LIONS and tigers are stars of the show at most zoos. But the stress of celebrity status can cause them and other big cats on display to behave abnormally.
Researchers in the US have found that cats living near visitor areas are more likely to be found pacing aimlessly back and forth. During the day they also spend more time grooming themselves, being vigilant, and moving around 鈥� all abnormal behaviours for naturally nocturnal felines.
The findings highlight the dilemma that zoos face when the welfare needs of animals are at odds with the paying public鈥檚 desire to get a close-up view. And they show that more can be done to improve the environments in which zoos house big cats and their smaller cousins such as caracals and bobcats. While a lot of work has gone into designing accommodation for primates and studying how visitors affect their behaviour, cats have been largely ignored.
Advertisement
Jennifer Ryback of James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, studied seven species of cat kept at the National Zoological Park in Washington, DC. All the cats, including lions, tigers, caracals and fishing cats, showed abnormal behaviour, and Ryback found that those housed near the public spend more time acting unnaturally than those that live further away.
鈥淭ypically a cat will be resting during the day, which is counter to what the visiting public wants to see,鈥� says Ryback. When the cats seem aloof and appear to be ignoring people, visitors actively try to attract their attention by waving or calling to them. But that makes the animals even more stressed, putting them on alert and making them pace around and groom more. People who observe passively don鈥檛 disturb cats nearly as much, says Ryback.
As well as improving the cats鈥� enclosures, Ryback thinks zoos could greatly improve the quality of life for their cats by telling the public how to behave near the animals. Ryback also suspects that keeping visitors just a little further away from the animals could make a big difference for the cats with practically no effect on people鈥檚 enjoyment.
