Influencia del enriquecimiento ambiental en las conductas de Felis catus, Leopardus geoffrogy y Puma yaguarundi

At the Zoological Station “La Esmeralda”, an environmental enrichment program was designed and implemented for domestic cats (Felis catus) and daytime wild cats (Leopardus geoffrogy) and nocturnal cats (Puma yagouaroundi). The objective was to evaluate if the environmental enrichment produces changes in their behaviors and if they are maintained after the enrichment maneuvers are completed. Before enrichment (baseline = 3 days), during environmental enrichment (5 days) and after it (3 days), in conditions of isolation (in the 3 species) and outdoors (only in the wild) the behaviors were monitored locomotion, sniffing, passive posture, rest, grooming, pacing and rubbing. The behaviors were recorded with a video camera between 06:00 and 18:00. Felis catus manifested a favorable change before the majority of the enrichors offered. Enrichment in Leopardus geoffrogy was effective in decreasing negative behaviors and mitigating anthropogenic and environmental effects. Puma yaguarundi exhibited behavioral difficulties in the face of captivity, exacerbated outdoors. The enrichment in this species had an effect reducing negative behaviors in isolation, but not in the open air in which they manifested themselves more frequently. It is concluded that environmental enrichment is a tool that benefits the well-being of animals kept in captivity depending on the degree of silvestry, so it must be adapted to each species and carried out through continuous strategies.