Japanese Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus japonicus) Ringing a Bell: Anticipatory Behavior or Intrinsic Motivation?

Environmental enrichments are commonly utilized to improve the welfare of captive animals. One adult male Japanese black bear (Ursus thibetanus japonicus) in this study was provided a manipulable object as foraging enrichment and was observed to use it without a food reward for a long period. A bell, attached to the object, rang when the individual interacted with the manipulable object. We investigated the factors prompting this bell-ringing behavior. The time of day and the number of times bell-ringing behavior occurred were recorded. Additionally, we recorded human presence, and whether humans were zoo staff or visitors. Observations were made over a 6-month period, starting 4 months after the objects were placed without food. Bell-ringing behavior occurred regardless of the humans present, who were categorized into four groups based on their roles. The behavior tended to be expressed more in the afternoon than in the morning, with no strong relationship observed with daily feeding times. These results suggest that the bell-ringing behavior is intrinsically motivated, indicating that the behavior itself may serve as a form of reward.