Stereotyping is a behavioral disorder that often occurs in animals that are not kept in their natural habitat. The rhythmic weaving with the head, which is typical for elephants, or the up and down running, which occurs with cats of prey, are widely known examples.
The lack of cognitive and sensory stimulation plays a decisive role, as well as the lack of possibility to follow the species-typical behavior. Another important trigger is fixed feeding times.

Since zoos in particular are often confronted with this problem, the team has decided to focus on this area of use. The goal of the project is the documentation and prevention of stereotypical behavior in predators, especially the fossa.

This is to be achieved by an interactive system that, installed in the animal enclosure, simulates the hunting of a bird (or other food animals).
Wirelessly connected stations with loudspeakers reproduce animal sounds that the predator can follow. When the animal reaches one of the stations, it registers the approach and stops playing the sound. Now another loudspeaker starts playing animal sounds.
This technique encourages the animal to hunt all over the enclosure until it finally reaches the last station - the feeder. This is where the effort finally pays off for the animal in the form of feeding (with fresh meat).
At the same time, a camera attached to the edge of the enclosure records the entire course of use and movement of the animal and creates a heat map. With the help of this heat map, it is possible to determine objectively afterward when and where stereotypes occurred.

Stereotypical Pacing

Automated evaluation of the course of the movement.

The project combines the improvement of the living conditions of animals in captivity - called enrichment - with a reliable documentation method for stereotypical pacing. Especially for the latter, there is no commercially available product for zoos on the market yet.
In contrast to most enrichment offerings, the solution actively promotes the natural hunting behavior of predators and takes into account the entire available space around the animal. In addition, it can be flexibly configured and adapted by the keeper, and by partially automating the feeding process, it can be used to relieve the workload on the keeper.