A Review of Approaches for Addressing Oral Stereotypic Behavior in Zoo-Housed Giraffes

Addressing the presence of stereotypies - repetitive, functionless behaviors - has been at the forefront of contemporary welfare research in zoos. Stereotypies present themselves in many different forms, dependent on the biology of a species, internal and external motivational factors, individual animals' history, and early development. In the case of giraffes, a popular and charismatic species found in zoos, stereotypies concerning the mouth and tongue - oral stereotypies - are especially prevalent. Various hypotheses have been developed in tandem with the observation of giraffe oral stereotypies, mostly surrounding their motivations pertaining to food acquisition. Such hypotheses suggest that oral stereotypies persist due to (1) unfulfilled natural feeding behaviors, (2) nutritional and behavioral discrepancies in food presentation, and/or (3) an imbalance between concentrate grain and dietary fiber. Findings from recent literature suggest that the implementation of complex feeders, increased browse allotment, and a diet that is overall more closely representative of what wild giraffes receive has helped to decrease instances of oral stereotypy. An integrative approach employing each of these hypotheses is recommended to address the multifaceted mechanisms that may underly giraffe oral stereotypy. The most recent studies in this area have already begun to incorporate such approaches, and future studies would benefit from the continued consideration of multiple motivational factors when addressing oral stereotypy in zoo-housed giraffes.