Behavioral diversity as a potential positive indicator of animal welfare in bottlenose dolphins
Accredited zoological facilities are committed to fully understanding the behavioral, mental, and physical needs of each species to continuously improve the welfare of the animals under their professional care and detect when welfare has diminished. In order to accomplish this goal, internally consistent and externally valid indicators of animal welfare are necessary to advance our […]
Behavioral diversity as a potential positive indicator of animal welfare in bottlenose dolphins
Accredited zoological facilities are committed to fully understanding the behavioral, mental, and physical needs of each species to continuously improve the welfare of the animals under their professional care and detect when welfare has diminished. In order to accomplish this goal, internally consistent and externally valid indicators of animal welfare are necessary to advance our […]
Reference intervals and values for fecal cortisol, aldosterone, and the ratio of cortisol to dehydroepiandrosterone metabolites in four species of cetaceans
The goal of the current study was to create reference intervals and values for several common and one potential novel physiological indicators of animal welfare for four species of cetaceans. The subjects included 189 bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), 27 Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus), eight Pacific white-sided dolphins (Lagenorhynchus obliquidens), and 13 beluga whales (Delphinapterus […]
Evaluation of plasma corticosteroids associated with performance-based activity in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus)
This study was designed to evaluate metabolic-related changes in circulating concentrations of cortisol and aldosterone in bottlenose dolphins before vs. after performance-based physical activities associated with dolphin–human swim interactions. Secondarily, samples collected before the swim interactions were used to evaluate the effect of gender, age and aquarium location on corticosteroid concentrations. A total of 31 […]
Assessment of adrenocortical and gonadal hormones in male spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi) following capture, restraint and anesthesia
The spider monkey (SM) (Ateles geoffroyi) a New World primate species native to Mexican forests, has become endangered in the wild due to environmental perturbations. Little is known about adrenal function and its relationship to reproduction in this species. Our objectives were to assess serum glucocorticoid (GC), mineralocorticoid (MC) and testosterone concentrations in captive SM […]