Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Abnormal Behavior As An Indication Of Immaterial Suffering, Hans Hinrich Sambraus

Sentience Collection

Reactive abnormal behavior is the convincing proof of immaterial suffering for the ethologist. We consider abnormal that behavior which does not correspond to, or is without object, which appears with sharply increased or decreased frequency, or which is abnormal in its motor pattern. Moreover, much reactive abnormal behavior manifests itself in stereotypies, i.e., the movement is repeated continuously in the same way. Among wild animals and in traditional forms of animal production abnormal behavior is unknown. However, it is encountered often in animals in intensive husbandry systems, and it can be demonstrated that abnormal behavior is actually brought about by …

The Coyote (Canis Latrans) In Panama, Eustorgio Méndez, Francisco Delgádo, Demetrio Miranda

Conservation Collection

This report reveals that the coyote, Canis Iatrans, has recently extended its southern range to Panama. The skin of one adult female coyote killed by hunters at Los Pirales, a farm near Gualaca in Chiriqui Province, western Panama, has been deposited in the Gorgas Memorial Laboratory Vertebrate Collection. Other coyotes have been observed in Alanje, Boquete and Boqueron, other localities of the same province. The probable range of the coyote in Panama is indicated, and the need for an urgent management strategy for this canid in the Republic is also expressed.

Getting Educated At The Zoo, Nancy Heneson

Zoos and Aquariums Collection

In this issue we present three papers that deal with the subject of the zoo. Although the focal concern of each paper is different and the positions of the authors range from whole-hearted support of the institution to frank skepticism, all express a belief in the potential educational value of zoos. This editorial, however, has a different premise. It is not meant to criticize the other papers, but rather to raise questions from another point of view.

The Buller-Steer Syndrome, Richard Ulbrich

Ethology Collection

Bulling among steers is an abnormal behavioral trait and is a common health and economic problem in feedlot operations. Factors associated with the buller-steer syndrome are hormonal implantation, seasonality and environmental conditions, stress, overcrowding, and social interaction between individuals. Research has examined relationships between these and other factors and buller occurrence. Boredom of feedlot cattle may contribute to buller occurrence and other undesirable behavior more than we might suspect. Research is needed to determine the feasibility of enriching the environment of penned livestock in general, the goal of which would be, in theory, the elimination of undesirable behavior as well …

An Overview Of Zoo Goals And Exhibition Principles, Randall L. Eaton

Zoos and Aquariums Collection

It is not uncommon among progressive-minded zoo professionals these days to hear disdain for the function of zoos as recreational. This attitude is understandable in that traditionally, zoos have done little but offer amusement along with parklands or picnic facilities. The progressive zoo person sets his or her goals above the old-fashioned recipe of crowding as many exotic animals as possible into an amusement-oriented menagerie to an authentic theme for exhibition intended to educate the public, offer research possibilities, and preserve and propagate species. Nevertheless, recreation remains a primary function of zoos. Most zoo visitors do not seek education in …

Equine Behavior Problems In Relation To Humane Management, Katherine A. Houpt

Equines Collection

The behavior problems of horses are frequently related to management practices. Behaviors that are termed stall vices appear to be either stereotyped behaviors that occur in reaction to stress, or patterns that emerge when natural behaviors such as grazing are prevented. The behavior cases presented to the New York State College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, were tabulated: 27% were stall vices and 27% were some form of aggression. The stall vices were circling, digging, kicking the stall, chewing wood, swallowing air or self-mutilation. Management of horses on pasture rather than in stalls prevents the development of many of these …

The Role And Responsibility Of Zoos: An Animal Protection Viewpoint, John E. Cooper

Zoos and Aquariums Collection

The aim of this paper is to look at zoological collections from the viewpoint of the animal and, in particular, to draw attention to areas where welfare considerations should be paramount. I do not intend to cover the capture and transportation of zoo animals, although this is obviously of great importance and must be included in any overall consideration of the welfare of zoo animals. In this paper, however, I shall concentrate upon the care of the animal within the zoo environment.

Die Erforschung Der Herpetofauna Der Mongolischen Volksrepublik: Situation Und Perspektiven, Günther Peters

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

First paragraph:

Die Landschaften der Mongolei sind arm an Reptilien- und Amphibienarten. Dieser Umstand mag die Frage aufwerfen, ob herpetologische Untersuchungen in Beschränkung auf das Territorium der MVR eine nennenswerte Perspektive haben könnten, nachdem Artenspektrum und Verbteitung der Species annähernd vollständig erkundet sind. Ein Herpetologe wird zweifellos für seine Arbeit auch in diesem Land eine Zukunft sehen, doch muß wohl von vornherein eingestanden werden, daß das Volumen der Probleme dieses Faches hinter denen der übrigen Disziplinen der Vertebratenzoologie und der Entomologie in einem bescheidenerem Rahmen verbleibt. Dies gilt sowohl im rein wissenschaftlichen als erst recht auch im angewandten Bereich ihrer …

Roadside Zoos Are Not Zoos

Close Up Reports

The HSUS was one of the first national animal welfare organizations to take a long, hard look at all zoos, including roadside menageries. During the last nine years, we have worked intensively, conducting zoo inspections, public education and awareness programs, and developing a working relationship with the professional zoological community as well as U.S. Government agencies charged with the welfare of animals.

A Review Of The Behavioural Mechanism Of Milk Ejection Of The Domestic Pig, David Fraser

Feeding Behavior Collection

The domestic pig has complex nursing and suckling behaviour, consisting of several distinct phases of suckling by the piglets and a characteristic pattern of grunting by the sow. A review of observations and experimental findings suggests cause-and-effect relationships between the different elements of sow and piglet behaviour, and the relationship of the behaviour to milk ejection. Characteristic features of pig nursing and suckling behaviour are interpreted as an adaptation promoting even distribution of milk among a number of precocious litter-mates.

