Innate preference for native prey and personality implications in captive amur tigers

Wang, Qi; Liu, Dan; Holyoak, Marcel; Jiang, Teng; Yang, Sheng-Fan; Liu, Xifeng; Kong, Xuanmin; Jiang, Guangshun

doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2018.10.006

Cited by 11 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…While, captive individuals live in an environment greatly different from wild populations, both in diet and environment, and they are confined to a very limited area and fed duck, chicken, and beef daily. Even so, many relevant studies suggested that captive Amur tiger still retain the abilities of native prey recognition and has similar extent and distribution of genetic variation found within wild population (Henry et al, 2009;Wang et al, 2019). However, it is still unknown whether these substantial diet and environmental differences between captive and wild tigers would result in variations within gut microbiota, and how they may alter gut microbiota functionality.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparative Analysis of Microbial Community Structure and Function in the Gut of Wild and Captive Amur Tiger

Yao

Dobbins

et al. 2020

Front. Microbiol.

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It has been well acknowledged that the gut microbiome is important for host health, composition changes in these microbial communities might increase susceptibility to infections and reduce adaptability to environment. Reintroduction, as an effective strategy for wild population recovery and genetic diversity maintenance for endangered populations, usually takes captive populations as rewilding resource. While, little is known about the compositional and functional differences of gut microbiota between captive and wild populations, especially for large carnivores, like Amur tiger. In this study, high throughput sequencing of the 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene (amplicon sequencing) and metagenomics were used to analyze the composition and function variations of gut microbiota communities between captive and wild Amur tiger populations based on total 35 fecal samples (13 from captive tigers and 22 from wild tigers). Our results showed that captive Amur tigers have higher alpha diversity in gut microbiota, but that the average unweighted UniFrac distance of bacterial taxa among wild Amur tigers was much larger. The function differences involve most aspects of the body functions, especially for metabolism, environmental information processing, cellular processes, and organismal systems. It was indicated that the diet habit and environment difference between captive and wild populations lead to composition differences of gut microbiota and then resulted in significant differences in functions. These contrasts of functional and compositional variations in gut microbiota between wild and captive Amur tigers are essential insights for guiding conservation management and policy decision-making, and call for more attention on the influence of gut microbiota on the ability of captive animals to survive in the wild.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparative Analysis of Microbial Community Structure and Function in the Gut of Wild and Captive Amur Tiger

Yao

Dobbins

et al. 2020

Front. Microbiol.

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“…However, tigers have been recognised as having individual personalities [34]. Amur tiger personality has been used to identify prey preferences and Sumatran tiger personality has been investigated in relation to enrichment [35,43]. Research in other felid species has identified correlations between keeper assessment of personality and behavioural coding [44,45] and preliminary research suggests keeper-ratings may be a reliable means of determining personality in tigers [34].…”

Section: Felid Personality In Captivitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Using Keeper Questionnaires to Capture Zoo-Housed Tiger (Panthera tigris) Personality: Considerations for Animal Management

Bullock

James

Williams

2021

JZBG

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Individual personalities affect animal experiences of zoo environments, impact on an animal’s coping ability and have potential implications for welfare. Keeper assessments have been identified as a quick and reliable way of capturing data on personality in a range of species and have practical application in improving animal welfare on an individual level. Despite widespread recognition of the importance of animal personality within a zoo environment, there is a paucity of research into tiger personality and the potential impact of this on tiger experiences within zoos. This research investigated the personality of 34 tigers (19 Amur and 15 Sumatran) across 14 facilities in the UK using keeper ratings and identified changes keepers made in animal husbandry to support tiger welfare. Reliability across keepers (n = 49) was established for nine adjectives and a principal component analysis identified three personality components: ‘anxious’, ‘quiet’ and ‘sociable’. When subspecies were combined, there was no relationship between tiger scores on the personality components and age or sex of tigers (p > 0.05). Subspecies of tiger was not related to scores on the ‘quiet’ or ‘sociable’ components (p > 0.05). Sumatran tigers scored more highly than Amur tigers on the ‘anxious’ component (mean ± SD, Sumatran: 3.0 ± 1.7, Amur: 1.8 ± 0.6, p < 0.05). Analysis within subspecies found that male Amur tigers were more sociable than females (mean ± SD, males: 5.5 ± 0.707; females: 4.15 ± 0.55). Amur tiger age was also negatively correlated with scores on the sociable personality component (R = −0.742, p < 0.05). No significant differences were seen in Sumatran tigers. Keepers reported a number of changes to husbandry routines based on their perceptions of their tigers’ personality/needs. However, there was no significant relationship between these changes and tiger personality scores (p > 0.05). Despite significant evolutionary differences between Amur and Sumatran tigers, there are no subspecies specific guidelines for zoo tigers. This research has highlighted the potential for these two subspecies to display personality differences and we advocate further research into this area. Specifically, we highlight a need to validate the relationship between tiger personality, management protocols and behavioural and physiological metrics of welfare. This will enable a fuller understanding of the impact of personality on zoo tiger experiences and will enable identification of evidence-based best practice guidelines.

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“…Individual differences in behavioral traits are important for determining the best fit practices for captive husbandry ( e.g ., Goswami et al, 2020 ), well-being ( e.g ., Gartner, Powell & Weiss, 2016 ), enrichment preference ( e.g ., Wang et al, 2019 ), health and reproduction ( e.g ., Wielebnowski, 1999 ), social compatibility ( e.g ., Bullock, James & Williams, 2021 ), social group dynamic roles ( e.g ., Dunston et al, 2016 ), and environmental/management changes ( e.g ., Pastorino et al, 2017 ). Additionally, activity/stress levels ( e.g ., Torgerson-White & Bennett, 2014 ) have been shown to predict behavioral responses across a variety of taxa, including carnivores.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Scaredy-cats don’t succeed: behavioral traits predict problem-solving success in captive felidae

O’Connor¹,

Vonk²

2022

PeerJ

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Behavioral traits can be determined from the consistency in an animal’s behaviors across time and situations. These behavioral traits may have been differentially selected in closely related species. Studying the structure of these traits across species within an order can inform a better understanding of the selection pressures under which behavior evolves. These adaptive traits are still expected to vary within individuals and might predict general cognitive capacities that facilitate survival, such as behavioral flexibility. We derived five facets (Flexible/Friendly, Fearful/Aggressive, Uninterested, Social/Playful, and Cautious) from behavioral trait assessments based on zookeeper surveys in 52 Felidae individuals representing thirteen species. We analyzed whether age, sex, species, and these facets predicted success in a multi access puzzle box–a measure of innovation. We found that Fearful/Aggressive and Cautious facets were negatively associated with success. This research provides the first test of the association between behavioral trait facets and innovation in a diverse group of captive felidae. Understanding the connection between behavioral traits and problem-solving can assist in ensuring the protection of diverse species in their natural habitats and ethical treatment in captivity.

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Innate preference for native prey and personality implications in captive amur tigers

Cited by 11 publications

References 45 publications

Comparative Analysis of Microbial Community Structure and Function in the Gut of Wild and Captive Amur Tiger

Comparative Analysis of Microbial Community Structure and Function in the Gut of Wild and Captive Amur Tiger

Using Keeper Questionnaires to Capture Zoo-Housed Tiger (Panthera tigris) Personality: Considerations for Animal Management

Scaredy-cats don’t succeed: behavioral traits predict problem-solving success in captive felidae

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