Vet Med - Czech, 2020, 65(1):1-7 | DOI: 10.17221/135/2019-VETMED

Hibernation behaviour and ethogram of captive Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus)Original Paper

MW Kim1, DH Jeong1, SC Yeon2
1 Species Restoration Technology Institute of Korea National Park Service, Gurye, Republic of Korea
2 Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences and Research Institute for Veterinary Science, Seoul Wildlife Center, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea

This study was undertaken to create an Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus; ABB) ethogram during hibernation and to describe the time budget of hibernating behaviours in ABB. Seven captive adult ABB were included in the study and began hibernation between October and December. Data were collected for three consecutive years (2013-2015) during ABB hibernation (total 169 days) using closed-circuit television. During the study, we observed 21 distinct behaviours in hibernating ABB (4 least active and 17 active behaviours). Five bears started hibernation less than seven days after feeding cessation, and by the end of one week, all bears hibernated. The most commonly observed behaviour was "sleep curling inside nest", and "nest maintenance" was the second most common behaviour. Among the active behaviours, "sitting in the nest", "change stance", "drinking and eating" were mostly shown as documented during the observation times. Our results provide new insights into the hibernating behaviours of ABB.

Keywords: bear; behaviour observation; captive management; re-introduction; winter sleep

Received: September 27, 2019; Accepted: January 3, 2020; Published: January 31, 2020  Show citation

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Kim M, Jeong D, Yeon S. Hibernation behaviour and ethogram of captive Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus). Vet Med - Czech. 2020;65(1):1-7. doi: 10.17221/135/2019-VETMED.
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