Department
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Indiana
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BEHAVIOR SYSTEMS
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The Effects of Foraging Mats as Enrichment in
Captive Walruses (Odobenus rosmarus).
Walruses display a number of stereotypic and destructive activities in captivity. Many of these behaviors appear directly related to foraging activities, and can include flipper sucking, vibrissae/tusk contact against various parts of the enclosure, suction/ingestion of various non-edible objects, and repetitive swimming circles. In the wild, walruses spend a considerable amount of their time foraging across the ocean floor for molluscs and other food items, so their attempts to engage in these repetitive and abnormal behaviors appears to adhere to their typical foraging requirements.
The following project attempts to examine the effects of providing walruses with an adequate substrate to forage across. 3 walruses (1 adult females, 1 adult male, and 1 adolescent male) located at the Indianapolis Zoo were included in the study. Walruses wererun across 4 conditions: BL (no mat), mat without food (M), mat with fish and clams stuffed within holes in the mat(MF), food delivered alone (F). Two mats were used, and consisted of a 4" thick 3.5' x 7' rubber/synthetic foam mix that floated on the surface of the exhibit. Both food conditions were effective in decreasing stereotypic activity and increasing active behaviors in both the adult walruses. Experiment 2 is now currently underway, and involves a similar methodology, except with the use of two 36" boomer balls that could have food placed inside the balls, and therefore provided a challenge for the walruses to obtain the food within.
Click here for a poster presented on Experiment 1 at the Indiana Undergraduate Conference.
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