Aplicación de enriquecimiento ambiental para la disminución de signos de estrés en psitácidos que se encuentran cautivos dentro del área de cuarentena del "Zoológico El Pantanal".

Abstract

Zoos are responsible of caring for various species that are in danger, so it is necessary to implement and maintain a healthy environment to prevent them from suffering emotionally, physically and psychologically, in order to maintain their well-being. The present work took place in “El Pantanal" Zoo, located at Km 23 of Daule road, with the objective of applying environmental enrichment to reduce the signs of stress in psittacines. This consisted of taking notes during the first two weeks about what movements the birds had marked and how the environment was where they remained in captivity, various types of enrichments were used (food, physical and sensory) with materials that simulate what they could find naturally. This helped the birds to be active and feel calmer. All this was recorded in an ethogram that was divided into three parts: before, during and after the enrichment, it was carried out 4 times a week and gradually extended until the weekends. The enrichments were divided according to the needs of each species and rotated daily from them, so that when they saw a different object, the birds felt curious and kept busy with the enrichment, this supports the hypothesis that to improve the health of the psittacines in captivity it is necessary to place objects that can be used for distraction and entertainment of the same.