Research of foraging and resting behaviour of European ground squirrel (<italic>Spermophilus citellus</italic>) in conditions of zoological garden as a tool for its restitution back to the wild

We decided to focus our research on two basic forms of behaviour occurring in colonies of ground squirrels in semi-natural conditions of zoological gardens-foraging and resting behaviour.

Our main goal was to perform an analysis of behaviour of ground squirrels living in captivity and to compare these two categories of behaviour on a set timeline. Our research has been performed throughout the span of years 2011and 2012, during which we were able to observe two separate ground squirrel colonies (A, B). In the analytical part, we described the two main forms of ground squirrels’ behaviour in Zoo Bojnice and we subjected the compiled information to a thorough statistical analysis with the aid of main comparison tools. Based on long-term observation and the analysis of the results, we were able to gather detailed information about the two behaviour categories and their duration within a time frame.

The results from the year 2011 confirmed that ground squirrel’s behaviour, bred in captivity, the display of foraging behaviour is the most frequent during the day, as was also observed in wild ground squirrels recorded by Ambros (Ambros, 1999). Within the year 2011 (without human activity) foraging behaviour reaches two peaks with raised frequencies of display, in the daily time periods, the first from 9 to 11 am and the second from 2.30 to 5 pm. We noted a change in behaviour in 2012, when there was a reconstruction nearby the enclosures. These reconstructive activities influenced the behaviour (significant decrease of activity) of the ground squirrels in the presence of the assigned workers approximately until 3 pm, from which time-also in connection with the lessening of the worker’s presence-the foraging behaviour of ground squirrels began to rise rapidly, which held the peak on until 5 pm. Resting behaviour had only one peak with rising trend during the day in dependence on rising temperature of bedding in the enclosure, on which ground squirrels used to sunbathe. These findings give us valuable information about ground squirrels’ behaviour in captivity as well as behaviour influenced by human presence, what can be used in behavioural research of ground squirrels in the wild.