The Plymouth Student Scientist
Document Type
Project Article
Abstract
This study investigated how increased environmental predictability in captivity can impact upon animal behaviour. ‘Busyness’ was piloted as a method of measuring activity in relation to environmental factors and observations were conducted on the behaviour of 2 zoo-housed Sumatran tigers, Panthera tigris sumatrae. Graphical analysis revealed the tigers to show increased Busyness leading up to the time they were taken off-show, possibly indicating anticipation of this event. Both animals displayed stereotyped pacing within specific enclosure sections. The female tiger showed increased pacing leading up to the time she was taken off-show, whereas the male showed the opposite. Suggestions were made to explain differences in behaviour in relation to environmental events and personal history and proposals for future research using Busyness.
Publication Date
2010-07-01
Publication Title
The Plymouth Student Scientist
Volume
3
Issue
1
First Page
107
Last Page
141
ISSN
1754-2383
Deposit Date
May 2019
Embargo Period
2024-07-03
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Jayne, Kimberley
(2010)
"Environmental factors and patterns of behaviour in zoo-housed Sumatran tigers, Panthera tigris sumatrae,"
The Plymouth Student Scientist: Vol. 3:
Iss.
1, Article 14.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.24382/t8at-zk98
Available at:
https://pearl.plymouth.ac.uk/tpss/vol3/iss1/14
