How to Keep Captive Tigers Wild: Enrichment and Welfare
The importance of common enrichment techniques in fostering happy and healthy captive tigers
What is enrichment and why is it important for the welfare of captive tigers?
It is now widely known that more tigers exist in captivity than they do in the wild (Nyhus et al. 2010). In order to preserve the welfare of these wild animals, the organizations and institutions that care for them must promote behavior similar to those tigers exhibit in nature. Most captive tigers cannot return to the wild, therefore it is important to reinforce these behaviors while they live out their lives in captivity. However, the conditions posed by captivity - including limited space and a pre-prepared diet - can oppose natural behaviors, such as surveying territory and hunting.
The constraints of captivity can lead tigers to engage in concerning, repetitive behaviors, also known as stereotypical behavior. One common example of this is pacing, where tigers will restlessly walk back and forth across their limited space. These behaviors indicate unhappy and unhealthy tigers.
Pacing is the most common form of stereotypical behaviors observed in carnivore species, such as tigers (Mason et al. 2007)
There are a few methods used to combat stereotypical behavior, including pharmacological interventions, punishment, and enrichment. Enrichment is the preferred method as it addresses the underlying sources of stereotypical behavior and prevents unwanted side effects from other methods (Mason 2007).
Behaviors encouraged through enrichment
(Clockwise from top left corner) Grooming, water play, denning, climbing, hunting, sunning.
The Wildcat Sanctuary (Sandstone, MN): Tonka enjoys a present from Pandora
Enrichment can come in many forms:
- Providing tigers with novel toys and food items to promote hunting behavior
- Mimicking feeding styles observed in the wild
- Stimulating the scents a tiger might encounter when in an expansive territory through spices or enclosure rotation
- Giving tigers plenty of space with different types of terrain and environmental features to explore
Left: Tigers of America accredited sanctuary average tiger enclosure sizes (square feet). Information gathered from: The Wild Animal Sanctuary (CO), Big Cat Rescue (FL), Exotic Feline Rescue Center (IN), and Black Beauty Ranch (TX). Right: State legal minimum tiger enclosure size (square feet). There is no required minimum enclosure size in the state of Indiana. Notice the difference in size indicated by the y-axes! Tigers of America accredited sanctuaries recognize the importance of enclosure size to tigers' welfare and go above and beyond state requirements.
In the following map you will find sites around the country that have researched and implemented various forms of enrichment. Their observations demonstrate how these practices improve the behavior of captive tigers. You will also find stories chronicling how sanctuaries have implemented these techniques to rehabilitate tigers previously living in cruel and unfair conditions.
Next Steps in Enrichment
Another form of enrichment in need of further research relates to tigers’ social lives. Captive tigers are usually enclosed with other tigers or in close proximity to other species. Furthermore, they spend a significant amount of time with their keepers and other humans. Although wild tigers are generally solitary, they are not necessarily antisocial. Exploring enrichment techniques that will foster these relationships is necessary for sanctuaries to continue to improve tigers’ well-being.
It is common to find tigers coexisting in the same enclosure when kept in captivity. Better understanding these dynamics will help sanctuaries promote the happiness of captive tigers. Left image source. Dawn Brook, general manager, caring for a tiger at the Cedarhill Animal Sanctuary in Caledonia, MS. The relationships formed between captive tigers and their keepers may influence the welfare of tigers, making this topic an important future direction for the development of enrichment practices.
Both academic research and anecdotal evidence continues to show that enrichment is vital for enhancing the mental and physical well-being of captive tigers. While enrichment does not have to be expensive, it can be particularly hard for non-profits to implement because these practices are time and resource intensive.
What can you do to help?
Organizations such as the zoos and sanctuaries above - as well as others supported by welfare and conservation groups such as Tigers in America - rely on donations from the public. Visit Tigers in America to find accredited sanctuaries to support!
Acknowledgements
Tigers in America, Wildcat Ridge Sanctuary (Scotts Mill, OR), In-Sync Exotics (Wylie, TX), Wildcat Sanctuary (Sandstone, MN), Zoo Atlanta (Atlanta, GA), Montgomery Zoo (Montgomery, AB), Pana'ewa Rainforest Zoos and Garden (Hilo, HI), Smithsonian National Zoological Park (Washington, D.C.), Louisville Zoo (Louisville, KY)
References
Bashaw, M.J., M.A. Bloomsmith, M.J. Marr, & T.L. Maple. To hunt or not to hunt? A feeding enrichment experiment with captive large felids. Zoo Biol., 22 (2003), pp. 189-198.
Markowitz, H. and S. LaForse. Artificial prey as behavioral enrichment devices for felines. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci., 18 (1987), pp. 31-43.
Mason, G., R. Clubb, N. Latham, & S. Vickery. Why and how should we use environmental enrichment to tackle stereotypic behaviour? Applied Animal Behaviour Science Volume 102, Issues 3–4, 2007, Pages 163-188. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168159106001900
Skibiel, A.L., H.S. Trevino, & K. Naugher. Comparison of several types of enrichment for captive felids. Zoo Biol., 26 (2007), pp. 371-381.
Szokalski, M.S., C.A. Litchfield, & W.K. Foster. Enrichment for captive tigers (Panthera tigris): Current knowledge and future directions, Applied Animal Behaviour Science, Volume 139, Issues 1–2, 2012, Pages 1-9, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/articl e/pii/S016815911 2000718
Van Metter, J.E., M.D. Harriger, & R.H. Bolen. Environmental enrichment utilizing stimulus objects for African lions (Panthera leo leo) and Sumatran tigers (Panthera tigris sumatrae). Bioscience, 79 (2008), pp. 7-16.
White, B.C., L.A. Houser, J.A. Fuller, S. Taylor, & J.L.L. Elliot. Activity based exhibition of five mammalian species: evaluation of behavioral changes. Zoo Biol., 22 (2003), pp. 269-285.
