Energy expenditure of captive polar bear exhibiting pacing behavior

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  • 飼育下のホッキョクグマがペーシングによって消費するエネルギー量の解明

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Stereotypic behaviors are particularly observed in captive mammals when they are in poor welfare. Therefore, numerical studies on stereotypical behaviors have focused on suppressing or reducing their frequency. However, merely inhibiting these stereotypic behaviors without considering their impact on animals may exacerbate concerns regarding animal welfare well-being. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effects of ‘pacing’, which is a typical stereotypic behavior of stressed large mammals, on the body of large mammal and to quantify the amount of energy consumed by such pacing. We observed a female polar bear at the Obihiro Zoo in Obihiro, Hokkaido, Japan, nine days a month from May to October 2023, from 9:05 a.m. to 4:25 p.m. We quantified the energy consumption based on the distance walked by pacing and found that the daily energy consumption from pacing was several hundred kcal. Compared with published researches on humans and dogs, our finding suggests that the expression of pacing may be a meaningful exercise. This may offer novel insights into addressing pacing behavior. It will be important to explore strategies for managing stereotypic behavior, including pacing, from various diverse perspectives in future discussion.

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