Sensory stimulation as environmental enrichment for captive animals: A review

Building Ethical Arks.- Defining Animal Welfare.- Welfare Metrics Applied.- Wellness as Welfare.- Psychology & Animal Welfare.- Environmental Enrichment.- Behavior Analysis & Training.- Designing for Animal Welfare.- Launching Ethical Ark.- References.

http://ndl.ethernet.edu.et/bitstream/123456789/44940/1/Terry%20L.%20Maple.pdf

Zoo Animal Welfare

KEYWORDS: dog; auditory; music; kennel; welfare Abstract Dogs are kenneled in professional facilities for a variety of reasons; however, the kennel environment, even for short periods, is a potential psychogenic stressor for most dogs. Continual stress and the resultant anxiety are undesirable for both ethical and physiological reasons. One growing area of research pertaining to the welfare of kenneled dogs is environmental enrichment, including auditory stimulation. The current study investigated the impact of music (classical, heavy metal, and specifically designed/altered classical) on activity level, vocalization, and body shaking of 117 kenneled dogs. Results suggest that classical music leads to kenneled dogs spending more time sleeping (F8,354 5 12.24, P. 0.0001) and less time vocalizing (F8,354 5 3.61, P. 0.0005) than when exposed to other music types or no music. Heavy metal music, compared with other music types, appears to increase body shaking (F8,354 5 96.97, P. 0.0001), a behavior suggestive of nervousness. It is suggested that playing classical music in a shelter environment may help mitigate some of the stress inherent for many kenneled dogs.

Behavioral effects of auditory stimulation on kenneled dogs

Zoos, aquaria, and wildlife parks are vital centers of animal conservation and management. For nearly fifteen years, these institutions have relied on Wild Mammals in Captivity as the essential reference for their work. Now the book reemerges in a completely updated second edition. Wild Mammals in Captivity presents the most current thinking and practice in the care and management of wild mammals in zoos and other institutions. In one comprehensive volume, the editors have gathered the most current information from studies of animal behavior; advances in captive breeding; research in physiology, genetics, and nutrition; and new thinking in animal management and welfare.

Wild mammals in captivity

'Four Seasons' in an animal rescue centre; classical music reduces environmental stress in kennelled dogs.

This study explored the effect of auditory stimulation on the behaviour and welfare of four zoo-housed, female Asian elephants (Elephas maximus). All animals were exposed, in an ABA design, to two conditions of auditory stimulation: a 'control' (no auditory stimulation), and an 'experimental' condition, during which the animals were presented with a commercially-available CD of classical music. Each condition lasted for five days, with an interim period of two days between each condition (Study 1). The elephants' behaviour was recorded every minute for four hours a day for the full five days of each condition using instantaneous scan-sampling. The procedure was repeated four months later (Study 2), for a shorter period of time (one day per condition, again using an ABA design) to assess whether the results are generalisable. Analysis of both studies revealed that the elephants spent significantly less of their time stereotyping during the experimental conditions than the control. None of the other behaviours recorded were influenced significantly by auditory stimulation. Overall, the findings from this study suggest that auditory stimulation, in the form of classical music, may be a useful method of reducing stereotypic behaviour in zoo-housed Asian elephants, although more long-term work with a larger number of animals is needed before firm conclusions can be drawn.

Auditory stimulation as enrichment for zoo-housed Asian elephants (Elephas maximus)

Lateralised swimming behaviour in the California sea lion

This study explored the effect of 3 feeding devices (food-filled baskets, polyvinyl chloride tubes, frozen ice pops) on the behavior of 4 zoo-housed moloch gibbons. The project studied the gibbons for 5 days during a control condition (no feeding enrichment) and 5 days per condition of feeding enrichment, when 3 of the same type of feeding device were suspended within the animals' exhibit. The gibbons interacted with the feeders an average of 172.25 times. The animals showed no significant difference in the total number of times that they interacted with the 3 different feeding devices but were slower to approach the food-filled tubes than the baskets or ice pops. There was no sign of habituation to any of the feeding devices over their 5 days of presentation. Feeding enrichment significantly influenced certain components of the gibbons' behavior. The animals spent more of the observation time outside and showed more instances of foraging and fewer occurrences of moving during the enrichment conditions than the control. The study concluded that feeding devices may offer a viable form of environmental enrichment for captive moloch gibbons.

Rosie M. Irwin

Papers

Auditory stimulation as enrichment for zoo-housed Asian elephants (Elephas maximus)

Lateralised swimming behaviour in the California sea lion

The effect of feeding enrichment on the moloch gibbon (Hylobates moloch).

Auditory enrichment for zoo-housed Asian elephants (Elephas maximus)