Abstract
Zoo Miami is a zoological facility based in Miami-Dade County, Florida and spans over 750 acres that encompass more than 2,500 animals representing 400 different species. Zoo Miami is the largest zoo in Florida and broke their guest attendance record in 2021 with over one million guests visiting that year. 16-year-old Asian small-clawed otter (ASCO) named Sirene has been living at Zoo Miami for the entirety of her life as she was pulled from her mother along with her siblings to be hand-reared by keepers due to incidences of infanticide by her mother. Sirene currently lives in an enclosure in the Asian River Life section of Zoo Miami with her 16 year old brother, Ahgwey. Sirene has been recorded throughout her life to suck her paw which is considered an abnormal/stereotypical behavior for her species.
The goal of this project was to collect observational data via interval and focal animal sampling to determine the frequency of the paw-sucking before and after the introduction of enrichment items and activities designed to reduce this undesirable behavior. These enrichment items included an A-frame shelter, where Sirene could hide from public view, and various herbscented newspapers in Sirene’s enclosure. The modification phases with enrichment items data were compared to the baseline data to determine overall success of the introduced items/activities in reducing the paw-sucking behavior and changes in the overall energy budget.
The addition of the A-frame resulted in an increase in paw-sucking compared to baseline. The paw-sucking behavior then returned to baseline levels in the olfactory enrichment phase. The olfactory enrichment also appeared to encourage natural species-specific behavior in both Sirene and her enclosure mate, and reduced inactivity. The olfactory enrichment items will be notated and introduced to other animal-keeper teams at Zoo Miami in hopes of successful introduction to other species that enhances overall animal welfare.