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Increasing browse and social complexity can improve zoo elephant welfare
Author(s) -
Lasky Monica,
Campbell Jennifer,
Osborne Jason A.,
Ivory Erin L.,
Lasky Jacob,
Kendall Corinne J.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
zoo biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.5
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1098-2361
pISSN - 0733-3188
DOI - 10.1002/zoo.21575
Subject(s) - foraging , biology , welfare , affect (linguistics) , animal welfare , institution , ecology , zoology , environmental resource management , psychology , political science , law , environmental science , communication
While recent work has assessed how environmental and managerial changes influence elephant welfare across multiple zoos, few studies have addressed the effects of management changes within a single institution. In this paper, we examine how management changes related to social structure and diet affect the behavior of a group of zoo elephants over a 23‐month period while also considering underlying factors, such as time of day, hormonal cycle, and individual differences. We recorded individual behaviors using 2‐min scan samples during 60‐min sessions. We analyzed behavioral changes across several study variables using generalized linear mixed models. We found that increasing browse can improve opportunities for foraging throughout the day but may not be sufficient to reduce repetitive behaviors. We observed that increasing group size and integration of bulls with cows can lead to increased social interaction in African elephants. Our results highlight the importance of using multiple management alterations to address elephant welfare, and considering environmental factors, when making management decisions.