Giovanni Quintavalle Pastorino¹*, Thomas Gascoine², Francesco Drago¹, Kim Wilkins³, Bridget Johnson⁴, Anita Hashmi^1,2 and Richard Preziosi¹

¹School of Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth UK
²School of Science and the Engineering, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK
³Yorkshire Wildlife Park, Branton, Doncaster, UK
⁴Knowsley Safari, Prescot, UK

*Corresponding Author: Giovanni Quintavalle Pastorino, School of Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth UK.

Received: February 03, 2023; Published: March 17, 2023

Abstract

Many felid species are in a rapid state of decline in the natural world due to the mounting impacts of human activity. As a result, there is an urgent requirement for ex-situ conservation intervention, with many endangered species relying on zoos for survival. Guaranteeing animal welfare as well as preservation of species-specific behaviors is paramount in modern zoos. This study investigated the activity levels and social dynamics of three African lion prides in two zoological collections to highlight comparisons between zoo lion behaviour and that of their wild counterparts as presented in the existing literature. Monitoring took place at Yorkshire Wildlife Park, Doncaster (YWP), and Knowsley Safari Park, Prescot (KSP) in the United Kingdom between June and September 2018. Video-recorded data was collected using continuous focal animal sampling. Time budgets and enclosure use were determined and compared between pride of lions. The initial hypothesis posited that activity and active behaviours would be higher in prides with more individuals. Overall active behaviours were exhibited quite high particularly in YWP (Pride 1 and 3). Social behaviour was more prevalent in KSP (Pride2) while stereotypic behaviours were low. Pride 3 at YWP had the most active behaviours across all prides but also had the highest prevalence of stereotypic behaviours. Social behaviours were more prevalent in Pride 2 (KSP) where stereotypies also played a larger role. Despite high activity behaviour, individuals in Pride 3 also displayed a high percentage of stereotypic behaviours. This study rejects the initial hypothesis. In the studied prides, social behaviour was recorded most regularly with the larger prides that were all of a close relatedness. This study highlights the importance of providing several varying enrichment opportunities as being potentially significant factors in more social and more active prides in captivity.

Keywords: African Lion; Fission-Fusion; Pride; Sociality

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Citation

Citation: Giovanni Quintavalle Pastorino., et al. “A Comparison of Captive African Lion (Panthera leo) Activity and Social Behaviour in UK Zoological Collections".Acta Scientific Veterinary Sciences 5.4 (2023): 40-52.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2023 Giovanni Quintavalle Pastorino., 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.