Animals in zoos live in more barren environments than their conspecifics in nature. In nature, elephants spend more than 75 % of the day foraging and have been observed lying down two hours during night. Stereotypies are common in many different species in zoos. Stereotypic behaviors may constitute up to 50 % of the daily activity budget of zoo elephants. Modern zoos try to reduce stereotypic behaviors by means of environmental enrichment. Three elephant cows at Kolmårdens Djurpark were observed during night to map their nocturnal behaviors and see how they changed with feeding enrichment. The elephants were lying down on their sides 25 % of the time observed. With feeding enrichment offered in the morning, the stereotypies was reduced in one individual from 43 % to 13 % (P<0.01) and the foraging was increased in two individuals from 45 % to 80 % (P<0.01) and from 45 % to 64 % (P<0.05). Increased food access increased foraging behavior and as environmental enrichment was able to reduce the stereotypic behaviors in these Asian elephant.

Psittacines and reptiles are exotic animals that are difficult to care for and it requires extra knowledge to make a correct assessment of their wellbeing. An animal welfare inspector, with an education in general animal welfare, may not have a deep enough knowledge of exotic animals to do a proper assessment of the animal’s general condition and its environment. In this paper it was therefore examined if animal welfare inspectors have enough knowledge to do a satisfying inspection of establishments working with selling of exotic animals. A literature study was used to examine difficulties with each species. A survey was sent to chosen county administrations to get information of existing educations/knowledge and pet shops were interviewed to see how the inspectors’ knowledge is perceived. This is done to make an estimation of the demand for this knowledge in big and small counties and how the demand is met. This paper came to the conclusion that even though the county administration may not have this specific knowledge, pet shops felt it was enough to do their job. They did in some cases feel it would be desirable to get more guidance and advices from them. The county administrations also have a clear plan for how to handle cases where expert knowledge, that they may not possess, is needed. / Exotiska djur i Sverige utgörs oftast av reptiler och färggranna fåglar från andra delar av jorden. Detta gör att deras behov och beteende skiljer sig från de mer vanliga sällskapsdjuren.De är svåra att undersöka och har högre krav på en, för dem, naturlig miljö. Då de ursprungligen kommer från andra delar av jorden har de andra krav på de abiotiska faktorerna, som till exempel temperatur och fuktighet. Då dessa krav och behov kan variera stort mellan olika arter krävs det en fördjupad kunskap för att garantera en god miljö för respektive djur. Samma kunskap behövs av djurskyddsinspektören för att kontrollera att dessa behov tillgodoses. En litteraturstudie utfördes för att ta reda på hur exotiska djurs behov och beteende skiljer sig från vanliga sällskapsdjur och vilka problem som kan uppstå vid dålig djurhållning. Fyra länsstyrelser valdes ut och fick svara på en enkät med frågor om utbildning/kunskap och hur de hanterade ärenden med exotiska djur. Djurbutiker med försäljning av exotiska djur i valda län ringdes upp och frågades om hur de uppfattat inspektörerna vid kontroll. Resultatet visade att djurbutikerna tyckte att djurskyddsinspektörernas kunskap om exotiska djur var tillräcklig för att kunna göra kontroller. Det fanns dock en önskan om en högre kunskap för en bättre kommunikation och rådgivning för att få hjälp att skapa en välfärd utöver det lagen kräver. Resultaten visade också en skillnad i hur djurbutikerna uppfattade inspektörens syfte med tillsynen. Alla län hade en välgenomtänkt plan för hur de hanterar fall där extra kunskap behövs. En slutsats som framkom under arbetet var att länsstyrelsen bör utveckla sitt existerande register för att lättare kunna kolla vilka arter som finns i olika djurbutiker och hur många anmälningar det kommit in angående vissa djurslag och arter. Detta skulle det göra det lättare att göra riktade kontroller med en inspektör med rätt kunskap.

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Large carnivores in human care have been reported to engage in stereotypic behaviors. Such behavior is thought to be correlated with high stress levels, in part, due to captive environments limiting opportunities for functional consequences and environmental stimuli. Moreover, there are several arguments stating that stereotypic behaviors can be indicative of poor welfare, as they can often have severe negative emotional and physical effects on the animal. The first portion of this study included a five-phase treatment analysis which evaluated whether environmental manipulations decrease the frequency of stereotypic behaviors including pacing, over-grooming and tail-sucking exhibited by a single male jaguar housed at Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens. The aim of the present study was to evaluate possible environmental variables that were reported by staff as likely variables maintaining or promoting stereotypic behavior. Data collection occurred during a 10-week evaluation and followed an ABCAD reversal design. Both behavioral data and fecal glucocorticoid metabolite levels were analyzed. The second portion of this analysis included a multi-institutional survey to assess the prevalence of the stereotypic behaviors exhibited by zoo-housed jaguars in North American AZA-accredited institutions. Results from the behavioral assessment revealed a decrease in stereotypic behaviors with the implementation of treatment conditions. Hormone analyses revealed that stereotypic pacing is not presently correlated with higher stress levels for this animal. Finally, survey results revealed that a significant portion of the North American jaguar population engages in stereotypic behaviors. Further analyses are necessary to identify potential patterns or environmental predictors for the development of stereotypic behaviors.