Characteristation of positive welfare indices in captive african lions (Panthera leo)

Providing captive animals with optimal welfare is a key aim of zoos and aquariums and has traditionally been evaluated through “input measures”. These measures are important but fail to capture the experience of the animal, a critical component of welfare. This project is a first step towards developing “output measures” - positive animal-based metrics – to be used as a benchmark to assess the welfare. This study provided a thorough account of captive lion behaviour in modern facilities and compared this behaviour to that of wild conspecifics. Nine adult African lions from three facilities were studied. Hair (unsuccessful) and faecal (successful) sample collection was attempted for measurement of corticosterone levels as a stress indicators. Behavioural data for each lion was also measured daily, collected through instantaneous scans and continuous focal follows. A comprehensive behavioural ethogram and activity budget was generated for captive lions and behaviour was aligned with corticosterone levels. The lions exhibited variation in daily faecal glucocorticoid metabolite (FGM) levels with few peaks, demonstrating that they were not chronically stressed. Mean baseline FGM levels in dry faeces was 128.96 ± 10.47 ng/g, with significant differences between sexes and facilities. There was no significant relationship between FGM and aggression or activity (p= 0.27). This suggests that prior validations are required to identify certain behaviours as indicators of stress or poor welfare. The results provide an account of captive lion behaviour and FGM levels, in addition to trialling multiple measurements of welfare to provide robust animal welfare assessment. This study is the first step in linking excreted hormones and observed behaviour for captive lions. The results presented provide opportunities for animal institutions to evaluate which aspects of their lion husbandry practices promote optimal lion welfare