Is Enrichment Always Enriching and How Would You Know? Unintended Consequences and the Importance of Formal Assessment of Enrichment Programs in Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus)

Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) are viewed as a highly intelligent species capable of complex behaviors. This requires marine parks to maintain dynamic environmental enrichment programs in order to ensure dolphins’ optimal psychological and physiological well-being while in human care. In this study, two experiments were conducted to determine the effects of different forms of enrichment on the behavior of four bottlenose dolphins. In Experiment 1, multiple forms of novel enrichment resulted in a shift away from individual swim patterns – a change that is associated with increased behavioral diversity and so often considered an improvement in animal welfare – but also resulted in avoidance behavior and initially resulted in a decrease in affiliative behavior. In Experiment 2, introducing choice of enrichments resulted in unintended social consequences, such as agonistic behaviors. These two experiments together demonstrated that interpreting the results of enrichment programs may not be as straightforward as often presumed. The results suggest that unique forms of enrichment and variable schedules might be particularly effective but also that consistent evaluation continues to be necessary to minimize unintended behavioral consequences

Recognition and Discrimination of Human Actions Across the Senses of Echolocation and Vision in the Bottlenose Dolphin: Evidence for Dolphin Cross-modal Integration of Dynamic Information

The ability of cetaceans to explore and interpret their world via echolocation has receivedconsiderable attention during recent years, and the resulting body of work has revealed asophisticated cetacean echolocation system. In addition, a number of recent studies suggest thatdolphins can relate information that they receive from vision with information that they obtainfrom echolocation when this information concerns stationary objects. However, the present studyis the first test of the cetacean ability to integrate dynamic information about movement acrossthe two senses. Three adult female bottlenose dolphins that had previously learned to interpretvisible movements produced by humans stationed on floating docks were asked to interpret a setof these movements produced by an underwater human located behind a visually opaque screen.Although each dolphin had previously demonstrated its ability to reliably interpret movementsproduced by a human in the air above the surface of the water, none of the dolphins had anyprevious experience with underwater humans producing movements that the dolphins could seeor with underwater humans producing movements behind an opaque screen that prevented thedolphins from using visual information to interpret these signals. The dolphins quickly learned tocorrectly respond to signals that they could not see but could observe via echolocation. Theseresults demonstrate that dolphins can relate visual and echoic representations of actions,although the amount of experience necessary for such integration has yet to be determined

Importance of Social Relationships in a Group of Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) During a Natural Disaster

The article discusses a study to determine the importance of social relationships in a group of bottlenose Dolphins during a natural disaster. It analyzed the effect of several social factors including loss of a close associate, change in the dominance hierarchy and introduction of a new individual, on their behavior

Relationship between plasma iron concentration and gastric pH in captive adult bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus)

OBJECTIVE: To determine the correlation between plasma iron concentrations and gastric pH in a population of captive Atlantic bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). ANIMALS: 6 adult female dolphins that ranged from 16 to 30 years of age. PROCEDURES: Blood and gastric samples were collected from each dolphin to allow measurement of plasma iron concentrations and gastric pH, respectively. Samples were collected each month for 12 months. RESULTS: Within each dolphin, plasma iron concentrations and gastric pH did not differ significantly over time. There was a strong negative correlation (r = -0.85) between plasma iron concentration and gastric pH, which suggested that dolphins with a lower gastric pH had a higher plasma iron concentration. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Analysis of results reported here suggested that gastric pH may play an important role in iron absorption in dolphins

When is enrichment enriching? Effective enrichment and unintended consequences in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus)

Bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops truncatus ) are viewed as a highly intelligent species, capable of complex behaviors, requiring marine parks to maintain dynamic environmental enrichment procedures in order to ensure their optimal psychological and physiological well-being in human care. In this study, two experiments were conducted to determine the effects of different forms of enrichment on the behavior of bottlenose dolphins. In Experiment 1, the most successful enrichment included highly novel items, which resulted in avoidance, but also what is frequently considered positive behavioral changes including a reduction in circle swimming and an increase in social behavior. In Experiment 2, the use of choice resulted in negative unintended social consequences. These two experiments together demonstrate that the results of deploying enrichment may not be as clear-cut as previously presumed. In order to maintain positive benefits of enrichment, the results of this study suggest that unique forms of enrichment should be implemented on a variable schedule that is offered several times a year and consistently evaluated for effectiveness

When is enrichment enriching? Effective enrichment and unintended consequences in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus)

Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) are viewed as a highly intelligent species, capable of complex behaviors, requiring marine parks to maintain dynamic environmental enrichment procedures in order to ensure their optimal psychological and physiological well-being in human care. In this study, two experiments were conducted to determine the effects of different forms of enrichment on the behavior of bottlenose dolphins. In Experiment 1, the most successful enrichment included highly novel items, which resulted in avoidance, but also what is frequently considered positive behavioral changes including a reduction in circle swimming and an increase in social behavior. In Experiment 2, the use of choice resulted in negative unintended social consequences. These two experiments together demonstrate that the results of deploying enrichment may not be as clear-cut as previously presumed. In order to maintain positive benefits of enrichment, the results of this study suggest that unique forms of enrichment should be implemented on a variable schedule that is offered several times a year and consistently evaluated for effectiveness

Olfactory Enrichment in California Sea Lions (\u3ci\u3eZalophus californianus\u3c/i\u3e): An Effective Tool for Captive Welfare?

In the wild, California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) are exposed to a wide variety of sensory information, which cannot be replicated in captive environments. Therefore, unique procedures are necessary for maintaining physiological and psychological health in nonhuman animals in captivity. The effects of introducing natural scents to captive enclosures have been investigated in a variety of species, yet they have not been examined in marine mammals. This project explored the behavioral effect of scent added to the environment, with the goal of improving the welfare of sea lions in captivity. Two scent types were introduced: (a) natural scents, found in their native environment, and (b) non-natural scents, not found in their native environment. This study examined not only scent enrichment but also the possible evolutionary underpinnings of pinniped olfaction. Scent enrichment was found to significantly impact sea lion behavior as demonstrated by a reduction in pattern swimming, an increase in habitat utilization, and a reduction in stereotypical behavior. However, there were no differences in behavior between natural and non-natural scent conditions