Temperament and reproductive success in farmbred silver foxes housed with and without platforms

Abstract

Summary Human, strike, pencil, confrontation, feeding, and disturbance tests were used to study fear‐motivated behaviour in farmed silver foxes (Vulpes vulpes), housed with and without wooden platforms. The results showed that the number of fearful animals was highest and lowest in the confrontation and feeding tests, respectively. Foxes that had used platforms most frequently before the behavioural tests, were also most often found on platforms during the tests. Temperament differences between control and platform animals were slight. Only the human test gave statistically significant (p < 0.05) confirmation that animals housed with platforms were less fearful of humans than those housed without platforms. The fear index (FI), based on all other tests except for the disturbance test, showed that the number of fearless individuals was equal (FI = 0.50) in both the platform and control groups. Regardless of the testing, breedings and whelpings succeeded equally well in fearful and fearless vixens. Only the feeding test showed a tendency (p < 0.08) for higher kit mortality in fearful vixens. During severe disturbances, 47.4% of the experimental animals used the platforms for hiding. It is obvious that the temperament of farmed silver foxes is not substantially affected by the presence of a platform in the cage, but that platforms would otherwise promote animal welfare by providing the possibility for more complex behaviours and a place of refuge. Zusammenfassung Temperament und Fortpflanzungserfolg bei Silberfüchsen‐altung mit und ohne Plattformen Menschen, Schlag‐, Bleistift‐, Kampf‐Futter‐ und Störungstests wurden zur Untersuchung Angstmotivierten Verhaltens von Silberfüchsen (Vulpes vulpes) angewendet, die in Käfigen mit und ohne Holzplattformen gehalten worden sind. Die Zahl ängstlicher Tiere ist am höchsten bzw. niedrigsten in den Kampf‐bzw. Futtertests. Füchse, die Plattformen vor den Verhaltenstests verwendet hatten, waren am häufigsten auch auf diesen während der Tests. Temperamentunterschiede zwischen Kontrol‐ und Plattformtieren waren geringfügig. Nur der Menschentest ergab statistisch signifikante (p < 0,05) Bestätigung daß Tiere in mit Plattform versehenen Käfigen weniger ängstlich waren, als jene ohne Plattform. Der Furchtindex (FI) ermittelt aus allen anderen außer dem Störtest, zeigte, daß die Zahl furchtloser Tiere gleich war (FI = 0,5) in Plattform‐ und in Kontrollgruppen. Unabhängig vom Testen waren Befruchtung und Geburten in ängstlichen und angstfreien Füchsinnen gleich erfolgreich. Nur beim Fütterungstest ergab sich eine Tendenz (p < 0,08) zu höherer Welpenmortalität in furchtsamen Füchsinnen. Von den Versuchstieren verwendeten 47,4% der Tiere Plattformen zum Verstecken während starker Störungen. Es scheint offensichtlich, daß das Temperament von Silberfüchsen durch Plattformen nicht substantiell tangiert wird, aber Plattformen sind in anderer Weise für das Verhalten der Tiere günstig, weil sie die Möglichkeit komplexeren Verhaltens und einen Fluchtplatz bieten.

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

“…Since the late 1960s, research by Belyaev has demonstrated that selective breeding in foxes Vulpes vulpes produced major shifts in morphology, physiology and temperament (Belyaev, 1979;Trut, 1999). Since then, a number of studies have documented this rapid evolution in a number of captive populations as a result of artificial selection (fox, Korhonen & Niemela, 1995;mink, Hansen, 1996; mouse Mus musculus, DeFries, Gervais & Thomas, 1978;great tit, Drent et al, 2003;van Oers, Drent & van Noordwijk, 2004;poultry, Faure & Mills, 1998). This form of directed and methodical selection should only occur in non-conservation initiatives; studies have proposed this approach to facilitate the management of permanently captive populations in zoos (Aengus & Millam, 1999;van Heezik & Seddon, 2001).…”

“…The primary objectives of enrichment are to avoid undesirable behaviours associated with stress in captivity -stereotypies and high aggression -and to encourage individuals to behave naturally (Carlstead, 1996). Studies have reported significant reduction in stress after environmental enrichment (Korhonen & Niemela, 1995), but few considered how this enrichment could interact with temperament. Despite increasing the overall reproductive success of a captive population, enrichment risks introducing increased variation by enhancing the fitness of a particular genotype or set of temperament traits (Fig.…”

“…2005 The Zoological Society of London from the short-term effects of capture and transportation (Carlstead, 1996;Korhonen et al, 2000), or the physical characteristics of the captive environment (Korhonen & Niemela, 1995;Carlstead et al, 1999a). Even when closely managing breeding through the use of artificial insemination and studbooks, stress related to temperament differences may directly interfere with pregnancies (Zhang, Swaisgood & Zhang, 2004) or offspring survival (Korhonen, Jauhiainen & Rekil¨a, 2002;Cleveland et al, 2004;Zhang et al, 2004).…”

“…Furthermore, rearing conditions and enclosure characteristics can strongly influence the stress levels and well-being of certain individuals (e.g. enclosure area for rhinoceroses, Carlstead et al, 1999a; presence of a platform for foxes, Korhonen & Niemela, 1995). Husbandry techniques and handling procedures may also inadvertently lead to selection by increasing stress levels in the less tame.…”

Reduced efficacy of baiting programs for invasive species: some mechanisms and management implications

“…Temperament affects fitness through influences on predation rates, competition for mates and resources, and social interactions (reviewed by Smith and Blumstein 2008;May et al 2016). For example, variation in neophobia has been linked with reproductive output in farmed silver foxes (V. vulpes) (Korhonen and Niemelä 1996), and variation in boldness has been linked with post-translocation survival in swift foxes (Vulpes velox) (Bremner-Harrison et al 2004).…”