Stereotypies: a critical review

Mason's review synthesised decades of work on stereotypic behaviour across captive species, defining stereotypies as repetitive, invariant movements with no obvious goal. She argued they arise from frustration, sub-optimal environments and central nervous system changes, and that established stereotypies can persist even after conditions improve, becoming 'emancipated' from their original cause. This decoupling is why pacing in big cats does not always vanish when enclosures are enriched. The review laid conceptual groundwork still used in felid welfare: distinguishing stereotypies driven by current motivation versus those that are habitual, and cautioning that their presence or absence is an imperfect welfare gauge. It remains a foundational reference for interpreting pacing in tigers, leopards and other captive cats.