Continuous Video Monitoring of Zoo Cheetahs (<i>Acinonyx jubatus jubatus</i>) Reveals Differential Engagement Patterns for Environmental Enrichment Items Based on Sensory Category

• Published in: Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens
• Main Authors: Haley N. Beer, Dustin T. Yates, Trenton C. Shrader, Ty B. Schmidt
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2024-09-01
• Subjects: animal welfare; animal behaviour; big cat behavior; outcome-based husbandry; sensory enrichment; species conservation
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5636/5/3/35

Strategically enriching the environment of zoo felids to encourage innate behaviors is essential to good welfare. To investigate how engagement differs among sensory-based enrichment, six items representing tactile (firehose log, Jolly Eggs), visual (mirror, movie), and olfactory (cinnamon, cologne) sensory categories were offered to three adult cheetah siblings. Each item was offered four times: twice during daytime hours and twice overnight (≥5 h/occasion). Static video monitoring was used to investigate engagement frequency and duration for each item and to observe grooming behaviors. Cheetahs engaged with visual enrichment more frequently (<i>p</i> < 0.05) and for greater (<i>p</i> < 0.05) periods than other items. Allogrooming occurred most frequently (<i>p</i> < 0.05) when the movie was provisioned at night. Tactile enrichment was only modestly engaged, with fewer but longer engagements (<i>p</i> < 0.05) at nighttime than at daytime. Autogrooming frequency did not vary among enrichment items but was greater (<i>p</i> < 0.05) at night than day. These findings showed that zoo cheetah responses to sensory enrichment items differed based on type and time of day. Visual stimuli were favored, whereas olfactory stimuli were generally ignored. This illustrates the benefit of diverse sensory-specific enrichment strategies. Such dynamic strategies can help overcome the challenge of individual preferences to encourage engagement reflective of the animal’s natural behaviors.