Can enrichment make Brazilian tapir spend
more time on view to the public?

Dutra, L; Young, RJ

Abstract

One common visitor complaint in zoos is that the nonhuman animals are not visible. This problem
needs to be resolved without compromising the animals’ welfare; environmental enrichment could
solve the problem. This study investigated whether enrichment would increase public exposure
time of lowland tapir (Tapirus terrestris) in the Belo Horizonte Zoo in Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Observations were made before (62 hr) and during (62 hr) the introduction of enrichment using
focal animal sampling with instantaneous recording of behavior. The 5 enrichment items were
a bamboo fence covered in vines, logs, a sandbox, dry leaves, and bamboo bushes. Before the
enrichments were applied, the tapir was not visible to the public for more than 85% of the time. In
addition, during the analysis of the enrichment treatment, other variables were considered—such
as weekday, time of day, and weather conditions—which could influence the animals’ interaction
with the enrichments. The enrichments increased and decreased the expression of some behaviors;
however, public viewing time of the animals did not increase. Thus, the enrichment applied was
not strong enough to overcome the animals’ crepuscular behavior.

Citation

more time on view to the public?. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, 18, 74-81. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888705.2014.945177

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jan 5, 2014
• Online Publication Date: Aug 13, 2014
• Publication Date: Aug 13, 2014
• Deposit Date: Jan 26, 2015
• Journal: Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science
• Print ISSN: 1088-8705
• Electronic ISSN: 1532-7604
• Publisher: Routledge
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 18
• Pages: 74-81
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10888705.2014.945177
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10888705.2014.945177
• Related Public URLs: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/haaw20#.VMZcz6h_suc
• Additional Information: Funders : CAPES;Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do estado de Minas Gerais;Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico