An increasing number of videos featuring captive wildlife are being shared on social media, many of which depict animals performing strange, repetitive movements such as swaying their entire bodies, shaking their heads, or walking in circles. Comments on these posts often express amusement, with viewers suggesting the animals are “dancing” or acting “funny”. These videos proliferate because visitors find the behavior unusual and record it to share with friends and family.
This is a dangerous misunderstanding that can lead to serious consequences for the individual animals involved and for captive wildlife in general. Such actions are a clear indicator of poor welfare that requires immediate improvement. In animal science, these strange, repetitive actions are known as stereotypical behavior.
1. What is Stereotypical Behavior?
According to Stanford Medicine, Stereotypic behaviors are malfunctional abnormal behaviors. They are the consequence of an abnormal animal in an abnormal environment. These behaviors are unvarying in form and are performed almost identically on each repetition. Stereotypic behaviors are repetitive and fixed in posture and behavioral sequencing. Stereotypic behaviors are apparently functionless and can develop in strength over time.
In simple terms, these are long-term, meaningless repetitive movements. Common examples include pacing, swaying, head-shaking, biting cage bars, and even self-harm. Experimental evidence suggests that stereotypical behavior is linked to decreased awareness of external events and may function as a coping mechanism for chronic stress or distress. Factors such as inadequate environmental stimulation, social isolation, and highly predictable daily routines can all contribute to their development.
In reality, stereotypical behaviors are not recorded in wild animals, they are only observed in captive animals. This is a sign that the animal is experiencing mental suffering and poor welfare, requiring intervention to end the behavior as soon as possible.
Example of stereotypic behavior observed in animals. Source: GIPHY.
2. How Can Stereotypic Behavior Be Managed?
Solving this issue requires a comprehensive assessment of the behavioral context: observing what the animal does before and after the behavior, what events occur in the environment, the presence of other animals, and the specific time of day the behavior occurs. Identifying the context helps determine the underlying cause. When a specific cause cannot be identified, solutions ranging from simple to complex can be implemented systematically to monitor the animal’s response and evaluate success.
Common causes and solutions include:
- Social Incompatibility: Groups that are poorly matched in terms of size, sex, or personality can cause excessive fear and stress. In such cases, regrouping the animals should be considered.
- Negative stimuli associated with routine husbandry: Daily stressors such as loud noises during cleaning or animal transfers are often unavoidable in captivity. Management should include plans to help animals gradually habituate to these activities, slowly increasing exposure while observing their reactions.
- Monotonous Routines: Predictable daily care schedules can lead to boredom and frustration. To counter this, enrichment plans should be modified.
- Enrichment: Effective and appropriate enrichment can stop stereotypical behaviors. Providing positive stimulation and challenges keeps animals “busy” throughout the day, helping them “forget” to perform stereotypical movements. When an animal is engaged in a task, they have less time for boredom or stress.
However, enrichment plans must be updated and rotated periodically. If a plan remains the same for too long, it becomes predictable and tedious, which may lead to a resurgence of stereotypical behavior. Enrichment can be scheduled by specific hours, days, or seasons, and the order should be varied to avoid high frequency. When introducing a new plan, the animal’s reaction must be closely monitored; for example, a puzzle that is too difficult may cause further stress and frustration. Positive challenges should always be accompanied by a worthwhile reward to ensure satisfaction and encourage further exploration and anticipation.
3. Abnormal Behavior
Abnormal behavior is defined as an atypical response to a specific combination of motivational factors and stimuli. Many abnormal behaviors are considered coping mechanisms for stress. Simply put, these are behaviors that differ from an individual’s daily actions and the natural instincts of the species.
Three known forms of abnormal behavior include:
- Stereotypical behavior.
- Abnormally aggressive behavior.
- Cannibalism: The act of one organism consuming another of the same species. This behavior is not limited to times of food scarcity or nutritional deficiency and has been recorded in many species even under normal environmental conditions.
Abnormal behavior is typically an indicator of physical or mental health issues that require veterinary treatment or improvements to the living environment and welfare standards. Identifying these three types of behavior helps caregivers find appropriate solutions.
Final Thoughts
I hope that, after reading this article, whenever you visit a place where animals are kept under human care whether a zoo, safari park, rescue center, or conservation facility, you will be better able to recognize that behaviors such as swaying, pacing in circles, or repeatedly performing the same movement over an extended period may be signs that an animal is not doing well, rather than something simply “funny” or entertaining. We should also avoid joking about or sharing such images mindlessly, as doing so may unintentionally normalize signs of poor welfare at a captive-animal facility or overlook the possibility that the individual animal has previously experienced chronic stress or psychological distress and is currently undergoing care, treatment, or rehabilitation at a rescue center.
Animal welfare, therefore, is not simply about ensuring that animals are adequately fed or free from disease. More importantly, each individual should be provided with an environment that meets the biological and behavioral needs of its species, allows opportunities to express natural behaviors and experience positive states, and minimizes unnecessary pain and suffering. Understanding animal behavior accurately is therefore an important part of understanding, assessing, and protecting animal welfare.
In the next article, I will explore the topic of animal enrichment in greater detail, an important approach for providing positive stimulation, improving animals’ quality of life, and helping to reduce stereotypic behaviors in animals under human care.
Ngan Khanh Tran
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