Analysis of stereotypic behaviour and enhanced management in captive Northern Giraffe Giraffa camelopardalis housed at Zoological Garden Alipore, Kolkata

In the wild, giraffes live complex social lives exhibiting fission-fusion social systems. They have sophisticated communication which likely forms a crucial component regulating subgroup dynamics. They spend a large part of their day browsing and traveling over large distances. In captivity, lack of continuous browsing opportunities and limited space can lead to various abnormal and stereotypic behaviours. These stereotypic behaviours can have cascading detrimental health consequences. A behavioural analysis of stereotypic behaviours in giraffes under human care was conducted to evaluate sources of variation within a population and provide management recommendations. The aim of this investigation was threefold: 1. to examine current behaviour of giraffes in Zoological Garden Alipore, Kolkata to advise on their enhanced management; 2. to highlight any behavioural abnormalities and recommend enrichment mechanisms; and 3. to compare the observed stereotypic behaviours with behaviour described in other zoological institutions and in the wild to provide a focal trajectory in the development of guidelines. Four individuals (two adult males, one adult female, and one male calf) were observed outdoors for seven days, three times a day for 30 minutes by instantaneous scan sampling method. During the observation period, the giraffe exhibited oral stereotypy more than any other behaviour recorded, though this was recorded disproportionally between individuals. The giraffe spent a larger amount of time exhibiting oral stereotypy compared to feeding/foraging activities. The study suggests incorporating diet and feeding strategies with provision of natural browse as well as offering enrichment methods to increase the foraging time using various time-engaged feeding devices to mitigate the observed abnormal stereotypic behaviour. Additionally, recommendations are made for expanding the size of the open enclosure to meet guidelines by the Central Zoo Authority, as a minimum.

Efficacy of a Feed Dispenser for Horses in Decreasing Cribbing Behaviour

Cribbing is an oral stereotypy, tends to develop in captive animals as a means to cope with stress, and may be indicative of reduced welfare. Highly energetic diets ingested in a short time are one of the most relevant risk factors for the development of cribbing. The aim of this study was to verify whether feeding cribbing horses through a dispenser that delivers small quantities of concentrate when activated by the animal decreases cribbing behaviour, modifies feeding behaviour, or induces frustration. Ten horses (mean age 14 y), balanced for sex, breed, and size (mean height 162 cm), were divided into two groups of 5 horses each: Cribbing and Control. Animals were trained to use the dispenser and videorecorded continuously for 15 consecutive days from 1 h prior to feeding to 2 h after feeding in order to measure their behaviours. The feed dispenser, Quaryka®, induced an increase in time necessary to finish the ration in both groups of horses (P<0.05). With Quaryka, cribbers showed a significant reduction of time spent cribbing (P<0.05). After removal of the feed dispenser (Post-Quaryka), cribbing behaviour significantly increased. The use of Quaryka may be particularly beneficial in horses fed high-energy diets and ingesting the food too quickly.

Opioid circuitry and the aetiology of equine oral stereotypy

Stereotypic behaviour is generally attributed to a dysfunction of the basal ganglia, although confusion exists as to whether altered function stems from the dorsal (Caudatus and putamen) or ventral regions (nucleus accumbens). In rodents, imbalanced basal ganglia opioid physiology leads to enhanced efferent neural transmission from only the dorsal striatum to cortex. However, in horses performing oral stereotypy (crib-biting), neural alterations in dopamine receptor density have been recorded in both dorsal and ventral striatal regions (McBride and Hemmings, 2005) suggesting that both projections may be altered in the stereotypy phenotype. Indeed, if stereotypies are considered to stem from highly motivated appetitive behaviours, it seems probable that ventral elements of the basal ganglia ‘reward’ circuitry should also be involved If this is the case, then stereotypy performance has potentially rewarding consequences and could thus be employed as a coping strategy. To further address the issue of dorsal versus ventral striatum involvement in the equine oral stereotypy phenotype, comparisons of opioid receptor physiology between crib-biters and control horses were performed.