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Journal of Veterinary Behavior (2007) 2, 73-76

ASE REPORT

se of fluoxetine to treat stereotypical pacing behaviorn a brown bear (Ursus arctos)

bru Yalcin, DVM, PhD, Nilufer Aytug, Prof Dr

epartment of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Uludag University, Bursa, Turkey.

Abstract A 12-year-old, male, brown bear (Ursus arctos) named Abdi exhibited stereotypical pacingbehavior. He was kept as a pet for 10 years by local villagers, then he was rescued and taken to theKaracabey Bear Sanctuary in July 2001. His physical condition was extremely poor. Because he hadnever lived with other bears, he was terrified and refused to integrate with them. After 6 months he washealthy physically but observations by the keepers indicated that he was pacing all day. He was treatedwith fluoxetine (0.62 mg/kg orally every 24 hours) for 6 months, and had been observed totally for 18months. After stereotypy ceased completely, he was transferred to the large naturalistic enclosure anddid not show any stereotypical behavior during the subsequent observation period (1 year). He wastreated successfully using a combination of fluoxetine, the provisioning of extra space, and the additionof novel stimulation in a naturalistic enclosure. The space and stimulation could be sufficient to mimicthe therapeutic effect of the pharmacological therapy in the long term.© 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

KEYWORDS:bear;stereotypical pacing;fluoxetine

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ntroduction

stereotypy is an intentional repetitive behavior—a non-unctional, non injurious, highly predictable sequencing ofctions, often carried out in a specific and rhythmic mannerBeaver, 1992). ‘Stereotypies’ or ‘stereotypic behaviors’ave long been interchangeably defined as repetitive, un-arying and apparently functionless behavior patterns (Ma-on, 1991). Captive bears seem to be particularly suscepti-le to stereotypies. In a survey of stereotypies in 33arnivore species, ursids displayed both the highest fre-uency and maximum prevalence compared to other fami-ies (e.g., canids and felids) (Clubb and Mason, 2001). Aseems typical of bears, and indeed all carnivores (Clubb andason, 2001), locomotory stereotypies, such as pacing,

Address reprint requests and correspondence: Ebru Yalcin, PhD, De-artment of Clinical Science, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Uludagniversity, Mudanya Cd. No. 2, Bursa, Turkey. Tel.: �90 224 234 765-233 52 84; Fax: 90 224 234 63 95.

mE-mail: yalcine@uludag.edu.tr

558-7878/$ -see front matter © 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.oi:10.1016/j.jveb.2007.04.001

redominated (Meyer-Holzapfel, 1957; Langenhorst, 1998;mes, 2000). Stereotypic pacing is the rhythmic walk tone side of an enclosure, the flip of the head while turning,nd the walk to the other side before repeating the turnBeaver, 1992). Ursids or felids engage in stereotypies (e.g.,ead weaving, head throw back, and pacing) during 60% to0% of the day (Wechsler, 1991). Brown bears in the wildpend approximately 50% of their time on active behaviorsRoth, 1983) of which approximately 50% is spent on for-ging activities (Atwell et al., 1980; Phillips, 1987).

Many studies have attempted to alleviate bear stereotyp-es, usually by enrichment (Carlstead et al., 1991; Forthmant al., 1992; Fischbacher and Schmid, 1999; Swaisgoodt al., 2001), but also with the use of homeopathic (Jordan-wers, 2003), anti-depressant, (Poulsen et al., 1996, 1998),

nd anti-psychotic (Uchida and Dodman, 1998) drugs. These of psychotropic medications has become increasinglyore common in veterinary medicine and combined with

ehavior and environmental modification, the use of variousypes of anxiolytics and anti-depressants has made the treat-

ent of various disorders increasingly more successful. Use

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74 Journal of Veterinary Behavior, Vol 2, No 3, May/June 2007

f haloperidol in a bear was partially effective but did notesult in a sufficient change in the bear’s behavior, althoughelatonin has been shown to reduce isolation-induced dis-

ress vocalization and seemed to be useful in the treatmentf separation anxiety in this bear (Beaver, 1998). Althoughuoxetine is not approved for use in animals, veterinariansave been recommending its use in an off-label manner toreat a variety of behavioral problems in companion ani-als. Dogs with problem behaviors such as compulsive

isorder, separation anxiety, aggression, and various phobiconditions have been helped through the conscientious usef fluoxetine (Beaver, 1992; Simpson and Simpson, 1996;oulsen et al., 1996). Poulsen et al. (1996) treated stereo-

ypical pacing behavior in a captive polar bear with fluox-tine.

