Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology (IFM)

The experiment was conducted at the CNRLI, in Silves, Portugal. There are a total of 16 enclosures (Figure 1), each of which is divided into two main sections: the large enclosure area and the husbandry area (Figure 2). The large enclosure area, measures 800 m² and is meant to mimic the animal’s natural environment. The husbandry area is divided into two communicating areas, with a total area of 200 m². The two communicating areas: the big husbandry area, where most platforms are located, and the small husbandry area, where the indoor quarter, is located.

The study period started on the 28^th of September, 2015 and ended on the 30^th of November, 2015. The experiment was conducted on a daily basis, from Monday to Saturday, during the males’ feeding time in the morning. The animals fast on Sundays, therefore the experiment was not performed on those days. To exclude potential novelty effects, all subjects were exposed to a control where water was sprayed on selected places within the enclosure during a period prior to the application of the CAP. This Baseline period lasted 4 weeks. After this, the test group was exposed to CAP for the remaining duration of the study (5 weeks), whereas the control group was exposed to the placebo.

This was a double-blind study, since at the time, the author, the observers and the keepers were unaware of which animals were part of which group, and which bottle contained CAP and the placebo. During the study, observers and keepers only knew that Enebro and Fresco received Treatment B, and Drago and Foco received Treatment C. Treatments C and B, respectively, the CAP and the placebo, and the spray bottles were provided by IRSEA - Institut de Recherche en Sémiochimie et Ethologie Appliquée (Research Institute in Semiochemistry and Applied Ethology). Treatment A (Feliway®) was also provided by IRSEA, but was not used, as mentioned in the Introduction section of this thesis.