THE EFFECTS OF PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND FEEDING REGIME ON THE BEHAVIOR OF CAPTIVE FELIDS

The behavior of captive felids is influenced by enclosure design and m anagement regime. The behavior of nine felid species housed in 11 encl osures was recorded using instantaneous scan sampling. Stereotypic pac ing was observed in 15 out of 19 individuals. Size of enclosure did no t affect pacing behavior, but edges of enclosures were found to be use d specifically for pacing behavior. Cats in relatively larger enclosur es had a higher level of apparent movement, but only about 50% of encl osure space was used. Raised areas such as tree branches were found to be preferred sites in enclosures, particularly for observation of sur roundings. The feeding regime was found to affect stereotypic pacing l evels. Cats fed on a 3 day cycle paced more on fast days than on days they were fed. Although not statistically significant, 6 out of 7 of t hese cats paced more in the hour after feeding, whereas the cats fed d aily paced more in the hour before feeding. Further research is requir ed to understand the relationship between feeding and stereotypic beha vior. (C) 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.