Читать книгу Medicine and Surgery of Camelids - Группа авторов - Страница 57

Berserk male syndrome (BMS) is a phrase that has been around for a long time. Llama Breeder Paul Taylor originally used the term BMS in an article in late 1980 or early 1981. Paul said, “It seems to be the end result of a series of confusing and negative interactions with humans, beginning with the breakdown of the normal standoffishness that herd raised llamas show in their relationship to humans. A male llama that has been bottle fed or constantly petted and fondled as a baby will show no hesitation about initiating contact with humans, as in the mild case of the pushy llama who runs up to be petted or bumps with his chest against people in the pasture with him. Such a llama is apt to be pushed or slapped to keep him away. This conflict can escalate over a period of time, possibly with changing owners or eventually the use a whip or club to keep the animal at bay. The final result seems to be a tangled combination of normal llama behavior for dominance assertion, breeding and defense.”[8]

The term “Berserk male syndrome” is outdated and does not reflect the true cause of the adverse behavior, the human. While this behavior is more prevalent in intact males, the behavior is not restricted to males.[9] It is also important to note that this is not a condition that happens exclusively in camelids; similar aggressive tendencies toward humans are observed in all domestic species (cattle, cats, dogs, and horses). Dr. LaRue Johnson proposed the term Aberrant Behavior Syndrome for BMS, and today the phrase BMS or ABS is used to describe llamas and alpacas that are anything from innocently engaging in problematic behavior for which they have been reinforced to those animals that are completely out of control and dangerously aggressive, which can become confusing.

In order to decide how to prevent aggressive behavior, it is important to be aware of what causes it. It is also important to be able to recognize the early warning signs of what could become problem behaviors and take action at that time.