Self-directed behavior reflects social stress in captive Asian elephants
Self-directed behaviors (SDBs), such as scratching, self-grooming, and body shaking, have been widely used as indicators of anxiety and social stress in non-human primates. However, research focused on SDB outside the primate range is still in infancy. Expanding this topic to other species can suppo...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Veterinary Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2025.1629664/full |
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| author | Sofia Vilela Peini Chen So Murakami Yusuke Tanabe Shinya Yamamoto Shinya Yamamoto |
| author_facet | Sofia Vilela Peini Chen So Murakami Yusuke Tanabe Shinya Yamamoto Shinya Yamamoto |
| author_sort | Sofia Vilela |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Self-directed behaviors (SDBs), such as scratching, self-grooming, and body shaking, have been widely used as indicators of anxiety and social stress in non-human primates. However, research focused on SDB outside the primate range is still in infancy. Expanding this topic to other species can support animal welfare assessments and enhance comparative social studies. This study investigates whether SDB levels can reflect the social stress experienced in Asian elephants (Elephas maximus). Using all-occurrences and focal sampling on four captive individuals, we compared post-conflict SDB levels in victims to their baseline levels. Furthermore, changes in group composition during the study allowed us to examine whether individual baseline SDBs varied with social stress, measured as victimization rates across settings. Finally, we assessed whether there was any relation between levels of SDBs and stereotypic behavior. Results showed an increase in SDB levels in the victims after aggression compared to baselines, especially for behaviors recorded as counts. An estimated 39.8% increase in expected SDB counts was associated with the post-conflict context (E = 0.335, p = 0.024). The SDBs that differed more prominently were touch mouth, head shake, dust bathing, and trunk curled inwards (p < 0.05). Regarding baselines, two individuals increased their basal SDB levels when their rates as victims were the highest, although only one reached marginal significance. An individual who was never recorded as the recipient of aggression revealed remarkably low SDB levels. This study identified specific SDBs induced by social stress in Asian elephants and suggests SDB as a potential good indicator of their wellbeing. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-64cde6688d0e44a09e1c5766f40f26df |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2297-1769 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Veterinary Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-64cde6688d0e44a09e1c5766f40f26df2025-08-20T03:44:54ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Veterinary Science2297-17692025-06-011210.3389/fvets.2025.16296641629664Self-directed behavior reflects social stress in captive Asian elephantsSofia Vilela0Peini Chen1So Murakami2Yusuke Tanabe3Shinya Yamamoto4Shinya Yamamoto5Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto, JapanFaculty of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto, JapanFaculty of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto, JapanFaculty of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto, JapanGraduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto, JapanInstitute for the Future of Human Society, Kyoto University, Kyoto, JapanSelf-directed behaviors (SDBs), such as scratching, self-grooming, and body shaking, have been widely used as indicators of anxiety and social stress in non-human primates. However, research focused on SDB outside the primate range is still in infancy. Expanding this topic to other species can support animal welfare assessments and enhance comparative social studies. This study investigates whether SDB levels can reflect the social stress experienced in Asian elephants (Elephas maximus). Using all-occurrences and focal sampling on four captive individuals, we compared post-conflict SDB levels in victims to their baseline levels. Furthermore, changes in group composition during the study allowed us to examine whether individual baseline SDBs varied with social stress, measured as victimization rates across settings. Finally, we assessed whether there was any relation between levels of SDBs and stereotypic behavior. Results showed an increase in SDB levels in the victims after aggression compared to baselines, especially for behaviors recorded as counts. An estimated 39.8% increase in expected SDB counts was associated with the post-conflict context (E = 0.335, p = 0.024). The SDBs that differed more prominently were touch mouth, head shake, dust bathing, and trunk curled inwards (p < 0.05). Regarding baselines, two individuals increased their basal SDB levels when their rates as victims were the highest, although only one reached marginal significance. An individual who was never recorded as the recipient of aggression revealed remarkably low SDB levels. This study identified specific SDBs induced by social stress in Asian elephants and suggests SDB as a potential good indicator of their wellbeing.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2025.1629664/fullaggressionanxietyanimal wellbeingwelfare assessmentnon-invasive toolanimal management |
| spellingShingle | Sofia Vilela Peini Chen So Murakami Yusuke Tanabe Shinya Yamamoto Shinya Yamamoto Self-directed behavior reflects social stress in captive Asian elephants Frontiers in Veterinary Science aggression anxiety animal wellbeing welfare assessment non-invasive tool animal management |
| title | Self-directed behavior reflects social stress in captive Asian elephants |
| title_full | Self-directed behavior reflects social stress in captive Asian elephants |
| title_fullStr | Self-directed behavior reflects social stress in captive Asian elephants |
| title_full_unstemmed | Self-directed behavior reflects social stress in captive Asian elephants |
| title_short | Self-directed behavior reflects social stress in captive Asian elephants |
| title_sort | self directed behavior reflects social stress in captive asian elephants |
| topic | aggression anxiety animal wellbeing welfare assessment non-invasive tool animal management |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2025.1629664/full |
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