Effects of environmental enrichment on behaviours and faecal glucocorticoid levels in captive sun bear (Helarctus malayanus)

Abstract

AbstractStereotypic behaviour is correlated to stress in wild animals in captivity. When wild animals are exposed to stress repeatedly, they may experience a chronic elevation of glucocorticoids (G.C.s), especially for captive sun bears. This study aimed to investigate the stress in captive sun bears by analysing the cortisol level using Faecal Glucocorticoid Metabolite (FGM) analysis before and after introducing environmental enrichments. 57 samples of faecal captive sun bears were collected from four selected study sites around Malaysia. The behavioural data were collected with an instantaneous sampling method. While for FGM analysis, glucocorticoids were analysed using enzyme immunoassays. As predicted, the stereotypic behaviour increased in pre and post enrichment and decreased during the enrichment period. For FGM analysis, the cortisol level was high in pre-enrichment and low in the enrichment period. In conclusion, the outcome of this study indicated that environmental enrichment might help reduce chronically elevated cortisol concentrations that are generally associated with distress in mammals.