Zoo Biology最新文献

{"title":"You \"R/R\" What You Eat: Effects of High-Fiber, Low-Starch Diet Change on Regurgitation and Reingestion and Coprophagy in Zoo-Housed Gorillas.","authors":"Lisa P Barrett, Jennifer D'Agostino, Heather Guillory, Kimberly Leser, Laura Bottaro, Rebecca J Snyder","doi":"10.1002/zoo.21885","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/zoo.21885","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Regurgitation and reingestion (R/R) and coprophagy are common behaviors exhibited by primates living in human care. To reduce this undesirable behavior in two troops of western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla), the diet was modified by increasing fiber (by increasing browse) and decreasing starch (by reducing but not eliminating biscuits). We monitored behavior before, 3 weeks after, and 1 year after the diet change. One year after the diet change, the family group's diet was modified by adding more fruit to facilitate training. We documented significantly increased feeding activity for both troops, with time spent feeding doubling for one troop. Some individuals initially increased R/R or coprophagy behaviors but these increases were not significant, and 1 year after the diet change R/R was significantly reduced in the silverback male who had been known to exhibit R/R up to multiple times per day. In the family troop, coprophagy later decreased when animals were reunited and spent more time outdoors (for reasons unrelated to the diet change study), but this was not significant. This is the first published study to assess the behavioral effects of a high-fiber, low-starch diet on gorillas one full year after the diet change was made, and we demonstrated that the diet continued to positively impact some individuals' behavior. We discuss implications of our findings and suggest future directions for institutions that seek to reduce these behaviors in primates without necessarily completely eliminating biscuits from their diets.</p>","PeriodicalId":24035,"journal":{"name":"Zoo Biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-12-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142855810","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Provision of Browse and Its Impacts on the Health and Welfare of Animals at the Zoo: A Review.","authors":"Margaret Ramont, Nicole Principe, Rachel Prostko, Jennifer Watts, Sathya K Chinnadurai, Lance J Miller","doi":"10.1002/zoo.21883","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/zoo.21883","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Browsers are animals that consume significant proportions of leaves, twigs, and bark from woody plants. These species have evolved morphological, physiological, and behavioral adaptations to subsist on a specialized diet. In zoos and other managed care facilities, the provision of browse in appropriate amounts helps promote positive animal welfare. Feeding on browse fulfills behavioral needs and reduces stereotypies, promotes satiety, and provides opportunities for dietary choice and control. However, there are several obstacles that can prevent institutions from providing browse, including physical and chemical hazards, palatability issues, and the difficulty in quantifying the nutritional value of browse. In addition, providing large enough quantities of browse can be challenging, and fresh browse may be especially difficult to provide for zoos in temperate climates. We describe the methods currently utilized to preserve browse and discuss their strengths and weaknesses. We recommend areas of future research for browse provision in zoos.</p>","PeriodicalId":24035,"journal":{"name":"Zoo Biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-12-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142847836","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Genetic Characterization of Captive South American Fur Seals in Japan Based on Mitochondrial and Microsatellite DNA Analyses.","authors":"Shogo Omori, Kensuke Noma, Yosuke Fujimoto, Rieko Toriyama, Kanako Tomisawa, Ryo Tadano","doi":"10.1002/zoo.21880","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/zoo.21880","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Molecular genetic analyses are effective in revealing the origin, kinship, and genetic diversity of zoo animals. In this study, we carried out the genetic characterization of captive founder individuals of the South American fur seal (Arctocephalus australis) in Japanese zoos and aquariums based on analyses of mitochondrial sequences and nuclear microsatellite loci. In mitochondrial DNA analysis, the haplotype diversity and nucleotide diversity of the overall population were 0.8949 and 0.0119, respectively. Microsatellite DNA analysis revealed that the observed heterozygosity within the overall population was 0.722. In addition, we did not detect genetic bottlenecks. The results from two kinds of DNA analyses indicated that the genetic diversity in this captive population was equivalent to that previously reported in wild populations. The detected mitochondrial haplotypes were the same as or phylogenetically close to those previously reported in wild populations in southern Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, and southern Chile but diverged from those previously reported in a wild population in Peru. Genetic clustering analyses using microsatellite genotypes revealed that no clear genetic structures in this captive population.