Background

The Yellow-throated marten (Martes flavigula) is a species that rises in popularity in European zoos and it is said to be more social and arboreal than other marten species. The zoo-population is threatened by inbreeding and low reproductive success with high neonatal mortality. Stereotypic behaviour is said to be common so to increase welfare and reproductive success for this species it is urgent to collect information about its behaviour from zoos.

Aims of the thesis

1. To collect information through a questionnaire from all holding institutions about their Yellow-throated marten exhibits, husbandry routines and behaviour of their martens.

2. To use this information as input to a Best Practice Manual for the species according to the EAZA’s criteria.

3. To make a studbook analysis concerning reproductive success in each institution to see, if some institutions or individuals are more successful than others and to analyse if there is a negative correlation between size of the litters and inbreeding.

4. Based on the questionnaire, select institutions keeping their martens together all year round for conducting behavioural observations with the goal to;

Evaluate and compare exhibit use, activity budget, social – and stereotypic behaviour in two categories of exhibits;
two open air, >500m² exhibits and two roofed, <50m² exhibits