动物园狮子尝到“野味”
What happens when zoo lions are given a whole animal to eat instead of neatly prepared pieces of meat? According to Australian researchers, they start behaving a lot more like their wild cousins.
The study took place at a safari park in South Australia, home to three adult male African lions. The lions were already on a "feast and fast" diet, meaning they did not eat every day. Keepers then added a whole carcass to the menu every nine days, which the lions could feed on for up to three days.
Eight infrared cameras recorded the animals around the clock for three months. On carcass days, the lions spent almost three times longer eating than usual. They tore, pulled and chewed at the meat, then rested for long periods afterwards. During the fasting days that followed, they gradually became more active – a pattern similar to that of lions in the wild.
Importantly, the change did not make the lions more aggressive towards one another.
The researchers say feeding whole carcasses offers more than good nutrition. It allows the animals to express natural behaviour, which is an important part of their welfare. They also note that a single meal can affect behaviour for days, so keepers should watch the animals over the whole feeding cycle.
如果不给动物园里的狮子切好的肉块，而是给它们一整只动物，会发生什么？澳大利亚的研究人员发现，它们会变得更像野外的同类。
研究在南澳大利亚州的一个野生动物园进行，那里养着三头成年雄性非洲狮。它们原本就是“饱一顿、饿一顿”的喂法，并不天天进食。饲养员在此基础上，每九天给它们一整具动物尸体，狮子最多可以吃上三天。
八台红外摄像机连续三个月、全天候记录狮子的一举一动。有整只猎物的日子里，狮子吃东西的时间几乎是平时的三倍。它们撕扯、拖拽、啃咬，吃完后会休息很长时间。在接下来的禁食期，它们又慢慢活跃起来，和野生狮子的规律很像。
另外，这样喂并没有让狮子之间变得更爱打架。
研究人员表示，喂整只猎物的好处不只是营养，还能让动物表现出天性，这是动物福利很重要的一部分。他们还指出，一顿饭对行为的影响可能持续好几天，所以饲养员应该观察整个喂食周期。