Risk factors for stereotypic behaviour in captive ungulates

Area of Science:

• Animal Behaviour
• Conservation Biology
• Zoology

Background:

• Stereotypic behaviours (SB) are common in captive animals, particularly ungulates, due to restricted behavioural needs.
• Previous research identified some risk factors for SB in ungulates, but a comprehensive analysis across the clade was lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To integrate findings on ungulate wild behaviour and captive husbandry to identify drivers of SB across species.
• To determine which ungulate species are best suited for captive environments and which require specific husbandry protocols.

Main Methods:

• Collated SB data from 15,236 individuals across 38 ungulate species from 95 sources.
• Determined species' wild/free-ranging behaviours from 559 additional studies.
• Applied Bayesian-phylogenetic statistical methods to analyze risk factors for SB.

Main Results:

• Ungulate behavioural needs related to foraging and mating are significantly impacted by captive environments.
• Promiscuous mating systems and browsing feeding strategies were associated with the highest prevalence of SB.
• Concentrate-only diets and lack of continuous feed substrates also correlated with increased SB.

Conclusions:

• Foraging and mating behaviours are key drivers of stereotypic behaviours in captive ungulates.
• Husbandry, enrichment, and breeding protocols need to be tailored to specific ungulate species' needs.
• The Bayesian-phylogenetic approach can identify risk factors for animal welfare across taxa.