Técnicas de enriquecimento ambiental aplicadas para Leopardus pardalis (Linnaeus, 1758) (Carnivora, Felidae) em cativeiro.

Abstract

Zoos can be ex situ locations as the best form of preservation for mammals such as Brazilian felines. However, captivity can promote changes in their natural behaviors, even leading to the appearance of abnormal behaviors. To alleviate this problem, there are captive practices that offer similar stimuli to those received in their native environments, prompting animals to express their natural behaviors. One of the techniques used is environmental enrichment, which is a set of techniques that favor the creation of an interactive environment for the animal to interact and exhibit its natural behaviors, improving its quality of life. The objective of this work was to introduce environmental enrichment techniques for an ocelot specimen in an attempt to improve the individual's well-being. The research was conducted at the Municipal Zoo of Uberlândia-MG, from March to August 2016, with a male individual of Leopardus pardalis. Data collection was divided into four stages, a qualitative part (elaboration of the etogram), lasting 50 hours and three quantitative parts (quantification of behaviors in the pre-enrichment, enrichment and post-enrichment phases), using the ad libitum and focal animal methods respectively. For the pre-enrichment and post-enrichment phases, 50 hours of observation were standardized for each one. For the enrichment phase, items related to the techniques categories were selected: food, sensory and physical, totaling 50 hours and six minutes of observations. Five behavioral categories were recorded in the specimen etogram with a total of 18 behavioral acts. In all behavioral categories, there was a difference between the pre-enrichment, enrichment and post-enrichment phases (p <0.05), except for the “territory marking” category (p = 0.634). In the “nutrition” category, there was an increase between pre and post-enrichment phase (p = 0.033), indicating that the animal, even in the recovery phase and in a sterile environment such as quarantine, improved its clinical condition after the application of the environmental enrichment techniques, feeding yourself better. In the categories “maintenance” (p = 0.013) and “locomotion” (p = 0.000), the animal increased the display of post-enrichment behaviors, indicating regression in its welfare. In the “rest” behavioral category, there was a reduction when compared to the pre-enrichment and enrichment phases (p = 0.000), indicating greater activity, as it interacted with the environmental enrichment items. In the application of the enrichment, the animal shows preference for food-type environmental enrichment items compared to other types of enrichment. With the application of environmental enrichment techniques, it was possible to promote the improvement in their well-being and assisting the recovery process.