Table 5 List of dependent and independent (environmental and biological) variables.

Dependent

Stereotypy

Proportion of time spent on unusual behaviours or performance of a repetitive activity with no obvious goal or function

Behavioural diversity

Calculated by incorporating the proportion of behavioural diversity in Shannon–Weiner diversity index H (Shannon and Weaver 1949)

Independent (biological)

Sex

Male/female

Age

Cub (0–12 months), sub-adult (12–24 months), adult (> 24 months)

Sociality

Single or pair

Independent (environmental)

Season

Individuals observed in winter were coded as ‘0’ and summer as ‘1’

Number of visitors

Total number of visitors to the enclosure during the observation, visual count

Ambient temperature

Temperature of surrounding in °C during the observation, recorded using temperature sensor

Enclosure area (m²)

Estimated two-dimensional area of the enclosure (obtained from zoo records)

Zoo

Zoos are different in terms of their management practices

Tree height (ocular method using measured reference points)

Tree height at which the red panda was spotted for different activities during observation

Distance to cage-mate (ocular estimation by observer at the beginning of each observation)

Distance maintained by the animal from its cage-mate housed in the enclosure

Log density

No. of logs/m² placed on the ground or made into climbing structure within the enclosure as an enrichment for animal activity were counted and arrived at density using area of enclosure

Tree density

Number of mature live trees (≥ 20 cm girth at breast height) in each enclosure was counted and arrived trees/m² using enclosure size

Frequency of feeding

Number of times feed given per day

Quantum of bamboo

Bamboo given per day (low: < 4 kg/individual/day, high: ≥ 4 kg/individual/day) as per the husbandry practices of the zoos

Provision of nests

Number of nests, a closed wooden nest with an entry point, accessible to the animals at all the time