Esha Bhattacharya, Upashna Rai, E Vijayakumar, Abhishek Chowdhury, Prishka Pariyar, Sudeb Sarkar
Asiatic Black Bears (Ursus thibetanus) are a Vulnerable species conserved in zoos across India, often sheltered in limited numbers and confined spaces compared to their wild counterparts. This study investigated the effects of housing conditions and enrichment on the behavior of three Asiatic Black Bears (Ruby, Mohini, and Dhruva) at North Bengal Wild Animals Park. Using a standardized ethogram, behavioral observations were conducted through scan sampling in two settings: a confined indoor kraal/display area and a 20-hectare semi-naturalistic outdoor safari area. Behaviors were categorized as active, passive, abnormal, and out-of-sight over three consecutive days in each setting. Ruby showed significantly reduced active behavior in the safari (50.00 ± 5.00 min) compared with the indoor area (127.67 ± 7.67 min), as she remained out-of-sight engaging in exploration and foraging. Mohini showed decreased passive and increased active behavior, while Dhruva showed no significant changes. Enrichment significantly increased active behavior in all bears and reduced abnormal behaviors like pacing and bar-licking in Ruby and Dhruva. This highlights the importance of appropriate housing and enrichment in promoting species-specific behaviors and improving captive bear welfare.