ABSTRACT

Male associations are a typical component of elephant society, allowing bulls to practice appropriate social behavior. To improve zoo elephant welfare, it is important to provide bulls with social opportunities. In fall 2018, Denver Zoo added two bull Asian elephants to its existing all-male group of three bulls, offering the opportunity to conduct a systematic behavioral study of the integration of the new bulls into the resident group. We recorded aggressive and affiliative behaviors before, during, and after the introduction of the new males. The proportion of aggressive behavior was significantly higher during the five-month introduction period compared to before their introduction. By the end of the study period, the elephants engaged in significantly more affiliative behavior and less aggressive behavior than during the introduction period, suggesting they had formed a new stable social dynamic. These results suggest group compatibility and positive elephant welfare resulting from housing male elephants together and can be used to inform management plans for bull elephants that prioritize their welfare.

摘要

男性协会是大象社会的典型组成部分，允许公牛实践适当的社会行为。为改善动物园大象的福利，为公牛提供社交机会很重要。2018 年秋季，丹佛动物园在其现有的三头公牛的全雄性群体中增加了两头公牛亚洲象，为对新公牛融入常驻群体进行系统的行为研究提供了机会。我们记录了引入新雄性之前、期间和之后的攻击性和亲和行为。与引入之前相比，在五个月的引入期间，攻击行为的比例明显更高。到研究期结束时，与引入期相比，大象的亲和行为和攻击行为明显增多，这表明他们已经形成了一种新的稳定的社会动力。这些结果表明，将雄性大象安置在一起会产生群体兼容性和积极的大象福利，并可用于为优先考虑福利的公象管理计划提供信息。