The Significance of Abnormal and Stereotypical Behaviour

Stereotypical behaviour is defined as prolonged, repetitive and purposeless behaviour that does not occur naturally in the wild. Essentially, they are strategies used by the animal to cope with frustration and lack of behavioural satisfaction in an environment that does not satisfy the animal’s needs. Thus, stereotypical behaviour is an important indicator of poor welfare and a frustrated, unhappy animal.

Video from the Captive Animal Protection Society in the UK, explaining stereotypical behavior in zoo animals.

Although the above video may be biased, it makes some good points, and provides an explanation and examples of stereotypical behavior.

In Dutch, the verb “ijsberen” literally means “to polar bear”, and is referring to the action of pacing up and down tirelessly. Species that are characterized by large home ranges and daily travel distances tent to demonstrate higher levels of stereotypical behaviours in zoos. Further, polar bears are famous for their stereotypic behaviour. Research has indicated that polar bears seem to be the one captive mammal that is most likely to display stereotypical behaviour. Common stereotypical behaviours in polar bears include

• pacing
• stereotypical swimming
• paw licking
• head swinging.

In a sample of 39 captive bears, it was reported that the median percentage of time spent engaged in stereotypic behaviour was 10-30%, but ranged as high as 50-70% (Shephearson et al., 2004).

Stereotypical pacing behavior (video)

Stereotypical head bobbing and pacing