</p>","PeriodicalId":24035,"journal":{"name":"Zoo Biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-12-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142839812","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Variation in Diet and Leafy Browse Offerings Among Colobus Monkeys (Colobus spp.) and Langurs (Trachypithecus spp.) in AZA Facilities.","authors":"Maura R Plocek, Noah T Dunham","doi":"10.1002/zoo.21879","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/zoo.21879","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Providing nutritionally balanced diets is a key aspect of successful husbandry and can help support sustainable ex situ populations. This study focuses on the diets of zoo-housed colobus monkeys (Colobus angolensis and C. guereza) and langurs (Trachypithecus cristatus and T. francoisi) across AZA institutions. We utilized survey responses from 34 institutions to (1) document the extent of dietary variation with regard to food categories and macronutrients offered, (2) assess interspecific variation in diets offered, and (3) identify important aspects of browse provisioning among institutions. A total of 95 different food items and 229 common-name browse types were offered across institutions. Leafy greens was the only food category offered at every institution. The proportion of root and non-root vegetables in the diet was highly variable. Nonstructural carbohydrates were the most variable macronutrient, and their concentrations were considerably higher than those food items consumed by free-ranging colobines. Conversely, neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber contents were more consistent across institutions but were notably lower than those of free-ranging colobine food items. There were no significant interspecific differences in diets with regard to food categories or macronutrients offered. There was substantial variation in how frequently browse was offered, how it was regarded across zoos (either as diet, enrichment, or both), and whether or how it was quantified. This study provides context for future studies examining whether and how diet and macronutrient intake impact the behavior, health, and welfare of these populations.</p>","PeriodicalId":24035,"journal":{"name":"Zoo Biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-11-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142732350","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An Analysis of Welfare Standards Within Tiger (Panthera tigris) Facilities in Thailand.","authors":"Tanya S Erzinçlioğlu, Georgina Groves, Samantha Ward","doi":"10.1002/zoo.21866","DOIUrl":"10.1002/zoo.21866","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In Thailand, tigers are more numerous in captivity than they are in the wild, with 51 facilities housing approximately 1962 tigers. As charismatic fauna, tigers are popular with tourists, and the majority of facilities offer a variety of entertainment activities with controversial reports towards the animals' welfare. The aim of this research was to investigate tiger welfare in Thai zoos to identify specific welfare issues. We assessed 34 tourism facilities holding tigers in Thailand in 2019 using a 25-point welfare assessment that utilizes the Five Domain model (incorporating all five domains: nutrition, physical environment, health, behavioural interactions and mental state). The mental domain score was derived from the scores of the other four domains. Additional data were collected from each facility, including the number of tigers, any colour variants, types of human interaction and admission cost. Welfare scores for each domain were calculated by totalling the scores per domain and dividing by the number of points allocated to that domain. A multiple regression was used to identify any significant predictors of mental domain score. The results revealed that the provision of a suitable physical environment scored the lowest, while nutrition scored the highest though this was still a low score overall. The multiple regression showed that 45.4% of the variance for the mental domain score was significantly affected by the number of colour variants housed and the types of human interaction available with facilities, with more of both these factors contributing to a more negative score. Our results demonstrate the need for urgent, comprehensive infrastructural, species-appropriate environment and design and animal management improvements to increase animal welfare. Informed institutional change toward the breeding and use of tigers for public interactions is also required. This is the first assessment completed of captive tiger welfare of tiger facilities in Thailand and shows that the welfare concerns encountered are within a high proportion (67%) of Thailand's facilities. This supports the need for the creation and enforcement of effective and clear captive wildlife operational standards to provide a sustained solution for captive tiger welfare and can provide a considered approach to ex-situ tiger management that, in conjunction with in-situ efforts, can improve much needed conservation efforts of this species.