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Cited by 4Animal Behavior and Welfare StudiesPrimate Behavior and EcologyAnimal Behavior and Reproduction

Exploration of Social Proximity and Behavior in Captive Malayan Tigers and Their Cubs

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Holland, Aimee, Galardi, Elena Giulia, Fabbroni, Martina, Hashmi, Anita, Catinaud, Jerome, Preziosi, Richard, Brereton, James Edward, Quintavalle Pastorino, Giovanni·2023·Animals
DOI 10.3390/ani13061040PMC PMC10044658
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Abstract

The survival of endangered felids is becoming increasingly dependent on the successful management and breeding of reserve populations in captivity. While most felid species are reported to be solitary in the wild, increasing evidence suggests that some big cats have greater social plasticity than is currently acknowledged. This social plasticity allows felids to be sometimes socially housed in environments such as zoos and rescue centers. While the effects of such shared enclosures remain in question, many reports provide evidence of several welfare benefits of maintaining these large carnivores in pairs or even groups. Since 2019, Le Parc des Félins has housed a breeding pair of Malaysian tigers (Panthera tigris jacksoni) alongside their offspring. The purpose of this study was to quantify the social affiliation between the male tiger and his cubs and to investigate the female’s tolerance toward him. The data were collected using video recordings in the outdoor enclosure when social interactions were observed. The data were coded and categorized in the open-source software BORIS, from which behavioral activity budgets were calculated. Data were analyzed using the chi-squared test for association to determine differences in affiliative frequency, with directed and undirected sociograms created to visualize individual relationships. Overall, the male regularly engaged in affiliative behaviors with the cubs, with no significant difference found in the frequency of interactions with them compared to the female. No physical aggression was directed by the male toward the cubs. Although the female maintained a stronger bond with the cubs compared to the male, he displayed a greater range of affiliative behaviors toward them than male tigers are thought to exhibit. Both adults showed a high degree of tolerance toward their conspecifics, suggesting that maintaining breeding pairs with their offspring is a viable management strategy in zoological collections. This study could therefore improve husbandry and conservation practices by developing our understanding of felid sociality and the potential welfare benefits of social housing, allowing for evidence-based captive management decisions.

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  • The social life of different species varies from predominantly solitary, small family groups, fission-fusion, to stable long-term social groups.

    “The social life of different species of animal varies from predominantly solitary animals which raise their own young (tigers Panthera tigris [35]), small family groups (gorillas Gorilla gorilla [36][37][38]), fission-fusion (spider monkeys Ateles spp.[39], dolphins [40]), stable long-term social groups (elephants [41]), and all manner of other social styles.”

    From The Concept of Agency, Animal Wellbeing, and the Practical Realities of Ex Situ Breeding Programs in Zoos and Aquariums (2024) · cites this paper as [35]

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Research works printed but not linked: 10

  1. [8]Macdonald D.W. Loveridge A.J. Nowell K. Dramatis personae: An introduction to the wild felids Biology and Conservation of Wild Felids 2nd ed. Macdonald D.W. Loveridge A.J. Oxford University Press Oxford, UK 2010 3 58
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  7. [34]Martin P. Bateson P. Measuring Behaviour 3rd ed. Cambridge University Press Cambridge, UK 2007
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  9. [41]Schaller G.B. The Deer and the Tiger: A Study of Wildlife in India Chicago University Press Chicago, IL, USA 1967
  10. [50]Hunter L. Henschel P. Ray J. Panthera pardus: Leopard The Mammals of Africa, Vol 5: Carnivores, Pangolins, Equids and Rhinoceroses Kingdon J. Hoffman M. Bloomsbury Publishing London, UK 2013 159 168

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Authors
Holland, A., Galardi, E. G., Fabbroni, M., Hashmi, A., Catinaud, J., Preziosi, R., Brereton, J. E., & Quintavalle Pastorino, G.
Affiliations
  • Manchester Metropolitan University (GB)
  • University of Plymouth (GB)
  • Parc Des Félins, 77540 Lumigny-Nesles-Ormeaux, France
  • University Centre Sparsholt, Westley Lane, Sparsholt, Winchester SO21 2NF, UK
  • School of Science and the Engineering, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester M15 6BH, UK
Corresponding author
Holland, Aimee
ORCID
Venue
Animals
Publisher
MDPI AG
Published
2023-03-13
Volume
13
Issue
6
Pages
1040
ISSN
2076-2615 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3390/ani13061040
PMC
PMC10044658
OpenAlex
W4324149413
Cited by
4
References
33
Citations by year
2025: 2 · 2024: 2
FWCI
1.22
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Animals (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PEARL (University of Plymouth) (submittedVersion)
  • Archivio Istituzionale della Ricerca (Universita Degli Studi Di Milano) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Veterinary › Small Animals › Animal Behavior and Welfare Studies
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Primate Behavior and Ecology
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics › Animal Behavior and Reproduction
Keywords
Malayan tiger, captive felids, social plasticity, affiliative behavior, social tolerance, cubs, breeding pairs, social housing, animal welfare, sociograms, endangered species conservation

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