Sampling Problems And Interpretation Of Chemical Analysis Of Mineral Springs Used By Wildlife, D. Fraser, E. Reardon, F. Dieken, B. Loescher

Habitat Assessment and Management Collection

Mineral-rich springs used by wildlife were studied in order to develop an appropriate sampling technique. The mineral content of the water varied spatially within a lick, apparently because of contamination by nonlick water and animal urine. The spring source usually could be located with a conductivity meter. Samples contaminated by animal urine could be recognized by their high N content and usually by their color. The distinctive chemical composition of licks is best appreciated by comparing filtered samples of lick water with nonlick water collected nearby. Field filtration was necessary when samples were preserved with acid for trace-metal analysis. Soil …

The Social Ecology Of Coyotes, Marc Bekoff, Michael C. Wells

Ethology Collection

No abstract provided.

Bringing Nature Into The Zoo: Inexpensive Solutions For Zoo Environments, David Hancocks

Zoos and Aquariums Collection

Animals in captivity have traditionally been kept in sterile and inappropriate environments. Typically this situation still prevails in zoos. Cages are designed only for restraint of the animals, expediency for the public, and convenient maintenance by keepers. The animals' behavioral needs are often ignored. By using nature as a norm, and by using natural materials, the spatial and temporal environment of a captive animal can be easily and greatly enriched. Several examples which have been used at Woodland Park Zoological Gardens are discussed. Their application and expansion are appropriate for most urban zoos.

Population Regulation In Wolves, Jane M. Packard, L. David Mech

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

The possibility of social regulation of wolf populations has been discussed in the literature for several years. Some of the first ecological studies of wolves indicated that their populations did not increase as rapidly as was theoretically possible, and that they reached a saturation point apparently not set by food. Subsequent captive studies demonstrated the existence of social mechanisms possibly capable of regulating population growth. However, the importance of these factors in wild populations has not been established. This paper has four objectives: (1) to evaluate the existing concept of "intrinsic limitation," (2) to propose that wolf population dynamics may …

Edging Toward Extinction: The Status Of Wildlife In Latin America, Douglas R. Shane

eBooks

No abstract provided.

Variation In Pappogeomys Castanops (Geomyidae) On The Llano Estacado Of Texas And New Mexico, Robert C. Dowler, Hugh H. Genoways

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Nongeographic and geographic variation in the yellow-cheeked pocket gopher, Pappogeomys castanops, were analyzed in specimens collected in northwestern Texas and eastern New Mexico. Univariate and multivariate methods of analysis were utilized to assess variation in morphometric characters among 12 samples of P. castanops. Because of significant variation with age, only adult specimens were used in analyses. Adult males were significantly larger than females in all 13 characters studied. Our analyses of geographic variation reveal that those specimens previously assigned to the subspecies P. c. simulans are not sufficiently distinct to warrant subspecific designation.

Sightings Of Moose, Deer, And Bears On Roads In Northern Ontario, D. Fraser

Anthropogenics and Population Decline Collection

No abstract provided.

The Ontogeny And Organization Of Comfort Behavior In Adelie Penguins, Marc Bekoff, David G. Ainley, Anne Bekoff

Ethology Collection

No abstract provided.

Front Matter, Elephant Editors

Elephant

Table of Contents and Cover credits

Observations In Tsavo National Park, Kenya, Evans E. Mgaah

Elephant

Personal observations from four years as a game ranger in Tsavo National Park, Kenya.

Captive Elephant Population Of North America: 1979 Update, Elephant Editors

Elephant

Survey of elephants in captivity, 1979.

Observations Of Elephants In East And Southern Africa, Jeheskel Shoshani

Elephant

Selected short observations on African elephants (Loxodonta africana) made during 1978 in East and Southern Africa.

Iucn/Wwf Help Wanted, Elephant Editors

Elephant

A published plea from the IUCN/World Wildlife Fund Conservation Programme in Indonesia asking for information regarding endangered elephants in Sumatra.

Homeless Cats And Dogs Are Suffering And Dying

Close Up Reports

Last year more than 13 million homeless cats and dogs were euthanized at humane societies and municipal animal shelters. As a statistic, 13 million may be meaningless. But think of it another way. Think of the 13 million as individual animals with individual personalities--each with their own beating heart, each with their own wretched story of how they found their way to the animal shelter. Each one was an individual breathing creature whose life was ended because there was no home to go to.

Elephant Symposium And Related Activities, Elephant Editors

Elephant

Agenda for the upcoming Elephant Symposium at the American Society of Mammalogists 59th Annual Meeting, June 20th, 1979.

Information From The Elephant Interest Group Questionnaire, Elephant Editors

Elephant

Elephant-related activities of answering respondents to the newsletter's questionnaire.

Report On The Elephants Of Tongaland, Clive Walker

Elephant

Report from a preliminary survey of elephants in Southern Africa by the Endangered Wildlife Trust Elephant Group.

Financial Report And Acknowledgments, Elephant Editors

Elephant

Accounting of the Elephant Interest Group for production of the journal.

Bibliography, Elephant Editors

Elephant

Updates to the selected bibliography covering references from 1970 - mid-1979.

Isolation Of Mycoplasma From The Genital Tracts Of Elephants, Harold W. Clark, Daniel C. Laughlin, Jack S. Bailey, Thomas Mcp Brown

Elephant

The authors report finding arthritogenic agents, mycoplasmas, for the first time in a large group of captive elephants that are frequently crippled with rheumatism.