After many COVID lockdowns, most of us are well aware of the negative effects of being confined all day.
Now, recent research indicates that many captive animals experience the same emotions, particularly hoofed species with strong sexual urges, such as sheep, pigs, and buffalo.
The same is true for herbivores such as camels, giraffes, and rhinoceroses that consume high-growing woody vegetation.
This is because confinement hinders their normal inclinations to breed and search for food, resulting in stress.
Scientists from Aberystwyth University and the University of Portsmouth expect that their findings may assist farms and zoos in meeting the behavioral demands of their animals.
Dr. Leanne Proops, a co-author from the University of Portsmouth, stated, “This study employs a new strategy that enables us to more accurately forecast how animals that are rare or poorly studied will fare in captivity.
She continued, “We discovered that proper nutrition and social organization are vital to the welfare of ungulates.”
For carnivores, however, it appears that adequate space in captivity is essential. This demonstrates the necessity of recognizing the individual demands of many animal groups.
Over five billion large, cloven-footed mammals are maintained in captivity worldwide, making them among the most regularly kept creatures on the planet.
This includes giraffes, horses, and pigs that are kept in zoos and safari parks as livestock or as attractions.
It is recognized that animals in farms and zoos can exhibit stress-related repeated behaviors known as stereotypic behaviors.
These behaviors include tail biting in pigs, wool sucking in sheep, and “box walking” in horses, in which the animal paces repetitively within its container.
When their behavioral demands are restricted due to captivity, they show stereotypical behaviors.
Species’ behavioral requirements are the actions they must take to survive and reproduce in the wild.
The study, which was published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, sought to determine which species of ungulates (animals with hooves) are best suited to captive situations.
The researchers also sought to determine how keepers could meet the demands of species that experience greater stress in captivity.
To accomplish this, they identified the usual free-ranging and stereotypical behaviors of more than 15,000 animals across 38 species of ungulates.
They discovered an association between these behaviors and the type of food ungulates consume.
The species most likely to exhibit stress symptoms are ‘browsers’, such as camels, okapis, and rhinoceroses, who consume high-growing, woody plants rather than grazing on the ground.
In addition, there was a correlation between stereotypical behaviors and the animal’s mating strategy, indicating that promiscuous species are more vulnerable.
In confinement, animal mating is highly regulated, with different sexes frequently separated and potential mates picked by human keepers.
This severely restricts the sexual instincts of mammals, which could increase the stress levels of more promiscuous species such as buffalo, yaks, sheep, and pigs.
To ensure the well-being of ungulates, the researchers recommend prioritizing the fulfillment of these specific behavioral needs via tailored husbandry, enrichment, and breeding techniques.
Animals in captivity that are fed high-protein, low-fiber diets or do not have consistent access to food were also found to be extremely prone to behavioral issues.
Dr. Sebastian McBride of Aberystwyth University stated, “Our studies indicate that characteristics of a species’ wild behavioral biology and captive husbandry are predictive of these stereotypical behaviors in ungulates.”
This finding has significant implications for how large, hoofed animals are kept in captivity; we now have a better grasp of which species are most susceptible to stress in captivity and how to improve the well-being of these animals.
Kate Lewis, the co-author of the study from the University of Portsmouth, stated, ‘If we are to maximize the welfare of animals, we must continue to investigate and examine the environmental aspects that are crucial to them.
There are lessons here for both farmers and zoos regarding how to effectively raise and care for animals.
