Abstract: This study hypothesized that permanently frustrated, appetitive-foraging behavior caused the stereotypic pacing regularly observed in captive carnivores. Using 2 adult female snow leopards (Uncia uncia), solitarily housed in the Zurich Zoo, the study tested this hypothesis experimentally with a novel feeding method: electronically controlled, time-regulated feeding boxes. The expected result of employing this active foraging device as a successful coping strategy was reduced behavioral and physiological measures of stress, compared with a control-feeding regime without feeding boxes. The study assessed this through behavioral observations and by evaluating glucocorticoid levels noninvasively from feces. Results indicated that the 2 snow leopards did not perform successful coping behavior through exercising active foraging behavior or through displaying the stereotypic pacing. The data support a possible explanation: The box-feeding method did not provide the 2 snow leopards with the external stimuli to satisfy their appetitive behavioral needs. Moreover, numerous other factors not necessarily or exclusively related to appetitive behavior could have caused and influenced the stereotypic pacing.

Abstract: The current study presents data on the immobilization and physiological responses of 26 distressed free-ranging snow leopards (Panthera uncia) in the trans-Himalayan regions of Ladakh, India, spanning three years from October 2020 to December 2023. Ketamine and xylazine were utilized in a drug mixture
for rescue, rehabilitation, health assessment, and other capture purposes, with average doses of 6.535 ± 0.93 mgkg−1 and 1.937 ± 0.41 mgkg−1 of body weight, respectively. The average induction occurred at 3.85 ± 1.8 min. Respiratory rate, rectal temperature, and heart rate were monitored periodically post-induction, all remaining within clinically acceptable ranges. Following an average recumbency period of 70.69 ± 16.56 min, immobilizations were reversed using intramuscular injections of Yohimbine at 0.147 ± 0.03 mgkg−1 of body weight, leading to complete recovery within an average time of 24.92 ± 7.08 min. Our findings suggest that the ketamine and xylazine mixture represents a safe and effective method for immobilizing snow leopards, particularly in emergency scenarios.