Effects of Environmental Complexity and Temporary Captivity on Foraging Behavior of Wild-Caught Meadow Voles

Increased housing of wild nonhuman animals in captivity for conservation, research, and rehabilitation has revealed the importance of systematically analyzing effects of the captive environment on behavior. This study focused on the effects of complexity and time held in captivity on foraging behavi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of applied animal welfare science 2014, Vol.17 (2), p.157-171
Main Authors: Kozuch, Amaranta E, McPhee, M. Elsbeth
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
adults
Animal behavior
Animal care
Animal Welfare
Animals
Animals, Wild - psychology
Arvicolinae - psychology
captive animals
captivity
Environment Design
environmental complexity
Feeding Behavior
Female
foraging
Housing, Animal
Male
managers
meadows
Microtus pennsylvanicus
Random Allocation
Rodents
sex-related differences
Time Factors
voles
wild-caught
wildlife
Wildlife conservation
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Summary:Increased housing of wild nonhuman animals in captivity for conservation, research, and rehabilitation has revealed the importance of systematically analyzing effects of the captive environment on behavior. This study focused on the effects of complexity and time held in captivity on foraging behaviors of wild-caught, adult meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus). Forty-six individuals captured from a meadow outside Oshkosh, WI, were assigned to 1 of 4 captive treatment groups: simple/50 days, complex/50 days. Number of dish visits, proportion foraging, and frequency of nonforaging behaviors recorded during a 15-min foraging trial were measured for all subjects. Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U Tests were conducted to analyze 4 different comparisons within this behavioral data. Overall, neither time in captivity or environmental complexity affected nonforaging behaviors. In contrast, foraging behaviors did change with treatment: Voles were less active at food dishes and visited control dishes more in treatment group SS than in the other treatment groups. In addition, sex-related differences in foraging behaviors were maintained when voles were exposed to environmental complexity. This article includes options for wildlife managers to adapt captive environments to meet the welfare and behavioral needs of translocated wild nonhuman mammals.
ISSN:1532-7604
1088-8705
1532-7604
DOI:10.1080/10888705.2014.881256