Análise Comportamental de Tamanduás - Bandeira ( Myrmecophaga Tridactyla) Criados em Cativeiros na Fundação Jardim Zoológico de Brasília ( FJZB).

Abstract

The giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) it has slow movements, it‘s solitary, territorial and nocturnal. The gestation of this species is long, producing a single pup and a long interval between pregnancies. These factors seem to aggravate their vulnerability to extinction. Based on the characteristics of the species, was formulated the hypothesis that life in captivity and forced cohabitation with other animals create stress between the individuals, interfering in their behavior and in their vital functions , such as feeding and reproduction of them. The present study examined the behavior at of four giant anteaters in captivity, three females and one male, all adults , belonging to the Foundation Brasilia Zoo, in the period between June 10 and July 20, 2013. Were initially performed 48 hours of observations, in order to identify the behavioral pattern, followed 90 hours later, the ethogram used to formulate the following method "focal animal" for instant record. We considered several factors, such as diet, physical space, their relationship on the actions of the general public (visitors, keepers and veterinarians) and their interaction with the animal's own premises and other individuals from nearby precincts. During the experiment, we performed 4320 records, where it was possible to identify 17 distinct behavioral acts of these animals, which are grouped within the inactive and active. In the quiet days in the period from 8 to 12 hours, in 93 % of their time, the animals remained inactive. Already in troubling times, this activity was reduced to 64 %. At the moment that the anteaters are active, their activities range from eating a diet provided by the institution , and has the highest observation on quiet days (27%). However, on days with interference, the activity that stood out was the walking (69 %), so developing the stereotyped movement , which had higher intensity in the range of 8 to 12 hours. This fact was due to the heavy flow of people from the zoo grounds near these animals. During subsequent periods, the movements they were similars, divided into days with and without interference at the environment. Thus, it was concluded that life in captivity tend to modify the behavior of the Giant Anteaters, changing the roles played by males and females anteaters, and also cause changes in your diet. In this species, the forced cohabitation creates stres, causing stereotypies. Management strategies were used to reduce the problems observed in this study. However, more studies are needed on the behavioral parameter Giant Anteater in captivity, besides conducting environmental enrichments, to assist in the conservation of this, species.