Behavioral study of Eira barbara (Carnivora: Mustelidae) in captivity conditions

Abstract

When a wild animal is kept under human care, their actions and choices can be limited, this way, their welfare could be compromised, thus causing the appearance of stereotyped behaviors. The objective of this study was to evaluate the behavior of an individual of Eira barbara (Carnivora: Mustelidae) under captive conditions and verify the possible presence of stereotyped behaviors. The data was collected in the Projeto Lontra, linked to Instituto Ekko Brasil, Florianópolis - SC. The observations were divided into two stages: preliminary and data collection. In the preliminary stage, all data were collected through the Ad Libitum method for three days, resulting in 7 hours per day. In the stage of data collection, the sampling was done through the "Focal animal" method and lasted five days. Four daily observation sessions of 30 minutes each were performed. In the preliminary stage, 31 different behaviors were observed, divided into seven categories: Food, Activity, Stereotype, Inactivity, Locomotion, Maintenance and Marking. A total of 600 behavioral records were obtained in the data collection step. The most present behaviors were “Pacing” with 37% of frequency and “Lying down” with 24%. These data, together with the low frequency of Activity (16%), indicate a compromise of well-being. This study revealed that stereotyped behavior is present in this tayra. Thus, it is fundamental for an environmental enrichment plan to be established as an alternative to improve the captive conditions of the animal and thus reduce the occurrence of these behaviors.