An Improvement in Enclosure Design Can Positively Impact Welfare, Reduce Aggressiveness and Stabilise Hierarchy in Captive Galapagos Giant Tortoises
The interest in the welfare of zoo animals, from both the public and the scientific community, has long been biased towards mammals. However, growing evidence of the complex behavioural repertoires of less charismatic animals, such as reptiles, reveals the necessity to better comply with their welfa...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-09-01
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| Series: | Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5636/3/4/37 |
| _version_ | 1797456772288479232 |
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| author | Léa Fieschi-Méric Charlotte Ellis Francesca Servini Benjamin Tapley Christopher J. Michaels |
| author_facet | Léa Fieschi-Méric Charlotte Ellis Francesca Servini Benjamin Tapley Christopher J. Michaels |
| author_sort | Léa Fieschi-Méric |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The interest in the welfare of zoo animals, from both the public and the scientific community, has long been biased towards mammals. However, growing evidence of the complex behavioural repertoires of less charismatic animals, such as reptiles, reveals the necessity to better comply with their welfare needs in captivity. Here, we present the effects of an enclosure change towards a more natural habitat in captive Galapagos tortoises (<i>Chelonoidis</i> spp.) held at ZSL London Zoo. Using behavioural observations, we found that the tortoises habituated to their new enclosure in six days. This represents the first quantification of habituation latency to a new enclosure in a reptile model to our knowledge—which is important information to adapt policies governing animal moves. The tortoises expressed time budgets more similar to those of wild individuals after their transition to the new enclosure. Interestingly, the hierarchy between the individuals was inverted and more stable after this change in environment. The tortoises interacted less often, which led to a decrease in the frequency of agonistic encounters. We also found that higher ambient sound volume was associated with increased likelihood of interactions turning into fights. Taken together, our results demonstrate the potential of appropriate enclosure design to improve reptile welfare. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T16:12:39Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1f45441bd6bb4feabc6c6f58159ddab7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2673-5636 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T16:12:39Z |
| publishDate | 2022-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens |
| spelling | doaj.art-1f45441bd6bb4feabc6c6f58159ddab72023-11-24T16:04:41ZengMDPI AGJournal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens2673-56362022-09-013449951210.3390/jzbg3040037An Improvement in Enclosure Design Can Positively Impact Welfare, Reduce Aggressiveness and Stabilise Hierarchy in Captive Galapagos Giant TortoisesLéa Fieschi-Méric0Charlotte Ellis1Francesca Servini2Benjamin Tapley3Christopher J. Michaels4Zoological Society of London, London NW1 4RY, UKZoological Society of London, London NW1 4RY, UKZoological Society of London, London NW1 4RY, UKZoological Society of London, London NW1 4RY, UKZoological Society of London, London NW1 4RY, UKThe interest in the welfare of zoo animals, from both the public and the scientific community, has long been biased towards mammals. However, growing evidence of the complex behavioural repertoires of less charismatic animals, such as reptiles, reveals the necessity to better comply with their welfare needs in captivity. Here, we present the effects of an enclosure change towards a more natural habitat in captive Galapagos tortoises (<i>Chelonoidis</i> spp.) held at ZSL London Zoo. Using behavioural observations, we found that the tortoises habituated to their new enclosure in six days. This represents the first quantification of habituation latency to a new enclosure in a reptile model to our knowledge—which is important information to adapt policies governing animal moves. The tortoises expressed time budgets more similar to those of wild individuals after their transition to the new enclosure. Interestingly, the hierarchy between the individuals was inverted and more stable after this change in environment. The tortoises interacted less often, which led to a decrease in the frequency of agonistic encounters. We also found that higher ambient sound volume was associated with increased likelihood of interactions turning into fights. Taken together, our results demonstrate the potential of appropriate enclosure design to improve reptile welfare.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5636/3/4/37agonistic interactionsanimal welfareenclosure changeGalapagos tortoiseshabituationzoo-based management |
| spellingShingle | Léa Fieschi-Méric Charlotte Ellis Francesca Servini Benjamin Tapley Christopher J. Michaels An Improvement in Enclosure Design Can Positively Impact Welfare, Reduce Aggressiveness and Stabilise Hierarchy in Captive Galapagos Giant Tortoises Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens agonistic interactions animal welfare enclosure change Galapagos tortoises habituation zoo-based management |
| title | An Improvement in Enclosure Design Can Positively Impact Welfare, Reduce Aggressiveness and Stabilise Hierarchy in Captive Galapagos Giant Tortoises |
| title_full | An Improvement in Enclosure Design Can Positively Impact Welfare, Reduce Aggressiveness and Stabilise Hierarchy in Captive Galapagos Giant Tortoises |
| title_fullStr | An Improvement in Enclosure Design Can Positively Impact Welfare, Reduce Aggressiveness and Stabilise Hierarchy in Captive Galapagos Giant Tortoises |
| title_full_unstemmed | An Improvement in Enclosure Design Can Positively Impact Welfare, Reduce Aggressiveness and Stabilise Hierarchy in Captive Galapagos Giant Tortoises |
| title_short | An Improvement in Enclosure Design Can Positively Impact Welfare, Reduce Aggressiveness and Stabilise Hierarchy in Captive Galapagos Giant Tortoises |
| title_sort | improvement in enclosure design can positively impact welfare reduce aggressiveness and stabilise hierarchy in captive galapagos giant tortoises |
| topic | agonistic interactions animal welfare enclosure change Galapagos tortoises habituation zoo-based management |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5636/3/4/37 |
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