Presentation Type

Oral Presentation

Start Date

5-8-2013 12:30 PM

End Date

5-8-2013 2:00 PM

Subjects

Elephants -- Behavior, Elephants -- Environmental enrichment, Captive wild animals, Social behavior in animals, Elephants -- Effect of human beings on

Abstract

Asian and African elephants (Elephas maximus and Loxodonta spp.) are particularly susceptible to welfare concerns in zoological institutions due to their high intelligence, complex social structures, and sheer size. Zoo elephants are also limited by the space available to them, and the resulting lack of exercise may contribute to a host of health issues, including obesity and foot disease. Zoos rely largely on changes to the exhibit size and herd size to promote elephant movement, yet the effect of these factors on movement is unknown. Our study used GPS-equipped anklets to track the movement of 80 elephants at 43 zoos in the U.S. and Canada. For each elephant, GPS coordinates were recorded at 5-second intervals for 5 days, during which time the elephant’s effective exhibit size and herd size were monitored. Data analysis is currently underway, but we will discuss our prediction that exhibit size and herd size will be positively correlated with elephant movement, while eventually showing diminishing returns. We will also consider the perils and potential of using GPS technology in wildlife research, including the challenges we faced working with elephants and in a zoo environment. The results of our study will allow oversight organizations to develop and implement more informed elephant welfare guidelines, and will have great practical value as zoos design larger elephant exhibits and expand their herds.

Rights

© Copyright the author(s)

IN COPYRIGHT:
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).

DISCLAIMER:
The purpose of this statement is to help the public understand how this Item may be used. When there is a (non-standard) License or contract that governs re-use of the associated Item, this statement only summarizes the effects of some of its terms. It is not a License, and should not be used to license your Work. To license your own Work, use a License offered at https://creativecommons.org/

Persistent Identifier

http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/9468

Included in

Zoology Commons

Share

COinS
 
May 8th, 12:30 PM May 8th, 2:00 PM

Room to Roam: Using GPS to Determine the Effect of Exhibit Size and Herd Size on Zoo Elephant Movement

Asian and African elephants (Elephas maximus and Loxodonta spp.) are particularly susceptible to welfare concerns in zoological institutions due to their high intelligence, complex social structures, and sheer size. Zoo elephants are also limited by the space available to them, and the resulting lack of exercise may contribute to a host of health issues, including obesity and foot disease. Zoos rely largely on changes to the exhibit size and herd size to promote elephant movement, yet the effect of these factors on movement is unknown. Our study used GPS-equipped anklets to track the movement of 80 elephants at 43 zoos in the U.S. and Canada. For each elephant, GPS coordinates were recorded at 5-second intervals for 5 days, during which time the elephant’s effective exhibit size and herd size were monitored. Data analysis is currently underway, but we will discuss our prediction that exhibit size and herd size will be positively correlated with elephant movement, while eventually showing diminishing returns. We will also consider the perils and potential of using GPS technology in wildlife research, including the challenges we faced working with elephants and in a zoo environment. The results of our study will allow oversight organizations to develop and implement more informed elephant welfare guidelines, and will have great practical value as zoos design larger elephant exhibits and expand their herds.