Behaviours of farmed saltwater crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus) housed individually or in groups.

ABSTRACT: Saltwater crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus) are farmed in Australia primarily for their skins and meat. Commercially, they are raised in group pens as hatchlings and grower crocodiles and then moved to unitised (individual) pens for the final finishing stage when they are several years old. They will exhibit aggressive behaviour towards each other in captivity. Unitised pens can prevent animal injury and teeth marks on the skins but may result in other social restrictions. Research into behavioural housing preferences could assist the industry and inform the process of guideline development for optimal crocodile management and welfare. This study assessed the impacts of two housing systems, unitised or group pens, in 20 commercial finishing crocodiles through measuring behavioural pro

SUBMITTER: Campbell DLM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11261483 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature