Zoochosis: what is it and how does it appear in captured animals?

Many animals kept in zoos and circuses develop a serious mental disorder.

Zoochosis, also known as Animal Repetitive Abnormal Behavior (ARB), is one of the consequences of the use of animals in zoos and circuses. (ARB), is one of the consequences of the use of animals for human entertainment. It is a behavioral pattern that has been observed in captive animals, especially in large mammals.

In this article we will see what zoochosis is and what are some of its main causes and consequences.

What is zoochosis?

Different species of animals are often used for human entertainment and leisure. Environments such as zoos or circuses represent just some of the most common and at the same time most negative activities for the animals themselves and their ecosystems.

Both visual and written records on captive animals have shown that, sooner or later, those living in captivity deal with frustration and a series of behaviors that are not usual in their natural environments. Although this is an increasingly widespread phenomenon, the latter seems to come as such a surprise that it has been necessary to transfer a term of it has been necessary to transfer a term from human psychopathology to emphasize the negative to emphasize the negative causes of animal captivity.

This term is "zoochosis", which has been described as a phenomenon apparently derived from, or analogous to, psychosis. Ultimately this means that zoochosis is a type of mental disorder that animals in captivity develop.

This, however, has not been scientifically systematized, due to the fact that the experiences of psychosis have a subjective component. experiences of psychosis have an important subjective component for their description (not only observable), which makes it difficult to transfer them directly to animal behaviors. important component for their description (not only observable), which makes it difficult to transfer them directly to animal behaviors.

In any case, the term zoochosis has been useful to study and make visible the negative consequences that life in captivity has on different animals. It is now part of the colloquial language where psychology converges with ethology and animal rights activism. animal rights activism..

Stereotyped behavior in animals

Abnormal Repetitive Behavior, or rather, stereotyped behavior, has been associated in both humans and animals with restrictive environments (Lewis, 2007). This is why zoochosis has also been described as a form of stereotyped behavior of animals living in captivity. stereotypical behavior of animals living in captivity, which accounts for the and that accounts for the serious obstacles that these environments represent for their development.

Stereotyped behavior, as well as other behavioral manifestations, have been especially observed in captive elephants, bears, gorillas, tigers, giraffes and killer whales.

Main causes and behavioral manifestations

As we have seen, zoochosis or stereotyped behaviors in animals is attributed to life in captivity. More specifically, some of the elements that have been proposed as causative of zoochosis are lack of space, which in turn lack of privacy, physical exercise and mental stimulation..

The final consequence of the above is usually self-mutilation and other self-destructive behaviors (Adamiec, 2014). Likewise, walks or strolls that follow the same route without apparent functionality have been observed; rotating and repetitive neck movements; immediate and repeated vomiting after eating; head banging against the wall; excessively violent behaviors, both to other animals and to humans (Stephen, 1993).

After analyzing the specific case of elephants in different U.S. zoos, Dick (2016) tells us that the limited space creates different and severe impediments for elephants to develop in a naturally active way. For example, in their natural environments, elephants can travel up to 50 miles in a single day, which they cannot do in captivity.

Containment and prevention strategies

Continuing with the case of elephants, Dick (2016) discusses how some zoos contain animal behavior. Under the argument that elephants "misbehave", some of them use hooks, whips or wood. Likewise, some offers of entertainment to visitors include car washes done by elephant trunks, spraying water with elephant trunks on cars, and riding on elephant rides (pp. 3-4). The same author discusses the difficulties of feeding them and facilitating their reproduction, as well as strategies for capturing them in the wild..

Other strategies used within zoos to control the behavior of captive animals include the use of medication, specifically anxiolytics and antidepressants, although conditioning techniques are also used (Elisha, 2017).

Finally, an increasing number of different groups have spoken out against life in captivity, for example, through laws focused on animal rights, and in evaluating or denouncing the living conditions in different zoos. In some cases they advocate for the improvement of such conditions, and in others for the return of the animals to their natural environment. Likewise, the creation of pedagogical strategies has been promoted to show the negative consequences of the use of animals in zoos. the negative consequences of the use of animals for entertainment.As a consequence, their presence in circuses has been banned in several countries.

Bibliographical references:

• Elisha, B. (2017). What is zoochosis? Worldatlas. Retrieved August 09, 2018. Available at https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-is-zoochosis.html.
• Dick, R. (2016). The use of elephants in leisure and its negative effects. Illuminare: a student journal in recreation, parks and leisure studies. 14(1): 1-9.
• Adamiec, A. (2014). Sustaining Biodiversity. APES. Recuperado 09 de agosto de 2018. Disponible en http://harborside.kusd.edu/projects/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/anna-adamiec-.pdf.
• Lewis, M., Tanimura, Y. y Lee, L. (2013). Animal models of restricted repetitive behavior in autism. Behav Brain Res. 176(1): 66-74. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2006.08.023.
• Stephen, S. (1993). Join the fight to stamp out zoochosis. Columna En The Sun, Baltimore, Md. Recuperado 09 de agosto de 2018. Disponible en https://search.proquest.com/docview/406825295?accountid=15292.