Impacts of Socialization on Bull Asian Elephant (<i>Elephas maximus</i>) Stereotypical Behavior
There is a growing need for animal care institutions to house multiple bull elephants as the population increases due to transfers from private ownership and the births of male offspring in managed care. Elephants in North American, European, and Latin American zoos exhibit stereotypies—repetitive,...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-03-01
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| Series: | Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5636/3/1/10 |
| _version_ | 1797446198688219136 |
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| author | Taylor S. Readyhough Sharon Joseph Maura Davis Anneke Moresco Amy L. Schreier |
| author_facet | Taylor S. Readyhough Sharon Joseph Maura Davis Anneke Moresco Amy L. Schreier |
| author_sort | Taylor S. Readyhough |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | There is a growing need for animal care institutions to house multiple bull elephants as the population increases due to transfers from private ownership and the births of male offspring in managed care. Elephants in North American, European, and Latin American zoos exhibit stereotypies—repetitive, fixed behaviors. Previous research demonstrated that housing Asian elephants alone increased stereotypic behavior. Therefore, for animals in managed care, social restriction can contribute to stereotypy and, by extension, reduce welfare. In this study, we examine how being alone affects stereotypic behavior by monitoring pacing and head-bobbing in individual bull Asian elephants at Denver Zoo when housed alone as well as with other bulls. Two young males arrived at Denver Zoo in September 2018 and joined an existing all-male group of three elephants that were previously socialized and housed together. From July 2018 to December 2019, we used instantaneous scan sampling to collect data on stereotypic behavior of focal bulls when they were housed alone and socially. The frequency of pacing and head-bobbing significantly decreased when the elephants were housed socially compared to when they were housed alone; these stereotypies were lower when elephants were housed with at least one other bull and were in close proximity to a conspecific. Additionally, pacing decreased as the proportion of affiliative behaviors increased, and the amount of agonistic behavior did not significantly affect stereotypic behavior. When housed alone, bulls in musth engaged in significantly more pacing behavior than when they were out of musth. Our results indicate that housing bull Asian elephants in all-male groups substantially improves their welfare by reducing stereotypies and provides a basis for future evidence-based management. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T13:37:54Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2d02ab29bfd14cefb757c876f5704cc0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2673-5636 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T13:37:54Z |
| publishDate | 2022-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens |
| spelling | doaj.art-2d02ab29bfd14cefb757c876f5704cc02023-11-30T21:10:04ZengMDPI AGJournal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens2673-56362022-03-013111313010.3390/jzbg3010010Impacts of Socialization on Bull Asian Elephant (<i>Elephas maximus</i>) Stereotypical BehaviorTaylor S. Readyhough0Sharon Joseph1Maura Davis2Anneke Moresco3Amy L. Schreier4Department of Biology, Regis University, Denver, CO 80221, USADepartment of Animal Wellness and Research, Denver Zoo, Denver, CO 80205, USADepartment of Animal Care, Denver Zoo, Denver, CO 80205, USADepartment of Animal Wellness and Research, Denver Zoo, Denver, CO 80205, USADepartment of Biology, Regis University, Denver, CO 80221, USAThere is a growing need for animal care institutions to house multiple bull elephants as the population increases due to transfers from private ownership and the births of male offspring in managed care. Elephants in North American, European, and Latin American zoos exhibit stereotypies—repetitive, fixed behaviors. Previous research demonstrated that housing Asian elephants alone increased stereotypic behavior. Therefore, for animals in managed care, social restriction can contribute to stereotypy and, by extension, reduce welfare. In this study, we examine how being alone affects stereotypic behavior by monitoring pacing and head-bobbing in individual bull Asian elephants at Denver Zoo when housed alone as well as with other bulls. Two young males arrived at Denver Zoo in September 2018 and joined an existing all-male group of three elephants that were previously socialized and housed together. From July 2018 to December 2019, we used instantaneous scan sampling to collect data on stereotypic behavior of focal bulls when they were housed alone and socially. The frequency of pacing and head-bobbing significantly decreased when the elephants were housed socially compared to when they were housed alone; these stereotypies were lower when elephants were housed with at least one other bull and were in close proximity to a conspecific. Additionally, pacing decreased as the proportion of affiliative behaviors increased, and the amount of agonistic behavior did not significantly affect stereotypic behavior. When housed alone, bulls in musth engaged in significantly more pacing behavior than when they were out of musth. Our results indicate that housing bull Asian elephants in all-male groups substantially improves their welfare by reducing stereotypies and provides a basis for future evidence-based management.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5636/3/1/10animal welfarestereotypybachelor herdmusth |
| spellingShingle | Taylor S. Readyhough Sharon Joseph Maura Davis Anneke Moresco Amy L. Schreier Impacts of Socialization on Bull Asian Elephant (<i>Elephas maximus</i>) Stereotypical Behavior Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens animal welfare stereotypy bachelor herd musth |
| title | Impacts of Socialization on Bull Asian Elephant (<i>Elephas maximus</i>) Stereotypical Behavior |
| title_full | Impacts of Socialization on Bull Asian Elephant (<i>Elephas maximus</i>) Stereotypical Behavior |
| title_fullStr | Impacts of Socialization on Bull Asian Elephant (<i>Elephas maximus</i>) Stereotypical Behavior |
| title_full_unstemmed | Impacts of Socialization on Bull Asian Elephant (<i>Elephas maximus</i>) Stereotypical Behavior |
| title_short | Impacts of Socialization on Bull Asian Elephant (<i>Elephas maximus</i>) Stereotypical Behavior |
| title_sort | impacts of socialization on bull asian elephant i elephas maximus i stereotypical behavior |
| topic | animal welfare stereotypy bachelor herd musth |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5636/3/1/10 |
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