Breeding behavior of captive ungulates of Central India: A case study of Kanan Pendari Zoo, Chhattisgarh

Kanan Pendari Zoo is situated in Bilaspur of Chhattisgarh. This Zoological Garden is extended over 114 hectares of land. The garden is covered with dry and deciduous flora. The garden was established to conserve the wildlife species which were put under different schedules of Wildlife Protection Act-1972. The garden harbors distinct varieties of flora and fauna. The zoo was established in 2004-2005.The zoo belongs more than 50 species of animals. The present study was undertaken to examine the breeding behavior of some captive ungulates in Kanan Pendari Zoo of Bilaspur Chhattisgarh. The results on breeding behavior of Axis axis, Cervus unicolor, and Antilope cervicapra was determined and it was found that the major breeding behavior like smelling, flehmen, scratching, rutting, conflict, mounting, chasing, and courtship were reported.  Several earlier studies carried out in India on wild ungulates are descriptive and have not been able to justify quantitative behavioral responses. The general and breeding behavioral responses were analyzed for a prolonged time period of a day, continuously during different seasons for two years enabling to understand the whole story of origin of stress, production of stress induced behavioral response and consequences of these immediate changes over a period of time noted as alterations of general and breeding biology associated behavioral characteristic. Quantitative categorization in terms of time activity budgeting critically compared the activities of animals during day and night through different seasons. In India, the ungulates in captivity have been studied very less for comprehensive behavioral character analysis during different seasons.  Earlier studies were carried out at least two decades before when in most of the Indian zoos, the animal population size was comparatively low, the cages were small and simple and the role of behavioral science in captive conservation and management was not much understood.  Although, these studies also aimed at focusing the management necessities, somehow it was not achieved in the context of its length and breadth of applicability.