aterial studied

12-year-old, male, brown bear (Ursus arctos), “Abdi,”ad stereotypical pacing behavior. The bear was born in theild in February 1992 and his mother was shot by hunters

n the Kure Mountains. He was taken by local villagers to beept as a pet. He was left unattended on the end of a shorthain in the heat of the sun and in the cold, rain, and snowor 2 years. After 2 years on the end of the short chain, he livedor 8 more years isolated, in a tiny, concrete floor cage (2 m �

m). Villagers fed and watered the bear from a dark holeut never cleaned the cage. Abdi was rescued in July 2001nd taken to the Karacabey Bear Sanctuary. His physicalondition was extremely poor. In the Karacabey Sanctuary,e was kept alone in a concrete indoor–outdoor exhibiteparated with a fence from the large outdoor enclosureefore he was released into the large enclosure with otherears. He preferred to be in the indoor enclosure for theost part. After 1 month he was mixed with 2 female

neutered) bears in an attempt to socialize him to his con-pecifics, but Abdi was forced to remain alone because evenhe sight of other bears in nearby enclosures frightened himo much that he refused to come out of his den. Fearing foris physical and emotional health, Abdi was moved to amall indoor–outdoor enclosure where he could see butould not have direct physical contact with the other bears.fter 6 months he gained weight and reached a normalear’s condition but he still was afraid of other bears and didot socialize with them. Keepers noticed that whenever heas outside, he was pacing.

ousing

is enclosure was 200 m2 outdoors and 16 m2 indoors.here was a concrete pool in the outdoor enclosure. It waseparated by a fence and hot wire from the large bear

nclosure (40,000 m2) where 28 brown bears were living. b

he enclosure had direct sunlight and shaded areas and itas cleaned daily by use of a hose.

ealth status

hen rescued in 2001, Abdi’s physical condition was ex-remely poor. After immobilization with 5 mg/kg zolaz-pam–tiletamine (Zoletile), he was examined clinically andlood samples were taken. There was no abnormality exceptis dull coat and alopecia in various areas. Results of theBC and serum biochemical tests were within normal limitsnd fecal examination was positive for nematodes. Abdieceived ivermectin (200 �g/kg of body weight, orally ev-ry 30 days) for treatment of ectoparasites considered re-ponsible for chronic, intermittent, recurring alopecia andssociated pruritus. His diet included fruits, vegetables,uts, and meat that were offered 3 times daily. Although heid not eat all of his food in the first few days after rescue,e started to eat normally during the second week. By thend of 6 months of treatment the bear was consideredealthy by means of visual examination; obvious clinicalbnormalities were not identified.

bservations

ll observations were carried out by the same person, po-itioned at the upper deck. The observer noted the amount ofontinuous time spent engaged in a particular behaviorduration of bout) and the number of times a bout of be-avior was observed (number of bouts) in each 2-houression. Percentage of time spent in stereotyped behavioras evaluated and social interaction was assessed. He wasbserved for 1 day in 1 week, in 2 sessions, each observa-ion time was 1 hour (10:00-11:00/14:00-15:00), and totalbservation time was 144 hours in 18 months. Although itas not ideal, observation day included videotaping for 1our because the bear sanctuary is far from the city center.dditionally, bear keepers made observations every day andoted any unusual changes. Equipment was placed on thepper deck, which allowed approximately 100% of thenclosure to be videotaped. A daily log was kept, andertinent information was recorded.

tereotypies

bdi spent most of his time pacing continuously in front ofhe door to the outdoor quarters. He used 20% of his outdoornclosure. He never used the pool. He paced all the timether than when he was feeding or sleeping. When weonsider the observation times, a typical day consisted of 35acing bouts, each of which lasted a mean of 40 minutes.outs ranged from less than 30 minutes to 2 hours. Pacing

outs were composed of a mean 90 cycles. Each pacing

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75Yalcin and Aytug Use of fluoxetine to treat stereotypical pacing behavior in a brown bear

ycle, up and back along the length of a wall once, took 20econds to complete. Grouping subjects of the same speciess generally considered as a way to decrease boredom, evenf the species is essentially solitary in nature. We took somealm bears to Abdi’s enclosure gradually. When other bearsere taken to the same enclosure for socialization he wasacing as if they were not around. He never tried to catchood during feeding times, so we decided to leave him alonentil the amount of stereotyped behavior decreased, whichook 6 months.

luoxetine administration

ased on the experience of Poulsen et al. (1996), 0.62g/kg fluoxetine was given every morning as 20-mg cap-

ules (Depreks, Eczacibasi, Turkey) hidden in his favoriteood (bread with raisins and nuts). Observations by theeepers indicated that the bear consumed the bread thatontained the drug. Five observation periods were included:retreatment phase (30 days before starting treatment), firstreatment phase (0-30 days), second treatment phase (30-20 days), third treatment phase (120-180 days), and post-reatment phase (180-550 days).

esults

uring the pretreatment phase, Abdi paced 80% of thebservation time. He paced for 35 pacing bouts, boutsanging from 20-25 minutes. Pacing bouts were composedf a mean 90 cycles. Each pacing cycle, up and back alonghe length of a wall once, took 20 seconds to complete.imilarly, during the first phase 0-30 days, the number ofaces and the time he spent occupied with pacing were theame, between Days 30-120, a decrease in the number ofacing bouts was observed 25 pacing bouts, and boutsanged from 10-15 minutes. Pacing bouts were composed ofmean 70 cycles and he occupied 60% of the total obser-

ation time pacing. Each pacing cycle, up and back alonghe length of a wall once, took 10 seconds to complete. Onhe third phase (Days 120-180), pacing became progres-ively shorter, 5 pacing bouts, with bouts lasting approxi-ately 5 minutes with him occupied with pacing 10% of the

otal observation time. Pacing bouts were composed of aean 10 cycles. Each pacing cycle, up and back along the

ength of a wall once, took 10 seconds to complete. He wasot pacing during the observation time on Week 23, so wevaluated the situation as “stereotypy is ceased.” We con-inued to administer medication for 2 more weeks, then theuoxetine was ceased and he was released to the largenclosure. During an observation period lasting 1 year, heid not show any stereotyped behavior and after a few daysn the large enclosure, he had good relationships with the

ther bears. t

iscussion

tereotypies often arise when a captive animal has pro-onged exposure to an ecologically relevant problem that its incapable of solving within its enclosure (Shepherdson,989). Well-developed stereotypies are often termed ‘estab-ished’ (Ödberg, 1978; Mason, 1991), a term that representsne extreme of a range of developmental stages. Althoughhere seems to be no generally accepted means of distin-uishing ‘established’ from ‘developing’ stereotypies, theormer are generally classified on the basis that they occupyore time (Cronin and Wiepkema, 1984; Mason, 1993).tereotypies typically become more frequent (i.e., occupyn increasing proportion of time) as they develop (Croninnd Wiepkema, 1984; Mason, 1993; Cooper et al., 1996).uring their development stereotypies are thought to be-

ome more ‘internally controlled’ and therefore increas-ngly difficult to interrupt with external stimuli because thenimal pays less attention to its environment (Fentress,976; Fentress, 1977). In support of this, animals withell-established stereotypies have sometimes been reported

o be ‘not mentally alert’ or ‘trance-like’ while stereotypingCronin and Wiepkema, 1984; Ormrod, 1992; Moon-Fanellind Dodman, 1998). Among 29 Asiatic black bears and sunears, an individual’s age (ranging between 1.5-11 years)as correlated significantly with its stereotypy frequency,ith older bears spending more time stereotyping (Vickery

nd Mason, 2003). When we consider Abdi’s history thatan be effective on the development of his stereotypy, hisnsensitivity to his environment, his age, and the time heccupied with pacing (80% of the observation time), histereotypy was evaluated as “established.” Established ste-eotypies are more difficult to interrupt with external stimuliCronin and Wiepkema, 1984; Sambraus, 1985). W e d e -ided to treat him medically. The use of psychotropicedications has become increasingly more common in

eterinary medicine and combined with behavior andnvironmental modification, the use of various types ofnxiolytics and anti-depressants has made the treatmentf various disorders increasingly more successful (Simp-on and Simpson, 1996). The selective 5-HT reuptakenhibitor (SSRI) fluoxetine exerts a rate-dependent effect ontereotypies by increasing stereotypies in low-stereotypingoles and decreasing stereotypies in high-stereotypersÖdberg and Mers, 1998). In the bear described here, theessation of the stereotypical behavior was maintained afterhe medical therapy (fluoxetine hydrochloride administra-ion 0.62 mg/kg orally every 24 hours) was discontinued.e was released to a naturalistic large bear enclosure ande was observed for 1 year. He did not pace when in theoncrete enclosure or in the large enclosure, he was active,nd had contact with other bears.

The results of the present study suggest that pharmaco-herapy reduced stereotypical behavior in this case and theear remained active and social in the naturalistic environ-ent of the large bear enclosure. These results are similar to

he results seen by Poulsen et al. (1996) in their study of

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76 Journal of Veterinary Behavior, Vol 2, No 3, May/June 2007

olar bears treated with fluoxetine for stereotypic behavior.his indicates that pharmacologic manipulation of the se-

otonergic system can eliminate stereotypical behaviorsafely (Poulsen et al., 1996). Additionally, providing extrapace and novel stimulation after ceasing medical therapy,ould be sufficient to mimic the therapeutic effect of theharmacological therapy in the long term.

onclusion

n conclusion it was observed that behavioral pharmaco-herapy can be very effective in eliminating persistent ste-eotypical behaviors in bears and a naturalistic exhibitesign has a very important role together with pharmaco-herapy to maintain non stereotypical locomotor behavior.

cknowledgments

We are grateful to ProAnimale Germany for financialupport for the fluoxetine hydrochloride.

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