<b>The Importance of Animal Well-being for Reproduction in Captive <b/>

Abstract

International zoos consider enrichment to be very important, with many reports in the literature confirming the efficacy of interactive techniques used with the exclusive objective of providing a better quality of life, with the consequent well-being and reproductive success of animals held in captivity. It is difficult to measure effectively well-being, but indirect measurements are considered to be reliable, such as physical health, physiological measurements of stress, and presentation of the typical behavioral patterns of the species under study. Techniques of behavioral enrichment are used to reduce the stress caused by captivity, which may manifest through inadequate physiological responses and atypical behavioral patterns for the species, considered to be stereotyped behaviors.As a quantitative parameter of the intensity of stereotypy in an animal, we can monitor the levels of fecal corticoid metabolites. The objective of behavioral enrichment is to improve the quality of care provided to captive animals by the identification and use of the environmental stimuli necessary for the psychological and physical well-being of these animals. In practice, enrichment covers a variety of original, creative and ingenious techniques to keep captive animals busy by increasing the gamut and diversity of behavioral opportunities and by offering more stimulating environments. Through enrichment we can provide choices to an individual about the types of environment to be enjoyed at a given time, the possibility of exploration, unpredictability, control of the environment or diet, socialization, and privacy.

Influence of environmental enrichment on the behavioral variables of caged Hyacinth Macaws (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus)

“…Some studies report that visitors can be a stress factor for animals in captivity (Nimon and Dalziel 1992;Maia et al 2012), especially when environments lack adequate stimuli. According to Pizzutto (2006), when an environment presents adequate and satisfactory stimuli for a species in captivity, stress stimuli become less influential and cause less damage to the animals' natural behaviors. Although the visitor's interference in the animals' behavior has not been evaluated, our results showed that the enrichment items were able to attract Fig.…”

Enriquecimento Ambiental para felinos em cativeiro: classificação de técnicas, desafios e futuras direções

“…Dentre os estudos, 90% se demonstraram efetivos na redução de comportamentos anormais durante a aplicação do enriquecimento, quando comparados aos dados da linha de base (anterior a aplicação do enriquecimento). Além da redução de comportamentos anormais, as técnicas de enriquecimento dão assistência para os processos reprodutivos (Díez-Léon et al, 2013;Carlstead & Shepherdson, 1994;Pizzutto, 2003), para reintrodução de animais selvagens (Reading et al, 2013), e aumento de comportamentos ativos e exploratórios (Machado & Genaro, 2010), assim como aumento de comportamentos espécie-específicos (VandeWeerd et al, 2006), redução na agressão (Mellottiet al, 2011;VandeWeerd et al, 2006;Mork et al, 1999), dentre outros benefícios para o bem-estar dos animais.…”

Influência de enriquecimentos ambientais e tamanho do recinto no comportamento de felinos silvestres

“…Among the studies, 90% were effective in decreasing abnormal behaviours during the application period, when compared to data collected during the baseline period (prior to enrichment introduction). Besides a reduction in abnormal behaviours, enrichment techniques can assist in reproductive success (DÍEZ-LÉON, et al, 2013;SHEPHERDSON, 1994;PIZZUTTO, 2003), the reintroduction process of wild animals (READING; MILLER; SHEPHERDSON, 2013), activity and exploratory behaviours increase (MACHADO; GENARO, 2010), as well as species-specific behaviours (VAN DE WEERD et al, 2006), a reduction in aggression (MELLOTTI, et al, 2011;VAN DE WEERD et al, 2006;MORK;BJERKENG;RYE, 1999), and other benefits to animals' welfare.…”