During winter in the northern hemisphere, particularly in the higher latitudes, some people’s bodies long for the sun so much that they develop a seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, becoming joyless and depressed. SAD is relatively common in humans, but this phenomenon isn’t unique to humans.
When animals are moved from their native habitats to new locations — such as being transferred from southern to northern latitudes — they undergo similar consequences, experiencing their own version of SAD. This is particularly problematic when it comes to zoo animals, says Kristine Gandia of the University of Stirling.
Gandia’s team wanted to understand how SAD affects zoo animals, so they picked 11 giant pandas to study. Pandas do not hibernate (冬眠) during winter. They live in the bamboo forests of the mountain ranges in south central China, particularly in Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu provinces, which are located much farther south than Scotland. They make great study subjects because many zoos have panda cameras, which means that the animals can be viewed remotely and quietly. Gandia along with her twelve colleagues dedicated a year to analyzing videos of pandas from five distinct zoos — some inside the animals’ natural habitat range and others in the higher latitudes of the northern climates. Unsurprisingly, their findings revealed that “pandas in zoos showed reduced activity levels compared to those within their latitudinal range.”
People try to reduce the bad effects of SAD in winter. Some spend more time outside, especially in the morning. Some travel to places with more sun in winter. Gandia says zoos can do similar things. “With the indoor enclosures (圈地), you can control light and temperature. If you make the lighting like their native habitats, it can help animals follow their natural rhythms,” says Gandia. “Creating an environment that mimics the conditions in which creatures evolved to live can not only make them healthier and happier, but also preserve struggling species.”
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