How does animal behavior change in captivity and is there anything we can do to fix it?

1. Animal Behavior in
Captivity

2. Why should we
care?
Obvious reasons (health, welfare, safety etc.)
Not-so-obvious
Influences studies
Understand what is a wild condition and a
captive condition
Economic implications

3. How is captivity
different?
Static environments
Regimented care
Little to no inter-
species interaction
Closely monitored
health

4. What changes in captivity?
Stereotypic (Abnormal) behavior- A repetitive behavior with no
apparent goal or function
Pacing, eye-rolling, car biting etc.
Sometimes harmful
Hair/feather plucking, regurgitation and reingestion
Often called Zoochosis

5. Pacing Swaying

6. Why?
General consensus is poor
psychological health
Animals in
captivity evolved in
dynamic, rich environments
Captivity does
not provide this in many
circumstances
Hard to determine because
we can't ask animals

7. How can we fix this?

8. DRUGS!

9. Enrichment works too

10. Seriously though
Drugs have widespread use in zoos
“Johari the gorilla is on antidepressants.
It eases her PMS.”
“Valium calmed the silverback gorilla
when one of the females had a doctor
visit.”
“Prozac helped a female orangutan
negotiate life in her group.”
“Zoo staffers tried to soothe wildebeests
with antipsychotic medication for eight
months”
When is this okay?

11. Enrichment
Doing a larger talk on this next
meeting. Additionally, we will be
making enrichment devices from
recycled material

12. But let’s do a cute video of
enrichment...

13. Fun reads!!
http://www.slate.com/blogs/wild_things/2014/06/20/animal_madness_zoochosis_stereot
ypic_behavior_and_problems_with_zoos.html
https://www.wired.com/2014/07/animal-madness-laurel-braitman/
https://www.toledoblade.com/frontpage/2005/09/12/Zoos-using-drugs-to-help-manage-
anxious-animals.html