Members of the Pod: Do Marine Mammal Trainers Perceive a Bond with the Animals They Care For?
Animals under human care interact with their caretakers, potentially resulting in human–animal bonds (HABs), which can enhance wellbeing for both. Previous research has suggested that keepers perceive bonds with their animals, but investigation of a different zoo role working with one species has not yet been completed. Here, we investigate the animal trainers’ perception of […]
Testing use of a potential cognitive enrichment device by an Indo‐Pacific bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus)
Cognitive enrichment aims to provide animals with opportunities to use their cognitive skills and to promote behaviors associated with positive wellbeing. Cooperation in mammals has been recorded during various behavioral contexts such as hunting, mating, playing, and parental care. Coordinated activity, often with some level of problem‐solving action included, is required during cooperation. To investigate […]
Effects of Pool Size on Free-Choice Selections by Atlantic Bottlenosed Dolphins at One Zoo Facility
Dolphin pool design often derives from the concept that cetaceans are ocean based and ipso facto should live in open, deep, watery spaces. This emotionally appealing rationale is not data driven. Researchers report that in the wild, some populations of Atlantic bottlenosed dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) reside in shallower areas (approximately 2 m deep) and move […]
Captive-born intergeneric hybrid of a Guiana and bottlenose dolphin: Sotalia guianensis×Tursiops truncatus
Abstract Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and Guiana dolphin (Sotalia guianensis) live in sympatry along the Caribbean Coast of Central and South America and social interactions between these species have been described in the Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica, including sexual encounters. Here we examine and document the only known hybridization event between a male Guiana […]
Are Animals Capable of Deception or Empathy? Implications for Animal Consciousness and Animal Welfare
Awareness of the self and awareness of others are difficult faculties to define. Part of the problem lies in the wide range of abilities that involve various aspects of awareness. Some of the most commonly studied abilities focus on the self-awareness of the individual. These abilities range from the capacity to distinguish self from non-self […]
Cardiac response to acoustic playback experiments in the captive bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)
Acoustic recordings were used to investigate the cardiac responses of a captive dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) to sound playback stimuli. A suction-cup hydrophone placed on the ventral midline of the dolphin produced a continuous heartbeat signal while the dolphin was submerged. Heartbeats were timed by applying a matched-filter to the phonocardiogram. Significant heart rate accelerations were […]
Salivary cortisol in captive dolphins (Tursiops truncatus)- a non-invasive technique
Dolphins in captivity have to cope with severe changes in their environment. So far, there are few studies on the welfare of these animals under these conditions. The aim of the present study was to find if cortisol was present in the saliva of dolphins and to explore the possibility of performing serial, non-invasive cortisol […]
‘Mindreading’ mammals? Attribution of belief tasks with dolphins
‘Mindreading’ or theory of mind (ToM) refers to the capacity to attribute mental states to others. This ability is regarded as a critical component of what has, to date, exclusively characterized the advanced social cognition displayed by humans. The false belief task is a key test for ToM in different animal species. On a standard […]
Does participation in Dolphin–Human Interaction Programs affect bottlenose dolphin behaviour?
The present study quantified the daily (short-term) and monthly (long-term) behavioural repertoires of three dolphins that participated in Dolphin Interaction Programs with paying guests. Behavioural data were collected over a 6-month period, with Dolphin Interaction Programs occurring daily during the central 4 months. Observations were conducted for 90 min before and 90 min after Dolphin […]
A Veterinary and Behavioral Analysis of Dolphin Killing Methods Currently Used in the “Drive Hunt” in Taiji, Japan
Annually in Japanese waters, small cetaceans are killed in drive hunts with quotas set by the government of Japan. The Taiji Fishing Cooperative in Japan has published the details of a new killing method that involves cutting (transecting) the spinal cord and purports to reduce time to death. The method involves the repeated insertion of […]