Perception of the ethical acceptability of live prey feeding to aquatic species kept in captivity
Previous research into public perceptions of live prey feeding has been focused on terrestrial animals. The reasons for this likely relate to the difficulty humans have in being compassionate to animals who are phylogenetically distantly related. In order to test these assumptions, the general public (two groups; one who had just visited an aquarium; and […]
Cuttlefish in captivity: An investigation into housing and husbandry for improving welfare
The European cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) is often kept in public aquaria, is becoming more common in aquaculture, and is also the most frequently used cephalopod in European research. Since 1st January 2013, all cephalopods (Mollusca) have been protected under UK/EU law (A(SP)A 1986, European Directive 2010/63/EU), following Australia, Canada and New Zealand. Presently, unlike other […]
Behavioural indicators of welfare exhibited by the common European cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis)
The common European cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) is frequently found in public aquaria in Europe. These remarkable creatures make fantastic display animals due to their rapid colour/texture/behaviour changes associated with feeding or camouflage. They possess extremely fragile bodies and soft tissues, adaptations thought to have evolved to evade predators, and in captivity cuttlefish can damage easily […]