Pacing in safari parks

Pacing in safari parks
19-04-2008

Having not visited a safari park since Windsor just before it closed, I was wondering what people's experiences were of seeing carnivores pacing in safari reserves? Having seen some televised footage from Longleat it occurred to me that none of the cats appeared to show stereotyped behaviour when out in the reserves.

19-04-2008

A few of the lions in the second pride do (the ones nearest the wolves).
I wondered if being next to the wolves had anything to do with this behavior?

19-04-2008

Me personnalyhave them see any stereotyped behaviour in big cats in a safari park,but have seen the Hunting Dogs at West Midlands pacing up and down the face don`t know if this had anything to do with the fact that the Addax were next door but none of the Addax were near the fence at the time.

19-04-2008

So, would you say there is a qualitative difference between animals that appear to pace according to where their potential prey or competitors are located, and those that appear to display repetitive, stereotyped bahaviours in a seemingly random part or fraction of their enclosure?

I wonder if certain taxa create different responses. I haven't seen hunting dogs pacing before, but then I have never seen them housed next to antelope of a certain size.

19-04-2008

The only pacing that i can recall seeing at a safari park is of a Bengal Tiger at Knowsley.

19-04-2008

Yeah I'd say that there is a difference. The white tigers in West midlands pace a lot, probably dude to boredom or whatever :S
Then I went once and all the wolves were running up and down the fence line next to this area where the yaks were being held temperorily. Thats the only time I've ever seen them pacing, and they'd even tried to dig under the fence to get at the yaks!

20-04-2008

I saw wolves do it at Woburn, then leave the fence and trot along a regular 'trail' in the enclosure...

20-04-2008

I this common with wolves in captivity then?
Kind of irrelivent, but has anyone ever seen a giant anteater in captivity NOT pacing? I think every one I've seen in captivity does (London, Berlin and Howletts).

20-04-2008

I guess carnivores pace before feeding. From which side keeper with food usually comes?

20-04-2008

the only reason that the wolves are pacing here is that there are 2 others wolves in the pen, they are always trying to prove that they are the boss...in 2 months, everyday in wolves, i've never seen them pacing along the fence...

everywhere in the world ( where i've been), safari or not, tigers stereotyped, and cats in general. ( ocelot, fishing cat, margay...).and Lions sleep...

Here, lions are often at the fence because of the big herds of deers from the Estate grazing. But never because of stereotypy.

But, giraffes and elephants are sometimes stereotyped...and a lot of different kind of animals and for a lot of differents reasons.

X.

20-04-2008

I was not 'knocking' pacing- only commenting that I saw it. I know many zoo animals do it for a myriad of reasons, often they have nothing to do with stress, boredom or other 'negative' reasons...

20-04-2008

My thoughts were that there seems to be a difference between, say, the very limited and repetitive 'head twists' you sometimes see small cats like servals doing, and anticipatory, focused, pacing behaviour. I wonder if it is perhaps less prevalent in safari parks because cats are not fed at the barrier, but from a moving vehicle from within the reserve/or food is brought in on one to be distributed or fixed to a post?