BEHAVIOURAL PATTERN AND DEFECATION RATE OF GAUR (Bos gaurus, H. Smith. 1827) AT THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ZOOLOGICAL GARDEN
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Date
2017
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COLLEGE OF VETERINARY AND ANIMAL SCIENCES, POOKODE WAYANAD
Abstract
Behaviour of captive Gaur was studied at Thiruvananthapuram Zoological Garden,
Kerala for three months from May 2017 to July 2017. A total of 192 hours of observation
was made using focal animal sampling on eight animals composed of two adult females,
three adult males, one sub-adult and two juveniles. Duration of each activity was recorded
using stop watch. Percent time spent on different activities varied significantly (F=29.41;
df=11; p<0.00). Captive gaur spent greater percent time on foraging and resting constituted
39.8 per cent and 33.4 per cent respectively. Gaur spent less percent time on moving and
social interaction. Though there were no significant differences between adult male and
female activity pattern of Gaur, Adult male greater percent time on foraging 40% than
females (31.3%). In the Zoological Garden all the animals were fed with similar diet hence
body size, amount of food consumed in relation to body size and rate of passage of food
through rumen could be reason for male spending higher percent time in foraging. Adult
female spent greater time on moving and allogromming than males. Females were observed
to groom adult males and young ones. Sub-adults were spent significantly (t=2.0; df=11;
p<0.05) greater percent time on foraging and moving, whereas juveniles were resting and
playing. The daily activity pattern of Gaur is polyphase where feeding is interspersed with
resting and moving. The artificial feeding schedule in the zoo could result in the multiple
foraging peaks in different hours of the day.
There was no information available on defecation rate of gaur in India, which will
help to estimate population of gaur using indirect dung count method. Totally eight individual
gaur was observed for twelve hours for three consecutive days per animal of different age
class resulted in sampling effort of 192 hours. Daily defecation rate was calculated based on
interval time between first and last defecation. Defecation rate of gaur in captivity
(irrespective of age-sex classes) was 6.180.30 per day during monsoon season. Defecation
rate of gaur varied significantly among different age-sex classes with higher defecation rate
for adult animals (6~7 defecations per day), followed by sub-adults and Juveniles (4.50.55)
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