Large carnivores play a crucial role in their native ecosystems, but their populations are rapidly declining across the African continent. West Africa is no exception, with large protected areas often forming the last strongholds for these species. Little is known about the population status and ecology of large carnivores in the region, hampering the design and implementation of effective conservation strategies. We conducted a camera-trap survey during the dry season in Niokolo-Koba National Park, the largest terrestrial protected area in Senegal and the second largest in West Africa, to investigate the spatio-temporal ecology of the four large carnivores inhabiting the Park: the spotted hyaena Crocuta crocuta, leopard Panthera pardus, West African lion Panthera leo leo and African wild dog Lycaon pictus. Spotted hyaenas and leopards had the widest spatial distribution and highest probability of site use. Spotted hyaena site use was positively associated with leopard relative abundance index and negatively associated with normalized difference vegetation index, whereas only distance to the nearest road influenced leopard site use. Distance to the Gambian River was the most important covariate positively affecting site use by lions. African wild dog site use was negatively associated with the relative abundance indices of lions and leopards. Lions, spotted hyaenas and leopards showed strong overlap in their activity patterns. By providing new information on the ecology of large carnivores in West Africa, including where they range and which habitats are critical for their survival, our study will facilitate conservation planning. Our findings lay the foundations for future research to conserve these threatened species in West Africa effectively and to guide ranger patrol efforts, which are key for their long-term survival.

Urbanization of natural landscapes and increasing human populations have brought people and our companion animals into closer contact with wildlife, even within protected areas. To provide guidance for human–wildlife coexistence, it is therefore critical to understand the effects of anthropogenic disturbances and how well native wildlife species survive in human-dominated landscapes. We investigated the spatio-temporal responses of 10 vertebrate taxa, with an emphasis on the Endangered Eld's deer Rucervus eldii thamin, to anthropogenic disturbances in Shwesettaw Wildlife Sanctuary, Myanmar. We quantified anthropogenic disturbances as distance from human settlements, distance from a highway, and the presence of people and free-ranging dogs Canis familiaris. Anthropogenic disturbances had stronger negative impacts on the detection of native wildlife species than on occupancy. Eld's deer avoided areas close to human settlements and showed low diel activity overlap with both people and dogs, although we found a positive association with human presence at the camera-trap sites. Five species exhibited lower diel activity overlap with people in the rainy season when human activity is the highest in our study area. All studied wildlife species shifted to nocturnal activity or did not show any clear activity pattern during the cool-dry season when the presence of dogs increased. The ecological and conservation impacts of dogs are underestimated in South-east Asia, particularly in Myanmar, and this case study highlights the impacts of dogs on the temporal use of habitat by wildlife and the need for better practices in the management of dogs within protected areas.

The island of Bawean, Indonesia, is home to the endemic Bawean warty pig Sus verrucosus blouchi and Bawean deer Axis kuhlii. Despite their threatened status, no long-term monitoring programme is in place for either species. Using random encounter and occupancy modelling based on 4,516 camera-trap days in 2014 and 2015 we aimed to provide population estimates and ecological data, including habitat preferences, for these species. For the Bawean warty pig we estimate an overall population size of 234–467 mature individuals and demonstrate a negative correlation between probability of occupancy and distance from villages. This preference for human-modified habitat has implications for human–wildlife conflict and hunting pressure for this species. The population of the Bawean deer could not be estimated because of the low number of encounters, but we suggest that this indicates the population is considerably smaller than previously reported. As island endemics, the Bawean warty pig and Bawean deer are particularly vulnerable to threats, and appropriate measures for safeguarding the species need to be taken.

The prevalence of feline obesity is influenced by numerous factors, including inactivity and overconsumption of food. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of feeding frequency on physical activity in adult cats. A total of twelve healthy adult cats were used in a cross-over study consisting of 32 d. In each of the two periods, six cats were fed either two meals or four meals daily. Throughout the study, cats were fed the same diet at amounts to maintain body weight and body condition score. Cats were individually housed 4 h/d at each scheduled feeding time, while for the other 20 h, cats were group-housed to allow for voluntary physical activity in the room with a 16 h light–8 h dark cycle. Voluntary activity levels were evaluated using Actical activity collars for seven consecutive days in each period. Daily average activity level for two-meal-fed cats (20·04 (sem 2·19), activity counts/epoch (15 s)) was not different from four-meal-fed cats (20·14 (sem 2·15), activity counts/epoch (15 s); P>0·05). In conclusion, when group-housed cats are fed to maintain their body weight and body condition score, varied feeding frequency between twice and four times daily may not affect activity levels.

