Oral Stereotypies in Captive Giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis) Associated with Food Intake
Wild giraffes must use their tongues to remove andconsume tree leaves (Baxter & Plowman, 2001);therefore, the saliva production may be high due to theoral stimulation and time involved in selective feedingpatterns (Kearney, 2005).Feeding captive giraffes is a challenge. Their dietconsists mostly of food concentrates, which areconsumed rapidly and do not provide stimulation fortheir tongues, leading them to develop oral stereotypies(Monson, 2013).
Data collection
Statistical analysis
Data was collected 4 days per week for 13 weeksfor giraffe called “Domingo” in 2017 and for 14weeks for giraffe called “Ruben” in 2018.
Spearman correlation (p<0,05) was used todetermine if diet affected the prevalence of oralstereotypies in outdoor exhibit conditions. Thetwo variables used were:
Rosalyn Pardave , Marta Williams , Erika Zapater , Michael Tello1* 1 2 3
National Agrarian University La Molina, Parque de Las Leyendas Zoo, Huachipa Zoo; [email protected] 2 3 *
IntroductionUngulates are the most prevalent mammalian stereotypers (Bergeron et al., 2006). Oral stereotypies are the most common abnormal behavior of zoo-housed giraffes,suggesting that this species develops stereotypic tongue movements (Bashaw et al., 2001).
Licking of nonfood objects
Methods
QUESTION: Is there a relationship between the amount of food consumed and theduration of oral stereotypies in captive giraffes?
We would like to thank Parque Las Leyendas Zoo and Huachipa Zoo for providing the facilities to carry out this research. Thankto Francisco Tito and Victor Montoya, keepers of the giraffe called “Domingo”, and Hugo Pastrana and Juan Carlos Veliz, keepersof the giraffe called “Ruben”, for let us to join their daily activities and for all the provided information. Also thank to Joao Radoand Daniel Sirlupu for their advices on statistical analysis.
Acknowledgements
This study was part of a project carried out in 2017-2018 winter months.
AnimalsThere are only two captive giraffes in Peru,which are held in different zoos
Giraffe called “Domingo”,housed at Parque Las
Leyendas Zoo
Giraffe called “Ruben”,housed at Huachipa
Zoo
Amount consumed of each food in drymatter (DM) (kg/day)Duration of oral stereotypie in outdoorexhibit conditions (min/observation session):Continuous sampling method, withobservation sessions of 120 min/day
Results & Discussion
Probably, fresh lucerne, as it isa food that demands time in itsconsumption, increased thefeeding and ruminationbehaviors duration, satisfyingits feeding behavior patternand the necessary amount ofdiary oral stimulation.
Giraffe called “Domingo”
One significant correlation
Giraffe called “Ruben”
ConclusionsThese results show us that oral stereotypies are related to the diet of the two evaluated captive giraffes.Oral stereotypies in captive giraffes could be caused by an unfulfilled natural foraging pattern or by a gastrointestinaldysfunction.
ReferencesBashaw, M.; Tarou, L.; Maple, T. (2001). A survey assessment of variables related to stereotypy in captive giraffe and okapi. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 73(3): 235-247.Baxter, E. y Plowman, A. (2001). The Effect of Increasing Dietary Fibre on Feeding, Rumination and Oral Stereotypies in Captive Giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis). Animal welfare, 10(3): 281-290.Bergeron, R.; Badnell-Waters, A.; Lambton, S.; Mason, G. (2006). Stereotypic Oral Behaviour in Captive Ungulates: Foraging, Diet and Gastrointestinal Function. In G. Mason y J. Rushen (eds). Fundamentalsand Applications to Welfare (p. 19-57). Wallingford:CABI.Kearney, C. (2005). Effects of dietary physical form and carbohydrate profile on captive giraffe (Thesis de master). University of Florida, USA.Monson, M. (2013). The effects of increased hay-grain ratio on masai giraffe behavior, health indicators and fecal microflora diversity (Thesis of master). Cleveland State University, USA.
The presence of these oral stereotypies could alleviate thepossible suffering of ruminal acidosis through theproduction of buffering saliva, due to the high consumptionof concentrate (54,37%) and banana (4,75%) in daily DMintake.
Two significant correlations
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