EVALUATION OF VISITOR EFFECTS ON THE BEHAVIOR OF LIONS PANTHERA LEO (LINNAEUS, 1758)
The article is devoted to the study of Visitor Effects on the behavior of lions Panthera leo in three Russia zoos (Moscow, Yaroslavl and Sochi). It has been shown that an important factor of the animal welfare is keeping in spacious aviaries and the presence of shelters in them. This allows the animals to self-regulate the level of stimulation from the zoo visitors. Thus, in the Yaroslavl and Moscow zoos, where animals were kept in large aviaries, lions did not exhibit stereotypical behavior, and the presence of visitors aroused interest in the animals, and an increase in their activity was observed. In the Sochi zoo, lions were kept in a small aviary; these animals showed stereotypical behavior, the level of which increased in the presence of visitors to the zoo. In addition, research has shown that active animals are more attractive to zoo visitors.