</p>","PeriodicalId":24035,"journal":{"name":"Zoo Biology","volume":" ","pages":"545-555"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11624624/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142296986","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Suspected Case of Persistent Thiamin Deficiency in a Hand-Reared Caribou Calf.","authors":"Kristin Denryter, Kimberlee B Beckmen","doi":"10.1002/zoo.21864","DOIUrl":"10.1002/zoo.21864","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Hand-reared animals are invaluable and irreplaceable in studies of wildlife nutrition. Hand-rearing protocols provide insights into dietary and training programs, but less information is available on disease management. In young ruminants, thiamin (Vitamin B1) deficiency is a particularly important disease that is treatable early in the disease process, but otherwise can be fatal. In this husbandry report, we describe a case of suspected thiamin deficiency in a hand-reared calf (Rangifer tarandus granti) that resulted in clinical signs of polioencephalomalacia and persisted for > 3 months. We attempted treatment with thiamin injections; injections resolved clinical signs of disease, but clinical signs of disease returned once injections stopped. After > 2 months of thiamin injections, the caribou calf received a rumen transfaunation from a fistulated moose (Alces alces) housed at the same facility. Following rumen transfaunation, we did not observe signs of thiamin deficiency. The calf outgrew other females in the cohort initially and shows no long-term effects of thiamin deficiency or polioencephalomalacia. We recommend rumen transfaunation when thiamin deficiency is suspected and does not resolve with thiamin injections alone. We also recommend heterospecific donors if conspecific donors are not available.</p>","PeriodicalId":24035,"journal":{"name":"Zoo Biology","volume":" ","pages":"580-584"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11624623/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142355460","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Starting From Scratch: Husbandry Techniques to Establish the First Population of 'Akikiki (Oreomystis bairdi) in Human Care Using Wild-Collected Eggs.","authors":"Alison M Flanagan, Bryce Masuda, Jennifer Pribble, Kona Dancil, Tatum Kauka, Carina Tanaka, Hannah Bailey, Ronald R Swaisgood","doi":"10.1002/zoo.21862","DOIUrl":"10.1002/zoo.21862","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Conservation breeding programs can save species from extinction by establishing assurance populations that provide individuals for achieving species recovery goals in the wild. However, keeping animals in human care can result in the selection of phenotypes that may be suboptimal for post-release survival and reproduction. It is therefore essential that conservation breeding programs provide animals with naturalistic conditions that facilitate the performance of species-typical behaviors, an endeavor that is also a vital aspect of animal welfare. Here, we describe how we established a conservation breeding program for the 'Akikiki (Oreomystis bairdi), a Hawaiian honeycreeper that is facing imminent extinction in the wild. We share how we utilized the species' native habitat as a template for developing husbandry practices with a primary focus on how we simulate wild environmental conditions in enclosures, mimic naturalistic foraging experiences, and facilitate pair bonding and parental breeding behaviors.</p>","PeriodicalId":24035,"journal":{"name":"Zoo Biology","volume":" ","pages":"585-589"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11624620/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142296987","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of Random Feeding Schedule on Pacing in Asiatic Lions (Panthera leo persicus).","authors":"Leonie Fitskie, Jeroen Kappelhof, Filipe Cunha","doi":"10.1002/zoo.21857","DOIUrl":"10.1002/zoo.21857","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>For large felids in the wild, intervals between feeding events are irregular since these depend on prey availability and individual hunting success. In contrast, many zoos feed their large felids on fixed schedules. Predictable feeding schedules could induce food anticipatory behavior, like pacing, and randomizing feeding schedules may reduce this anticipatory behavior. Furthermore, random feeding schedules create more variability in the animals environment, which may reduce frustration or boredom. This case study aimed to investigate the effects of a random feeding schedule on pacing behavior of captive Asiatic lions (Panthera leo persica) in the Rotterdam Zoo, The Netherlands. Study animals were observed directly under two treatments: \"fixed feeding\" (i.e., two fixed feeding days per week) and \"random feeding\" (i.e., two semi-randomly picked feeding days per week). Under the random feeding schedule, the mean pacing proportion of lions significantly decreased compared to the fixed feeding schedule. These findings suggest that a random feeding schedule could reduce pacing, either of anticipatory or stereotypic nature, in Asiatic lions. Random feeding schedules do pose a few logistic challenges, such as zookeeper schedules and transport or storage of feed. Nevertheless, random feeding could be a relatively inexpensive strategy to reduce pacing.