Publications by authors named "Valentina Bertoni"
Article Synopsis
- The study evaluated how the introduction of novel objects and scent stimuli, specifically synthetic facial pheromone (F3), affected the behavior of five adult European wildcats at a zoo in Italy.
- Observations revealed no significant behavioral changes between the different experimental conditions and the baseline, with the exception of less exploration when blocks were present.
- However, wildcats showed changes in inactivity and social behaviors when exposed to rags sprayed with F3, indicating that while visual stimuli had little effect, the semiochemical may influence social dynamics among the animals.
The union or reunion of animals with social groups can be a challenging situation, and little has been published about it when solitary species are concerned. Therefore, the aim of the present study was two-fold: (1) to advocate the need for systematic publications about strategies and the outcomes of reunion episodes in zoos and other facilities; and (2) to describe the behaviour of European wildcats () during one such episode, in which a female cat was reintroduced into her family social group using a gradual reunion procedure and cat appeasing pheromone (CAP) (spot-on). The study comprised three periods: the pre-reunion period (10 days, 20 sessions per wildcat), the post-reunion period (A, 5 days, 10 sessions per wildcat; B, 5 days, 10 sessions per wildcat) and the late-reunion period (5 days, 10 sessions per wildcat).
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