Berserk Male Syndrome among alpacas

Berserk Male Syndrome among alpacas

Berserk Male Syndrome (BMS), often referred to in Poland as "Berserk" or "Rabid Alpaca Syndrome", is a behavioral disorder that many alpaca owners fear. What exactly is this phenomenon? Where does it come from? How can you recognize it? Can it be undone? Does it really only affect males? A lot of true and false information has arisen around these issue. This article introduces the issue of Berserk Male Syndrome.

BMS that is…. incorrect imprinting?

Beginning to consider the Berserk Male Syndrome, we need to go back to the basics of this phenomenon. Almost every animal experiences a specific type of learning right after birth, the so-called imprinting. The goal of this science is to instill in yourself the characteristics of your own species, the mother's appearance, smell, voice. For a young organism it is extremely important for survival, knows who to follow and what the animals of the species it belongs to look like, and in the future - what its potential reproductive partner should look like. The time of imprinting is called the critical period and is different for each species. In the case of birds (e.g. hens, geese) these are the hours after hatching, for larger mammals (e.g. horses, cattle) the first days after birth, and in the case of the so-called nesting birds whose young are not born fully capable of functioning (e.g. dogs, cats) - even a few weeks after birth. This phenomenon was widely studied by Konrad Lorenz, using the example of geese.

But what does Berserk have to do with it? Unfortunately, things don't always go as it should in the animal world. Young at birth are like an open, blank book that you can write down. Impression does not always have to happen to the mother, it does not even have to be of the same species. There are cases of incorrect imprinting in relation to another species, also in humans. The animal then sees itself as representative of the species it is instilled into, not the species it really belongs to. This is what Lorenz did, deliberately instilling into himself newly hatched geese, which later followed faithfully. This is also what man does nowadays. Sometimes on purpose and sometimes by accident. Deliberate imprinting is sometimes carried out in birds that are to accompany humans in the future (e.g. various species of parrots, especially larger ones), by isolating them from other birds of their species, and feeding them by humans. However, in the overwhelming majority of cases this is unintended. Imprinting the characteristics of another species will not be of benefit to that individual. You cannot communicate with another species "in your language", and it will not be a reproductive partner, which will cause increasing frustration in the animal and the appearance of many negative, undesirable and even dangerous behaviors.

So what is BMS?

BMS is just a kind of incorrect imprinting and over-socialization with another species (in English literature you can find the terms "mal-imprinting", "mis-imprinting" or "Aberrant Behavior Syndrome" abbreviated as ABS). This issue is not unique to alpacas, it may develop in other livestock. In this situation, the alpaca perceives itself as a human being. The disorder is mainly associated with males, but it can also develop in females. In the great majority of cases, the disorder develops due to the need to bottle-feed the cria. There can be many reasons for this (including insufficient or no mother's milk, rejection by the mother, weakness of the cria, which results in the need to supplement it, or in extreme cases the death of the mother). The contact of such a young animal with an alien species that feeds it may cause false associations that this is its mother. This condition can worsen cria's isolation from other alpacas (e.g. by taking it home), resulting in little contact with its species and too much contact with humans. Another risk factor is the poor environment, namely: a small herd (e.g. only a mother and one - two females), no peers or too small pasture. Cria spend a lot of time playing with their peers, running around the pasture. Sometimes adult animals also take up the fun, but they will not fully replace play companions, it also happens that when they are irritated by the toddler's behavior, they chase him away. Boredom caused by the lack of a playmate and too little space mean that cria may seek other activities, e.g. contacts with people. Young alpacas are perceived as extremely cute and an inexperienced owner can begin to make and maintain such contacts with pleasure, not knowing that they are contributing to the development of the disorder. It is assumed that the critical period in the development of BMS is the age up to 6 months of age, although the younger the alpaca and the longer the contact time with a human, the easier it is to develop the disorder.

What are the symptoms of BMS?

Initially, it might seem that Berserk has a positive influence on contacts with people. The young animal is eager to approach people, has no resistance to physical contact (stroking), it even prefers contact with humans in favor of being with its own herd. However, these are only appearances, the first symptom is the lack of the need to stay with representatives of one's own species for the sake of contact with humans. You can then observe a lack of respect for boundaries, an alpaca walks up, leans against a person, follows him, demands contact, nibbles clothes, moves his mouth unnaturally close to a person's face or crotch, sometimes to such an extent that a person may feel uncomfortable. A young alpaca, in a way, examines whether we will set any limits to its interaction. Normally, most animals kept by humans keep a natural distance from them and even when they are tame they do not strive for direct physical contact (these are farm animals, they may like to be stroked, but they are unlikely to rub against humans, such as a cat ), it also does not bring the face unnaturally to the human face. With time, another symptom appears - apart from submission to the human reaction. When an animal is young, some people do not perceive it as a problem, but it gets worse over time. After reaching sexual maturity, alpaca with BMS begins to show aggressive behavior. Perceiving a man as a representative of his species, he starts competing for a position in the herd. This is especially dangerous for males, who can jump on humans, more specifically stand on their hind legs and jump on humans from behind. An adult animal weighing more than 50 kg can do harm in this way. If there is no direct contact, the alpaca follows the fence spitting and making various sounds. In females, the main problem is reproduction. Females do not accept males, they do not allow themselves to be covered, and they are persistent towards humans. Keep in mind that the disorder does not develop overnight, it is a process and the symptoms get worse over time.

