Welfare assessment of zoo elephants in South Africa

In captive settings, physical and social environments, husbandry and care practices, as well as human presence, are considered the main features that can influence animal welfare. The assessment of animal welfare has been frequently based on the analysis of ethological parameters, such as the time budget and the occurrence of abnormal repetitive behaviours. This thesis proposes a preliminary study based on behavioural observation of the three African elephants (Loxodonta africana) housed at the Johannesburg Zoo, Randburg, South Africa. The process started with the preparation of a working ethogram based on the literature and adapted to the controlled settings. Data was collected in April 2022 for a total of 3 sampling days with a within-subject experimental design. Each elephant was video-recorded by one observer, for about 8 hours a day with the continuous focal animal sampling method. The recording sessions were scheduled according to the elephants’ activities and the battery life of the cameras, in order to have the most reliable and complete daily routine on video, also exceeding the zoo’s opening times. The 3 days of recording have then been analysed with the use of the software BORIS. The resulting time budget of the three elephants was consistent with the ones reported in other studies conducted in zoos with the subjects allocating most of the time to food-related behaviours, and to a lesser extent, to locomotion and interaction with the environment. Compared to previous studies, the individuals spent a limited percentage of time inactive, which resembles what has been observed in the wild. The subjects also engaged less in abnormal repetitive behaviours (ARBs), compared to previous research on zoo-housed elephants. Among the three subjects Ramadiba had the highest ARBs percentage which could be also caused by past stressors. These initial results suggested that the provision of diverse food sources and multiple enrichments, especially in some sections of the enclosure, could further improve the welfare conditions of the animals. This study presented a first insight for the detection of potential welfare concerns and laid the groundwork for a bigger project that will consist of further data collection and research, aimed at monitoring the elephants’ behaviour and welfare over the long term.