (2019) [5], [6], [90], Petracca et al (2019) [2], Schiffmann et al (2019) [106] and Watson et al (2019) [110]), that are in accordance with the date of their first publication. Thus, the dates of the articles mentioned here are between July 2015 and December 2019.…”

“…The quality of the recumbent rest of these species is dependent on the quality of the flooring substrate [105]. An example is the fact that the nocturnal resting behaviour of elephants was improved when a breeding group of elephants was exposed to sand flooring, which may be an incentive for the installation of mounds of sand and horizontal structures in breeding facilities to improve resting behaviour [106]. Thus, observing the behaviour of elephants in zoos allows the managers to meet the needs of elephants, such as renovating the floors to promote the well-being of this mammal [107].…”

Social and environmental impacts on sleep in captive Asian elephants (Elephas maximus)

“…In recent studies of elephant welfare in captivity, the emphasis has turned to the measurement of rest and sleep behaviors (Kalirathinam, Elangkovan, Kawi, & Cabana, 2019; Schiffmann et al, 2018a; Schiffmann, Hård, Hjelm, & Clauss, 2020; Schiffmann, Knibbs, Clauss, Merrington, & Beasley, 2018b; Walsh, 2017; Williams, Bremner‐Harrison, Harvey, Evison, & Yon, 2015) as it could be a valuable noninvasive measure of potential stressors. Sleep is an important aspect of life, and deprivation can lead to acute and chronic health issues for animals (Bryant, Trinder, & Curtis, 2004; Hillman et al, 2018; Walsh, Binding, & Holmes, 2019) and indicate signs of psychological and physical stress (Abou‐Ismail, Burman, Nicol, & Mendl, 2007).…”

“…Age of individuals is also influential in duration of sleep, with younger elephants sleeping relatively longer than adults (Posta et al, 2013; Tobler, Franken, Trachsel, & Borbely, 1992; Walsh, 2017). Conversely, the presence of calves can interrupt and disturb sleeping patterns of adult elephants (Schiffmann et al, 2020; Walsh, 2017).…”

From left to right all through the night: Characteristics of lying rest in zoo elephants

“…in a single family group of African elephants only so far; in the adult females, the total lying duration per night and the lying bout length increased after the change in substrate (Schiffmann et al, 2020).…”