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Motor stereotypic behaviors (MSBs) are a kind of repetitive behaviors performed by stressed animals and are more common in captivity. This study aimed to assess whether the MSB in captive rhesus monkeys varies between males and females, and with the extent of visitor-monkey interactions. A group of six rhesus monkeys (two adult males and four adult females; among females, two were rescued from the wild and two were captive-born) housed in the Central Zoo, Kathmandu Nepal were sampled in the study. Behavioral observations were done by focal animal sampling for 30 minutes in each session from 8:00 AM till 10:00 AM in the absence of visitors and 10:00 AM-12:00 PM in the presence of visitors. At every 10 minutes interval, the number of visitors around the cage and the level of visitor-monkey interactions were scanned. Pacing and bounce were the MSBs performed by the zoo rhesus monkeys. Females, especially the rescued ones, performed significantly more MSBs than the males. An increase in visitor-monkey interaction involved the monkeys into more begging and feeding, which in turn lowered the MSBs. The findings of this study indicate that interactive enrichment such as feeding and visitor-monkey interactions help to reduce MSBs in zoo monkeys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anthropogenic activities in the wetland and surrounding land are threatening the waterbirds. Population dynamics and waterbirds' arrival and departure dates are also influenced by wetland characteristics, food availability, and weather conditions. However, this information is rarely available for Taudaha Lake, a small stopover site in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, for many north-south migratory waterbirds. We observed the waterbird species, counted their number, and recorded their exact arrival date (October 2019) and departure date from January 2019 to April 2020. In addition, we recorded the air temperature and humidity of the lake during the monitoring time to identify the potential effects of these weathers on the arrival departure of migratory waterbirds. We developed a linear model to understand the factors influencing the arrival and departure of migratory waterbirds. Altogether we recorded ten migratory waterbird species, including one globally threatened species that used Taudaha as a stopover site during their migration. Arrival and departure times vary among the species. With increasing temperature, the migratory bird population decreases at the lake. Despite smaller area, Taudaha Lake at Kathmandu Valley acts as an important stopover site to facilitate the northsouth migration of waterbirds. Therefore, we recommend local government to avoid concrete constructions on the lake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]