Social Relationships of Captive Bachelor Przewalski's Horses and Their Effect on Daily Activity and Space Use.
Authors: Nykonenko Anastasiia, Moturnak Yevhen, McLoughlin Philip Dunstan
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Social Relationships and Welfare in Captive Bachelor Przewalski's Horses Understanding how social structures influence behaviour and resource use in endangered equids like Przewalski's horses is crucial both for their immediate welfare in captive settings and for identifying suitable candidates for reintroduction programmes. Researchers observed nine mature male Przewalski's horses housed together at the Askania-Nova Biosphere Reserve over 65 hours during summer 2015, using social-network analysis to map relationships and correlate these with time budgets, activity synchronisation, and spatial distribution patterns. The study revealed three distinct subgroups that naturally formed based on similar dominance and gregariousness profiles; crucially, these subgroups showed significant differences in locomotion and social behaviour, with stronger synchrony of activities occurring within rather than between groups—whilst resting and vigilance remained consistent across all individuals. Resource distribution appeared inequitable according to subgroup membership, with some more subordinate horses underutilising critical areas such as hay and water stations, suggesting potential nutrition and hydration concerns. These findings have direct implications for captive management, indicating that careful spatial configuration and strategic resource placement could enhance welfare for less assertive individuals, and additionally offer a practical framework for pre-reintroduction assessment, where matching social compatibility alongside genetic and health screening may improve the likelihood of successful integration into wild or semi-wild populations.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Consider grouping horses by temperament and dominance level rather than arbitrary cohorts to improve welfare and behavioural compatibility in captive settings
- •Monitor resource distribution carefully when housing bachelor groups, as submissive individuals may be excluded from hay and water—use multiple feeding/watering stations strategically placed
- •Social network analysis and subgroup identification can inform reintroduction candidate selection by identifying individuals with compatible social characteristics and adequate welfare
Key Findings
- •Bachelor Przewalski's horses formed three distinct social subgroups based on similar gregariousness and dominance levels
- •Subgroup membership significantly influenced locomotion, social behaviour, foraging patterns, and space use but not resting or vigilance behaviour
- •Behavioural synchrony was higher within subgroups than between subgroups across all activities
- •Submissive individuals showed unequal access to critical resources (hay and water), suggesting welfare and management optimization opportunities