Why It Is Important to Understand Animal Behavior

Abstract

“Animals should be housed with a goal of maximizing species-specific behaviors and minimizing stress-induced behaviors” ( NRC 1996 , p 22)--a laudable goal, but can it be achieved? The answer is perhaps, but doing so will necessitate addressing some difficult questions. How do we maximize behaviors in an environment that is so different from the one in which the animal evolved its species-typical behaviors? Should the animal be allowed to perform all of its species-typical behaviors or only certain ones? If the latter, how do we choose which ones? How can we recognize and minimize stress-induced behaviors?