An investigation into the Behavior, Sociality and Enclosure Use of Group-Housed Lions and Tigers 1 MedDocs Publishers Received: Apr 06, 2021 Accepted: May 12, 2021 Published Online: May 14, 2021 Journal: Journal of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences Publisher: MedDocs Publishers LLC Online editon: htp://meddocsonline.org/ Copyright: © Pastorino GQ (2021). This Artcle is distributed under the terms of Creatve Commons Atributon 4.0 Internatonal License *Corresponding Author(s): Giovanni Quintavalle Pastorino Faculty of Life Sciences, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, UK. Email: g_pastorino@hotmail.com Journal of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences Open Access | Research Artcle Cite this artcle: Galardi EG, Pastorino GQ, Fabbroni M, Rausa FA, Preziosi R, et al. An investgaton into the Behavior, Sociality and Enclosure Use of Group-Housed Lions and Tigers. J Vet Med Animal Sci. 2021; 4(1): 1068. ISSN: 2640-1223 Elena Giulia Galardi 1 ɟ ; Martna Fabbroni 1 ɟ ; Fabio A Rausa 2 ; Richard Preziosi 4 ; James Edward Brereton 3 ; Giovanni Quintavalle Pastorino 1 * 1 Faculty of Life Sciences, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, UK. 2 Zoo Safari of Fasano, Fasano (BR), Italy. 3 University Centre Sparsholt, Westley Lane, Sparsholt, Winchester, Hampshire, UK. 4 Manchester Metropolitan University, All Saints Building, All Saints, Manchester, England. Keywords: Panthera leo; Panthera tgris; Felid; Social interac- ton; Social network; Afliatve behavior; keeper; Paw treading. Abstract It is common practce in zoological collectons to house lions (Panthera leo) in prides, yet other felid species are typically housed in pairs or singly. This study investgated the efects of group-housing on a pride of 21 lions, and 10 tgers (Panthera tgris) at the Fasano Zoo, Italy. Both species were housed in large, safari-style exhibits, allowing animals to either interact with or avoid conspecifcs. For both spe- cies, measures included behavioral sampling, sociality and assessment of enclosure use. The study revealed that lions spend comparatvely more tme engaged in social behavior, whereas tgers spent more tme engaged in locomoton and maintenance actvites such as grooming. There was no dif- ference in aggression levels between the two species. Social network maps identfed that tgers tended to divide into small, social units, associatng with one or two preferred in- dividuals and generally avoiding others. Lions on the other hand appeared to associate in species-typical prides. With the size of the enclosure and the number of individuals, the group appeared to separate into two well-diferentated prides. Enclosure zone use supported these fndings across both species, showing that for tgers, enclosure zones tend- ed to be used by only a few individuals. By contrast, there were shared enclosure zones which were frequented by members of the two prides, yet relatvely litle crossover in space use between the two groups. The study suggests that for well-established socially-housed tger groups, aggres- sion may not always be elevated and group-housing might be tolerated under certain circumstances, though more re- search would be benefcial before conclusions are drawn. ɟ Equal contributon: Martna Fabbronia and Elena Galardi contributed equally to this work.