Variation in stereotypic behavior related to restraint in circus elephants

Gruber, Thibaud; Friend, T.H.; Gardner, J.M.; Packard, Jane M.; Beaver, Bonnie V.; Bushong, D M

doi:10.1002/1098-2361(2000)19:3<209::aid-zoo4>3.0.co;2-7

Cited by 39 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Tobler (1992) looked at sleep in captive zoo and circus elephants, including total sleep (recumbent and standing sleep) which was 4 to 6.5 hrs. However, nearly all of the elephants studied by Tobler (1992) were chained at night, which may have caused differences in their behavior compared to unchained conspecifics (Gruber et al, 2000). The elephants in the current study are not chained.…”

Section: Lying Down Behaviormentioning

confidence: 99%

Diurnal and Nocturnal Activity Time Budgets of Asian Elephants (Elephas maximus) in a Zoological Park

Lukacs¹,

Poulin²,

Besenthal³

et al. 2016

AB&C

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-The diurnal and nocturnal activity time budgets of five adult female Asian elephants (Elephas maximus)were studied in a zoological park for two 24-hour, five 14-hour, and one 9-hour observation periods between May and June 2011. Relatively few studies have looked at detailed daytime and nighttime activity time budgets in captive Asian elephants. Continuous observation was used to measure the activity time budgets of at least one focal animal per observation period. The activity time budgets varied between animals and observation periods. The elephants spent 17-49% of the day (daylight hours) standing, 1-9% of the day walking, 19-44% of the day eating, and 1-20% of the day using enrichment items. At night, the elephants spent 29-87% of the observation period standing, 1-19% of the night eating, and 0.1-10% of the night using enrichment items. At night, elephants spent 0-45% of the observation period lying down. Variations in activity time budgets between elephants and observation periods have been observed in other studies of captive and wild elephants. Results of this observational study allow comparison between groups of captive elephants and between captive and wild elephants. Furthermore, results of this study can inform management strategies.

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Section: Lying Down Behaviormentioning

confidence: 99%

Diurnal and Nocturnal Activity Time Budgets of Asian Elephants (Elephas maximus) in a Zoological Park

Lukacs¹,

Poulin²,

Besenthal³

et al. 2016

AB&C

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“…For example, swaying behavior may be predominantly side-to-side, as in this case, but can also occur in a front-to-back motion (e.g. Gruber et al 2000). It should also be emphasized that this work was conducted on adult females, so this process should be repeated for other age and sex classes as well.…”

Section: Caveats and Future Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Accelerometers in collars identify behavioral states in captive African elephants Loxodonta africana

Soltis¹,

Wilson²,

Douglas‐Hamilton³

et al. 2012

Endang. Species. Res.

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Accelerometers are motion-detection devices that, when attached to animals, are capable of detecting body orientation, overall activity levels, and specific behavior patterns. We deployed accelerometers in order to study the hypothesis that accelerometer output would allow us to distinguish between 4 behavior patterns in 3 adult female African elephants Loxodonta africana at Disney's Animal Kingdom ® , Florida, USA. Tri-axial accelerometer data loggers were attached to the tops of collars worn around the elephants' necks. Behavior was documented on video while the accelerometer output was stored on the data logger. Feeding, bathing, and walking behaviors were recorded in all 3 subjects, while swaying behavior could be recorded in only 1 subject. Data in the 3 physical dimensions (sway, surge, and heave) were analyzed in terms of overall magnitude of movement (dynamic acceleration) and in terms of the periodicity of movement. When classifying accelerometer data of unlabeled origin to the correct behavioral state, overall success ranged from 70 to 91%. Bathing was sometimes confused with feeding and walking, but feeding, walking, and swaying were easily distinguished from each other. These results show that data from accelerometers can distinguish an elephant's behavioral states, and thus may be used to monitor elephant behavior remotely. Such devices could be deployed for a variety of purposes, ranging from monitoring elephant activity in zoos to an early-warning system that could alert the authorities when wild elephants are being illegally hunted. KEY WORDS: Behavior measurement · Accelerometry · Elephant managementResale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisher OPEN PEN

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“…The direct observations were carried out during the extensive survey for a period of 5-8 hr in different hours of the day (between 6 and 9 hr, 12 and 15 hr, and 16 and 18 hr) while performing various daily routines for a period of 1-2 days. In general, more observations were made, especially while the elephants were chained without fodder, as captive elephants are known to perform stereotypies under such conditions (Gruber et al, 2000;Rees, 2008). Although such biased observation may result in overestimation of stereotypic duration, it shows whether or not a given elephant performs stereotypies for the assessment carried out.…”

Section: The Tamil Nadu Forest Department: the Timber Camps In Mudumamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Apart from the direct observation of the private and temple elephants at their facilities, additional observations were made at the captive elephant-rejuvenation camps, conducted especially for the temple and private elephants at Mudumalai wildlife sanctuary during the winter seasons (December) of 2003-2005 for further confirmation of stereotype prevalence. Criteria used to designate an elephant with stereotypic behavior(s) included multiple performances of any one stereotypic behavior and a combination of stereotypic behaviors (Gruber et al, 2000;Ress, 2004) …”

Section: The Tamil Nadu Forest Department: the Timber Camps In Mudumamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Stereotypy is defined as any movement that is performed repeatedly, is relatively invariant in form, and has no function or goal (Odberg, 1978). The common stereotypic behaviors performed by elephants in captive environments include weaving, head bobbing, trunk tossing, and pacing (Gruber et al, 2000;Rees 2004). This article compares the group sizes and proportion of elephants with stereotypic behaviors who were managed in three captive systems in Tamil Nadu during [2003][2004][2005].…”

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Social Life of Captive Asian Elephants (Elephas maximus) in Southern India: Implications for Elephant Welfare

Varadharajan¹,

Thiyagesan²,

Baskaran

2011

Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science

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Asian elephants in the wild live in complex social societies; in captivity, however, management often occurs in solitary conditions, especially at the temples and private places of India. To investigate the effect of social isolation, this study assessed the social group sizes and the presence of stereotypies among 140 captive Asian elephants managed in 3 captive systems (private, temple, and forest department) in Tamil Nadu, India, between 2003 and 2005. The majority of the facilities in the private (82%) and temple (95%) systems held a single elephant without opportunity for social interaction. The forest department managed the elephants in significantly larger groups than the private and temple systems. Among the 3 systems, the proportion of elephants with stereotypies was the highest in temple (49%) followed by private system (26%) and the forest department facility (6%); this correlates with the social isolation trend observed in the 3 systems and suggests a possible link between social isolation and abnormal elephant behavior separate from other environmental factors. The results of this study indicate it would be of greater benefit to elephant well being to keep the patchily distributed solitary temple and private elephants who are socially compatible and free from contagious diseases in small social groups at "common elephant houses" for socialization.

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Variation in stereotypic behavior related to restraint in circus elephants

Cited by 39 publications

References 23 publications

Diurnal and Nocturnal Activity Time Budgets of Asian Elephants (Elephas maximus) in a Zoological Park

Diurnal and Nocturnal Activity Time Budgets of Asian Elephants (Elephas maximus) in a Zoological Park

Accelerometers in collars identify behavioral states in captive African elephants Loxodonta africana

Social Life of Captive Asian Elephants (Elephas maximus) in Southern India: Implications for Elephant Welfare

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