Meaningful engagement in activity is associated with the maintenance of health and wellbeing, but reduced activity participation is common among persons with dementia. Family care-givers play an important role in engaging their relatives with dementia in activities but little is known about their perception of occupational engagement. This study aimed to examine care-givers’ perception of occupational performance of their relatives from three aspects: person, occupation and environment. Adopting a qualitative methodology, semi-structured and in-depth interviews were conducted with 14 family care-givers. Care-givers were also asked to document the activity patterns of their relative, using the Activity Card Sort Hong Kong version (ACS-HK). The ACS-HK findings suggested that high-demand leisure activities were mostly retained (61%) while instrumental activities of daily living were the least retained (37%). Qualitative analysis revealed that care-givers’ perception of activity participation was intertwined with their motives and behaviours to get their relatives engaged in activities. Care-givers acknowledged occupational engagement as a means of maintaining wellness and used various strategies to encourage their relative's activity participation. Apathy and passivity, however, are difficult to deal with. Also, activity decisions appear to depend on the availability of support resources and a balance between safety concern and risk-taking. Clinical practitioners could assist care-givers by suggesting activity strategies and providing support resources for continued engagement of their relative in activities.

Two mixed-species bird flocks were studied in a high-altitude humid secondary forest in the Andes of Ecuador. Birds were mist-netted and colour-ringed for individual identification. The flocks (A and B) were followed to record structure, dynamics, home range and activity pattern. All observations of the two flocks studied included members from all vertical levels, which is different from flocks of Amazonia. In two nucleus species, some individuals alternated between the flocks, a feature not previously reported. Various tanagers were loosely associated, joining and leaving flocks. Minimum home-range sizes of flocks A and B were 4.2 ha and 7.8 ha, respectively. Some individuals of two species used an area encompassing the home ranges of both flocks. Mean flock sizes in A and B were 21.7 and 44.7 individuals, whereas the mean numbers of species were 13.7 and 21.7, respectively. Number of species and individuals were high compared to even most lowland flocks. Altogether, mixed-species flocks in different habitats and at various latitudinal and altitudinal sites appear to have some features in common, but others are highly distinct. Compared to the great stability of Amazonian flocks, some high-altitude flocks of secondary forest in the Andes appear to be more dynamic and unstable.

ActiReg® is an instrument that uses combined recordings of body position and motion to calculate energy expenditure (EE) and physical activity (PA). The aim of the study was to compare mean total energy expenditure (TEE) measured by ActiReg® and doubly labelled water (DLW) in obese subjects. TEE was measured by the DLW method during a period of 14 d in fifty obese men and women with metabolic risk factors. During the same period ActiReg® recordings were obtained for 7 d. RMR was measured by indirect calorimetry and also estimated by standardized equations. Because EE may be disproportionately increased in obese subjects during weight-bearing activities, we established a new set of physical activity ratios (PAR). These ratios were based on oxygen uptake measurements during treadmill walking. The mean TEE according to the DLW was 13·94 (sd 2·47) MJ/d. Mean TEE calculated from the ActiReg® data and measured RMR was 13·39 (sd 2·26) MJ/d, an underestimation of 0·55 MJ (95 % CI 0·13, 0·98; P = 0·012) or 3·9 %. RMR derived from standard equations based on weight, age and sex were overestimated while the RMR based on fat-free mass values in addition was underestimated. Despite slight underestimation ActiReg® may be used to measure TEE in obese subjects on two premises: RMR should be measured, and the increased EE during weight-bearing activities in obese subjects should be considered.

Human pregnancy is associated with increased requirements for dietary energy and this increase may be partly offset by reductions in physical activity during gestation. Studies in well-nourished women have shown that the physical activity level (PAL), obtained as the total energy expenditure (TEE) divided by the BMR, decreases in late pregnancy. However, it is not known if this decrease is really caused by reductions in physical activity or if it is the result of decreases in energy expenditure/BMR (the so-called metabolic equivalent, MET) for many activities in late pregnancy. In the present study activity pattern, TEE and BMR were assessed in twenty-three healthy Swedish women before pregnancy as well as in gestational weeks 14 and 32. Activity pattern was assessed using a questionnaire and heart rate recording. TEE was assessed using the doubly labelled water method and BMR was measured by means of indirect calorimetry. When compared to the pre-pregnant value, there was little change in the PAL in gestational week 14 but it was significantly reduced in gestational week 32. Results obtained by means of the questionnaire and by heart rate recording showed that the activity pattern was largely unaffected by pregnancy. The findings support the following conclusion: in a population of well-nourished women where the activity pattern is maintained during pregnancy, the increase in BMR represents approximately the main part of the pregnancy-induced increase in TEE, at least until gestational week 32.

The ActiReg® (PreMed AS, Oslo, Norway) system is unique in using combined recordings of body position and motion alone or combined with heart rate (HR) to calculate energy expenditure (EE) and express physical activity (PA). The ActiReg® has two pairs of position and motion sensors connected by cables to a battery-operated storage unit fixed to a waist belt. Each pair of sensors was attached by medical tape to the chest and to the front of the right thigh respectively. The collected data were transferred to a personal computer and processed by a dedicated program ActiCalc®. Calculation models for EE with and without HR are presented. The models were based on literature values for the energy costs of different activities and therefore require no calibration experiments. The ActiReg® system was validated against doubly labelled water (DLW) and indirect calorimetry. The DLW validation demonstrated that neither EE calculated from ActiReg® data alone (EEAR) nor from combined ActiReg® and HR data (EEAR–HR) were statistically different from DLW results. The EEAR procedure causes some underestimation of EE >11 MJ corresponding to a PA level >2·0. This underestimation is reduced by the EEAR–HR procedure. The objective recording of the time spent in different body positions and at different levels of PA may be useful in studies of PA in different groups and in studies of whether recommendations for PA are being met. The comparative ease of data collection and calculation should make ActiReg® a useful instrument to measure habitual PA level and EE.

A typical feature in members of the mustelid family is sexual size dimorphism, related to the different reproductive strategies of the sexes. As a consequence sexual divergence in many ecological and behavioural traits is expected, including temporal strategies. In line with this prediction, sex differences in the diel activity pattern of the European polecat Mustela putorius, a dimorphic mustelid, were quantified and tested. Twenty-eight polecats were captured in a rural area of central Italy (Abruzzo region) and 10 males and six females were monitored in the field using radio-telemetry techniques for 81–621 days each. Males and females showed a pronounced dimorphism in size (males/females mass ratio=1.6) within the known range for the species. Multivariate analysis of diel time preference shows that temporal behaviour differed significantly and markedly between the sexes. Males exhibited a regular and constant nocturnal pattern in every season, preferring the time ranging from 20:00 to 06:00; activity was lower at dawn and dusk, and scarce during daylight hours. Females were significantly diurnal and crepuscular but individuals revealed flexibility in activity pattern, including polyphasic or arrhythmic patterns without apparent temporal organization. The constraints of small body size and reproduction on female activity, and the sex segregation in activity timing are discussed in the context of intrasexual territoriality.

The hypothesis that Brants' whistling rat Parotomys brantsii is a central place forager, whose foraging decisions are modified by (a) predation risk, (b) time of day, and (c) food choice, was tested. Field observations showed that whistling rats followed central place foraging rules for a single-prey loader and much of their food material was brought back to burrow entrances to feed on, with larger food items being carried back greater distances than small ones. Small food items were consumed in situ more often than large ones, suggesting that predation risk may also play a role in their foraging behaviour. Larger food items were preferentially stored at burrow entrances or carried underground, whilst smaller items tended to be consumed immediately. Individuals foraged more actively in the afternoon than in the morning and, although there was no tendency for individuals to eat more food at this time, far more food was stored or taken underground during the afternoon. Different foraging strategies were used for different plant species with some species preferentially eaten, and others stored or taken below ground more frequently. This study shows that the foraging behaviour of Brants' whistling rats is complex, and whilst they may follow simple central place foraging strategies, other factors such as the time of day and food plant species also influence their foraging behaviour.

