Although many studies investigating the impacts of zoo exhibit designs on captive animals exist, none have been performed on how they influence the behavior and welfare of captive Bennett's wallabies (Macropus rufogriseus). Here, we assess the impact of exhibit design on the activity budget and spatial distribution of Bennett's wallabies. We compared animal behavior in two open exhibits (i.e. physical interaction between animals and visitors permitted) to two closed exhibits (i.e. physical interaction between animals and visitors prohibited). Behavioral data were collected using focal sampling, and spatial distribution was recorded on exhibit maps at regular time intervals. We found a significant increase in feeding and interactive behaviors in closed exhibits in comparison to open exhibits. However, other behaviors such as resting, locomotion, and vigilance did not vary with design. Functional use of space was similar between both designs; however, the effect of habituation may be relevant to consider in future studies. Although some support for visitor effects were present, our study provided no evidence for strong impacts of exhibit design on Bennett's wallaby welfare. Our study emphasizes the need for additional research into the impacts of how zoo environments affect Bennett's wallaby behavior and welfare.

中文翻译：

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Bennett 袋鼠 (Macropus rufogriseus) 在开放式与封闭式展览设计中的活动预算和空间分布

尽管存在许多调查动物园展览设计对圈养动物的影响的研究，但还没有研究它们如何影响圈养贝内特小袋鼠 (Macropus rufogriseus) 的行为和福利。在这里，我们评估了展览设计对 Bennett 小袋鼠的活动预算和空间分布的影响。我们将两个开放式展览（即允许动物与参观者之间的身体互动）与两个封闭式展览（即禁止动物与参观者之间的身体互动）中的动物行为进行了比较。使用焦点采样收集行为数据，并以固定的时间间隔在展览地图上记录空间分布。我们发现与开放式展览相比，封闭式展览中的喂食和互动行为显着增加。但是，其他行为，例如休息，运动和警惕性不随设计而变化。两种设计的空间功能使用相似；然而，在未来的研究中可能需要考虑习惯的影响。尽管存在一些对访客影响的支持，但我们的研究没有提供展览设计对 Bennett 小袋鼠福利的强烈影响的证据。我们的研究强调需要进一步研究动物园环境如何影响 Bennett 的小袋鼠行为和福利。