Giovanni Quintavalle Pastorino¹, Yitzhak Yadid², Daniele Pintus², Massimiliano Di Giovanni², Alice Cavalleri¹, Richard F Preziosi² and Anita Hashmi^1,3*

¹School of Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, United Kingdom

²Fondazione Bioparco di Roma, Rome, Italy

³Department of Natural Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, United Kingdom

*Corresponding Author: Anita Hashmi, School of Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, United Kingdom.

Received: September 08, 2022; Published: September 12, 2022

Abstract

Personality in non-human animals is a vast area of research, yet many papers focus on that of mammals or bird species. Many reptile species show complex behaviour but have been historically overlooked in favour of mammal and bird studies. Due to this, reptile species have frequently not received behavioural management such as enrichment, including through training within captive settings, despite their potential level of cognition. Training sessions prepare animals for situations such as routine veterinary procedures in addition to acting as enrichment. To assess the use of training sessions in reptiles, it is important to understand their cognitive and behavioural capabilities. This small pilot study acts as a case study, examining the personality and cognition of two Komodo dragons (Varanus komodoensis) through video analysis of training sessions and personality questionnaires issued to zookeepers. We also assess the utility of personality questionnaires in a reptile species and the potential effect of intrinsic factors such as keeper personality and sex on their responses. The results display the plasticity of Komodo dragon behaviour and the utility of training through evidence of willing compliance with training regimes.

Keywords: Conservation; Enrichment; Komodo Dragons; Personality; Training

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Citation

Citation: Anita Hashmi., et al. “Keeper-Dragon Behavioural Differences in Two Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis) Brothers During Training". Acta Scientific Veterinary Sciences 4.10 (2022): 03-12.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2022 Anita Hashmi., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.