Three maned sloths were observed for a total of 680 h throughout 14 months in an Atlantic forest reserve of south-eastern Brazil. The study animals were located in the forest, monthly by radio-telemetry, and data on daily activity budgets were collected recording the actual time they spent in major activities. Individual home ranges were very small (0.5–6 ha, depending on the method used) and the sloths travelled an average of only 24 m during the 24 h period. A comparison between day- and night-range lengths suggests that maned sloths ranged more during daytime (17 m) than at night (5 m), indicating a predominantly diurnal period of activity. They rested, on average, for 74% of daytime, but a substantial variation was found between individuals (range 60–80%). Although a lack of synchrony was observed in activity pattern between study animals monitored simultaneously, all three sloths tended to start feeding and moving at the same time of the day (07:00–08:00), and the time that elapsed between the start of these activities on consecutive days was about 24 h, indicating a circadian rhythm of activity for the species. This finding contradicts previous studies on congeneric sloths, in which suggestions that Bradypus does not show cyclic patterns of activity were based on qualitative rather than quantitative data. Given the species' highly folivorous diet and the characteristic low basal rate of metabolism in this genus, the rather high levels of activity and the predominantly diurnal period of activity observed for maned sloths are probably related to the lower ambient temperatures found in the Atlantic forest when compared to other more equatorial localities of the Neotropics. Further studies with additional sloths are necessary, however, to ascertain the validity of this conclusion.

We studied the behaviour of free-ranging female mouflon sheep (age 3-5 years) in the period periparturition. The study area is situated in the north-east of Germany (52°59′N, 13°50′E). For continuous data collection, we used the storage-telemetry-system ETHOSYS. Activity and foraging behaviour of five females were recorded every second by electronic sensors integrated in a collar round the sheep¨s neck (weight 300 g). Whenever the animals visit a special ‘link-station’, installed at a combined saltlick/feeder station, the recorded data are transmitted from the collar to the station and then to a laptop. In addition, we recorded continuously the presence of sheep at the saltlick using a camera-system, including a daylight and an infra-red camera.

Activity of female mouflon ranged from 8 to 10 hours daily during late winter. The animals spent the major part of that time feeding (70-80%). The sheep visited the saltlick every two to three days regularly. However, from late March to early April, every animal stayed away from the ‘link-station’ for about two weeks. This meant spatial isolation from social companions. When returning, these sheep were accompanied by a lamb. Parturition was assumed to take place during 2-3 consecutive days of markedly decreased activity. In the night from the first to the second day of this period, we found a unique activity pattern observed in all sheep. A short activity bout during the second half of the night was interpreted as the exact time of lambing. Spatial and temporal changes in behaviour during parturition are discussed with regard to other wild ungulates as well as domestic animals.

The diel activity patter n of Glossina austeni was studied on the south coast of Kenya, and in the laboratory. In the field, flies were sampled hourly by continuous catch from a standing vehicle, or by traps. In the laboratory, observations were made of the flies' take-off-responses to host odour at various times of the diel cycle, in a flight chamber. The results showed that G. austeni is day-active with some activity throughut the daylight hours, but with significant peaks occurring at 09.00–10.00h and between 14.00 and 17.00h, i.e. a roughly V-shaped pattern.

The activity pattern of the ant, Cataulacus guineensis F. Smith, was found to be diurnal; trailing starts around 6.00 a.m. and ends around 6.00 p.m. The effect of meteorological factors on the activity pattern of the ant was also investigated and rainfall was found to be the most important factor influencing the ant's activity. The ant was found to be generally very active throughout the year, except when the harmattan conditions were very severe.

The species was found to be mainly a canopy forager, although occasionally it might forage on the ground. The mean foraging space was 555.0 m2; but when nests (colonies) were close together, overlapping of foraging spaces did occur.

Observations were made on the tsetse species Glossina longipennis Corti in Nkruman escarpment, Kenya. The species inhabited relatively open areas of the bushland. The rate of infection with trypanosomes was studied as well as the activity pattern and amenability to trapping. Results of laboratory rearing are given. Trypanosome infection rate was higher in female flies than in male ones. The method of using a slow moving vehicle, resulted in the capture of more old flies than young ones—of both sexes—and more males than females. G. longipennis was not amenable to trapping by any of the two mechanical traps used (Moloo's trap, and the biconical trap of Challier and Laveissiere).