Written by Amber Rose Ianniello and summarised by Dr. Hazel Rooney

Take home message: The results from this study showed that feeding and rest are the two most common behaviours performed at night by captive elephants, highlighting the importance of providing adequate opportunities for elephants to perform such behaviours in their enclosure. In turn, the results may help zookeepers to adjust their management practices to better facilitate recumbent rest and feeding for their elephants.

 

Introduction: Throughout Europe and North America, African elephants (Loxodonta Africana) are considered a flagship species in zoos, attracting a significant number of visitors each year. However, large discrepancies exist between the welfare and behaviour of captive elephants and their wild counterparts, highlighting the need for accurate welfare parameters to objectively measure elephant welfare within zoological institutions. There is very limited knowledge about the nocturnal behaviour of captive elephants, such as recumbence and feeding. Although it’s believed that the main function of recumbence at night by elephants is for sleep, research investigating the relationship between recumbence and other behavioural indicators of welfare in zoos is lacking. Thus, the aim of this study was to provide a more comprehensive overview of the nocturnal behaviour of captive elephants, with emphasis on the effects of recumbence on other nocturnal behaviours, such as standing sleep and stereotypic behaviour, and how this may be indicative of welfare status.

 

Experimental design: This project was approved by an ethics panel at Oxford Brookes University and the education coordinator at Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm. Two adult African bull elephants, Shaka and Janu, housed at Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm in the UK were used in the study. The elephant’s enclosure at the zoo was 20-acres, including indoor and outdoor spaces. The daily management routine of the zookeepers looking after the elephants was kept consistent throughout the observation period and all observations were conducted indirectly using non-invasive techniques, under the guidance of the Association for the Study of Animals (ASAB) guidelines for the use of animals in research.

 

Materials and Methods: Data was collected over 12 consecutive days, between the hours of 17:00 and 08:00, using instantaneous sampling at 5-minute intervals via four permanently fixed closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras. Recordings were then re-watched by the observer over 7 consecutive days. In total, 180 hours of footage were observed, and this equaled 2,172 behaviour data points recorded for each elephant. Behaviours were then categorised and recorded using an ethogram that included the following six behavioural categories: ‘recumbent’, ‘standing wake’, ‘standing sleep’, ‘out of view’, ‘head swaying’ and ‘other’. Due the small sample size (n=2), each elephant was treated as a separate experimental unit when performing statistical analysis. The mean daily frequencies and standard deviation of each behaviour over the observation period were calculated using Microsoft Excel, followed by time series graphs of the mean frequency of each behaviour using the metric of counts per hour (c/h). Two Pearson’s product-moment correlation coefficient tests were then carried out in SPSS to investigate the relationship between recumbence and standing sleep, and recumbence and stereotypic behaviour respectively.

 

Results: The most frequent behaviours observed at night in both animals were feeding and recumbence. Less frequent behaviours observed included standing sleep, standing wake and any behaviours classified as other. No significant correlation was found between the frequency of recumbence and the frequency of standing sleep, or between the frequency of recumbence and stereotypic behaviour for either elephant. Despite this, recumbence was found to have a potential social importance, with both elephants displaying a similar overall trend in the times in which they entered and exited recumbence. Equally, Shaka displayed a frequent pattern of stereotypic behaviour between the hours for 04:00 and 07:59, often concluding following the timed release of hay bales at 06:30. This finding indicated that the anticipation of positive events is likely to be driving this behaviour, as opposed to an inadequate environment.

 

This dissertation was submitted by Amber Rose Ianniello, while studying for her for BSc (Honours) Degree in Animal Behaviour and Welfare at Oxford Brookes University, in partnership with Abingdon and Witney College. Amber would like to thank the elephant keepers at Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm, her supervisor Dr. Joanne Meredith, and her mother for her great support and guidance. I wish Amber the very best of luck with her future career.

 

Dr. Hazel Rooney, Pig Technical Co-Ordinator, Alltech Ireland

Hazel has been a member of the BSAS Early Career Council since 2020. She works to help pig producers, feed mills and vets to improve the health, welfare, and productivity of pigs in the Irish and European marketplaces.