Characteristic beyond submission.

Source: Kapustka J., Budzyńska M. Human ability to interpret alpaca body language. Journal of Veterinary Behavior, 42, 16-21, 2021.

How to prevent BMS?

It is obvious that prevention is easier than cure, so if it comes to the situation that the young must be fed with a bottle for various reasons, it is better to do it in such a way as to minimize the risk of developing the disorder. Many owners report that, for example, they stand behind the cria while feeding so that they cannot see a human in front of them. You can try to develop your own feeding system for the bottle so that a person does not have to hold it while feeding. The second important thing is to minimize human contact and ensure as much contact with the herd as possible. Even if the young have been orphaned, contact with the herd will help teach proper behavior. You should definitely not isolate cria from other alpacas, it is a gregarious animal and should be raised with its own herd.

Can BMS be reverted?

Until recently, science believed that one of the basic features of imprinting is its irreversibility. What happened during the critical period will stay with the animal for life. The latest research, however, shows that this is not entirely true and to some extent this process can be reversed (e.g. birds after improper inoculation, if they have contact only with their species, can start breeding). In the case of BMS development, quick reaction of the owner is important. If we observe that cria comes to us as soon as we enter the pasture, follows us, demands contact, then it can be assumed that a disorder begins to develop. It is best to start remedial actions immediately. First, we should set clear boundaries for human contact. Marty McGee Bennett suggests learning the don't come command. When a cria is approaching us, one should put out a hand and say calmly but firmly "do not come," preventing further approach (instead of a hand it may be a plastic plate, frisbee or other such object). Shouting and being overly emotional is not recommended - we will only shoot cria unnecessarily, which will not make learning easier. If visitors on the farm are to be visited, young showing disturbing symptoms should be isolated from them and human contact should be generally kept to a minimum. If you start reacting in time, there is a chance that the further development of the disorder will be overcome. Unfortunately, the situation is worse if aggressive behavior has already appeared. It is sometimes said that castration may be the solution, but it does not always have the desired effect. A dishonest owner may try to sell the animal to someone less experienced, who will not realize in time that the problem is occurring. Sometimes euthanasia is the only solution.

Mity i fakty

Is contact with a young alpaca a threat to her then? Should we isolate it from people to prevent the development of BMS? Not necessarily. Each case can be considered individually. You should take into account the risk factors mentioned above, but on the other hand, don't go crazy. For other farmed and companion animal species, early contact with humans is seen as desirable and useful. Of course, in an adequate quantity. If we approach the cria and pet it lightly, will it immediately develop the disorder? Of course not. You have to be able to balance your behavior and the level of cria contact with people. For a long time there was a view that until the age of 6 months cria should be with its mother and herd and develop there, and after the 6th month, contacts with humans are introduced. The latest reports say that moderate, not excessive contact with people before 6 months of age makes it easier to handle them and work in the future. It is even logical if the young for 6 months have not had any contact with a human and suddenly the magic date of 6 months passes and now you can do anything, it is obvious that the animal will not share our enthusiasm in contacts, we are a stranger to him.

Behavior similar but different

Not always a single behavior listed as a Berserk symptom will confirm the development of the disorder. Just as a disease is usually diagnosed on the basis of several symptoms, a diagnosis requires several evidence that confirm it. If an animal grabs us by the jacket once, because it is green and is associated with food, it does not mean that it is Berserk, it can only be curiosity. You should always observe the overall behavior and analyze the behavior in terms of the context in which it occurred. Sometimes certain Berserk-like behaviors may be learned and have a completely different basis, and then the behavior will be different. An example would be jumping at people trying to force them to give them food. This happens sometimes in the case of farms that receive visitors and animals receive food "for nothing". Unfortunately, nature works in such a way that if you give a "reward" without expecting anything in return, the animal may conclude that it is entitled to it and begin to demand it. A man, to defend himself against an insistent animal, raises his hand with delicacies up, and an alpaca to get them stands on its hind limbs. A man surprised and perhaps a little scared by the animal's behavior gives him a treat, thus confirming the animal's belief that it did the right thing and the next time the situation will repeat itself, and over time it will be generalized and the alpaca will press against us on two limbs each time it demands food. Such behavior, although it may resemble Berserk, of course it is not, the reasons for the occurrence of the behavior are different and the procedure to rule out undesirable behavior will be different. Animals, like humans, like to have clearly defined principles of functioning and to receive rewards when they really deserve them, and not "for beautiful eyes", even though their eyes are really beautiful.

Summary

Berserk Male Syndrome is a problem that you should be aware of. Bottle-fed animals will be at risk and should be treated with more caution, but this does not mean that all young, regardless of the conditions, should be treated in this way. Let's not humanize alpaca by force, but also let's not make it a total "savage". Both approaches will make our work difficult.

The author of the text prepared in cooperation with Heaven Alpacas is: mgr inż. Joanna Kapustka, Department of Animal Ethology and Hunting, University of Life Sciences in Lublin

Written on: 21.03.2022