Behavioral differences as predictors of breeding status in captive cheetahs

Abstract

Individual behavioral variation of 44 adult captive‐born cheetahs, Acinonyx jubatus, was assessed using observer and keeper ratings on a variety of behavioral attributes. Inter‐rater consensus was high for most questionnaire items, several of which were significantly correlated with direct behavioral measures recorded in a mirror‐image experiment. Principal component analysis was applied to identify patterns of individual variation as measured by observer and keeper ratings. Three major components, labeled as tense‐fearful, excitable‐vocal, and aggressive, accounted for 69% of the observed variation. Females showed significantly higher scores on the component tense‐fearful than males. Non‐breeders of both sexes scored significantly higher on the component tense‐fearful than breeders. Assessment of individual behavioral variation through questionnaire ratings may therefore provide a simple and non‐invasive tool for predicting an individual's ability to adjust to the constraints of certain husbandry regimens and to reproduce in captivity. Simple measures of behavioral attributes may offer new insights for solving breeding problems and improving conservation management of endangered species in captivity. Zoo Biol 18:335–349, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

Novel Environmental Enrichment May Provide a Tool for Rapid Assessment of Animal Personality: A Case Study With Giant Pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)

“…Shyness tended to be higher in giant pandas living in enclosures with only one den site, suggesting that changes in enclosure features might have a positive impact on personality and improve reproductive success. Wielebnowski (1999) found that nonbreeding cheetahs were rated by their keepers as being significantly more tense or fearful than breeding cheetahs.…”

“…More often, the assays rely on measuring animal responses to some form of novelty (exposure to novel environments, stimuli, conspecifics, humans) or to stimuli that are known to be stressful. In recent years, there has been an effort to try to validate keeper or caretaker assessments of personality (Carlstead, Mellen, et al, 1999;Momozawa et al, 2003;Wielebnowski, 1999). In most studies, human evaluations of animal personality are reliably correlated with at least some behavioral characteristics of animals (but see Seaman, Davidson, & Waran, 2002).…”

“…In 2005, a personality questionnaire was developed based on surveys previously used by Wielebnowski (1999) for cheetah and by Ellis et al (2004) for giant pandas. The survey included 23 behavioral characteristics and their definitions (Table 1).…”

Identifying suitable detection dogs

“…There is now substantial evidence suggesting a large variation amongst individuals' behaviours within species and breeds (Manteca and Deag, 1993;Wielebnowski, 1999;Buffington, 2002;Serpell and Hsu, 2005;King et al, 2012).…”

Wildlife conservation and animal temperament: causes and consequences of evolutionary change for captive, reintroduced, and wild populations

“…These behavioural differences arise from variation in temperament traits and may significantly affect the way individuals interact with the environment, thereby influencing Darwinian fitness (e.g. Armitage, 1986;Carlstead, Mellen & Kleiman, 1999b;Wielebnowski, 1999;R´eale et al, 2000;Dingemanse et al, 2004). Building on previous ideas (e.g.…”