</p>","PeriodicalId":24035,"journal":{"name":"Zoo Biology","volume":" ","pages":"590-594"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11624625/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142355459","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sonification of Genomic Data to Represent Genetic Load in Zoo Populations.","authors":"Edward J Martin, Samuel A Speak, Lara Urban, Hernán E Morales, Cock van Oosterhout","doi":"10.1002/zoo.21859","DOIUrl":"10.1002/zoo.21859","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Maintaining a diverse gene pool is important in the captive management of zoo populations, especially in endangered species such as the pink pigeon (Nesoenas mayeri). However, due to the limited number of breeding individuals and relaxed natural selection, the loss of variation and accumulation of harmful variants is inevitable. Inbreeding results in a loss of fitness (i.e., inbreeding depression), principally because related parents are more likely to transmit a copy of the same recessive deleterious genetic variant to their offspring. Genomics-informed captive breeding can manage harmful variants by artificial selection, reducing the genetic load by avoiding the inheritance of two copies of the same harmful variant. To explain this concept in an interactive way to zoo visitors, we developed a sonification game to represent the fitness impacts of harmful variants by detuning notes in a familiar musical melody (i.e., Beethoven's Für Elise). Conceptually, zoo visitors play a game aiming to create the most optimal pink pigeon offspring in terms of inbreeding depression. They select virtual crosses between pink pigeon individuals and listen for the detuning of the melody, which represents the realised load of the resultant offspring. Here we present the sonification algorithm and the results of an online survey to see whether participants could identify the most and least optimal offspring from three potential pink pigeon offspring. Of our 98 respondents, 85 (86.7%) correctly identified the least optimal offspring, 73 (74.5%) correctly identified the most optimal, and 62 (63.3%) identified both the most and least optimal offspring using only the sonification.</p>","PeriodicalId":24035,"journal":{"name":"Zoo Biology","volume":" ","pages":"513-519"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11624621/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142126857","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Larger Than Life? Body Mass Records of Zoo-Managed Giant Anteaters (Myrmecophaga tridactyla).","authors":"Elisa Garand, Christiane Krauss, Dennis W H Müller, Leyla R Davis, Daryl Codron, Marcus Clauss, Flávia Miranda","doi":"10.1002/zoo.21865","DOIUrl":"10.1002/zoo.21865","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>It has been suggested repeatedly that zoo-kept giant anteaters (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) have higher body masses than their free-ranging conspecifics. Here, we assess this hypothesis by comparing body mass data of 184 female and 173 male individuals kept in zoos to published and unpublished data of free-ranging animals (n = 215). In zoos, the average adult body mass of all individuals was 45.9 ± 9.6 kg (range 19.2-72.6 kg), whereas body mass for free-ranging specimens was 33.0 ± 2.3 kg (21-45.5 kg). Among those zoo animals in which a sufficient number of subsequent intra-annual measures had been taken, we assessed visually whether regular, annual fluctuations in body mass were evident. We observed regular, likely seasonal, cycles in body mass, which (i) may be plausibly attributed to ambient temperature changes that affect the body temperature of anteaters, and (ii) would likely not have occurred if the animals were affected by obesity. Additionally, we explain our hypothesis that in the case of giant anteaters, the discrepancy in body mass between natural habitats and zoos most likely is not indicative of a generally obese population in zoos, as is typically concluded in the case of similar comparisons in primates, but represents an unleashing of the full growth potential of the species by conditions of optimal energy and nutrient provision. Future recording of not only body mass but also body dimensions is recommended to better compare the body condition of free-ranging and zoo-managed individuals.</p>","PeriodicalId":24035,"journal":{"name":"Zoo Biology","volume":" ","pages":"537-544"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11624626/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142141175","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}