Table 2.

Behaviour categories and detailed descriptors used to record duration of daily behaviour of the cubs

Behaviour	Descriptor
Play	A voluntary action including running, quick turns, rolling, climbing and wrestling (Estes 2012; Bertram 1975)
Self-play	Play by self, not involving any other living animal and or human
Conspecific play	Play with other lion cubs
Human play	Play with humans
Inactivity	Limited or no movement
Sleeping	Eyes closed, lying laterally or sternally recumbent
Resting	Eyes open but non-responsive to surroundings
Locomotion	Moving from one place to another, not part of play, grooming, aggression, submissive or excited behaviours
Flight	Alarmed reaction and hasty retreat from a perceived or real threat, to a new location
Movement	Purposefully walking or running to a new location
Grooming	Cleaning or maintenance of the body, involving head rubbing and social licking (Schaller 1972)
Autogrooming	Grooming behaviours only directed to self
Allogrooming	Grooming behaviours directed at other lion cubs
Human grooming	Grooming behaviours directed to a human
Aggression	Threatening or contact behaviour, which may or may not be harmful, includes growling, lunging, swiping, biting or a combination of these
Conspecific aggression	Aggressive behaviour directed at another lion cub
Human aggression	Aggressive behaviour directed at a human
Abnormal behaviours	Behaviour which deviates from normal and appears to have no obvious goal or function
Stereotypy	A repetitive behaviour such as pacing back and forth, usually along an enclosure edge, may include vocalisation
Non-nutritive sucking	The act of sucking another cubs’ ear or genitalia
Shaking and trembling	An involuntary behaviour resulting from a perceived threat indicating fear
Fence-biting	Biting on the fence of the enclosure but not in the same manner as during teething
Attentive	Reacting to its surroundings
Alert	Cub is watchful of surroundings, although not moving. The eyes are focused on environmental stimuli and ears move responsively to noises
Investigatory	Cub actively explores its environment by using its senses
Excited	Cub moves excitedly, sometimes vocalising and mostly in a small area around an object or person
Miscellaneous
Mock mating	The imitating act of mating, not gender-specific
Flehmen	Wrinkles the nose and curls the top lip in response to a smell, usually other cubs’ urine
Elimination	The act of defaecating and urinating and includes the act of being stimulated when a young cub by the caretakers to encourage bowel movement
Ingestion	The active consumption of food and liquid; includes drinking of water, bottle-fed milk, any solid food such as cat pellets, chicken and meat and includes chewing on a carcase