Enriquecimento ambiental e bem-estar de animais selvagens em cativeiro – uma análise bibliométrica

Abstract

Countless animals are kept in captivity for various reasons, mainly due to the decrease in natural habitat caused by the advancement of the human population, which generates great conflict. Where action of zoos and rehabilitation centers end up being necessary to receive wild animals, providing support, veterinary care, and when possible, reintroduction into the wild. However, a captive environment limits the activity of native animals, where space is reduced and behavior is altered, even while meeting their basic nutrition and health needs. The observation of repetitive behaviors, aggression, low activity, and other stereotypies is very common in animals kept in captivity, caused by stress and decreased well-being. This is how environmental enrichment techniques emerge with the aim of improving the quality of life of captive animals, where management strategies are created that positively stimulate the most natural behavior possible for each species. These stimuli aim to guarantee animal welfare levels within captivity, promoting cognitive abilities and sensory stimuli. Therefore, the main objective of the present work was to survey material related to enrichment techniques applied to wild animals in captivity and expose their respective responses regarding the guarantee of well-being in a captive environment. 37 publications were analyzed between the years 2013 and 2022, using the Google Scholar platform to search for material of interest, and the synthesis describing the enrichment techniques were listed in tabulated tables, following the groups of birds, mammals, and reptiles. It is concluded that the use of environmental enrichments has a strong influence on guaranteeing welfare levels for animals in captivity, being highly recognized among the studies studied.