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Health and Welfare of Aquarium Animals
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Health and Welfare of Aquarium Animals

A special issue of Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens (ISSN 2673-5636).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 September 2023) | Viewed by 6438

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Laura Thompson

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Research Department, Mystic Aquarium, Mystic, CT 06355, USA
Interests: marine mammal dive physiology; immunology; endocrinology; aquatic animal health

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Consideration of animal welfare is a fundamental issue in animal management, driving positive change within the zoo and aquarium industry, and facilitating positive relationships between these facilities and the public. Incorporation of welfare assessments acknowledges that multiple aspects of an animal’s experience may affect their well-being, leading to holistic approaches that consider physical, social, psychological, nutritional and physiological responses. While historically a major focus of welfare research has centred on terrestrial animals or charismatic megafauna, aquariums have made strides in recognizing and addressing welfare needs for an increasing number of the diversity of species they house, including fish and invertebrates. Data sharing and recognition of data gaps have been, and continue to be, important steps that support and move efforts to provide good animal welfare forward.

This Special Issue aims to acknowledge this important work by offering an opportunity to highlight the progression of aquarium animal health and welfare science. It is our hope to not only advance knowledge of current approaches and considerations in welfare assessment and management, but also identify research needs for lesser-studied species and provide a space to address professional concerns/questions with evidence-based science. We welcome submissions concerning any aquarium-housed species, with application to animal welfare, particularly through health (e.g., immunology, hematology, stress physiology, disease processes, reproductive physiology), development, and behavioural sciences (e.g., inter- and intra-species, or environmental interaction).

Dr. Laura Thompson
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • animal welfare
  • welfare assessment
  • aquarium
  • behaviour
  • essential behaviour
  • welfare indicators
  • enrichment
  • animal health
  • disease occurrence
  • disease management
  • behavioural management
  • animal care

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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17 pages, 2371 KiB  
Article
Vocal Cues to Assess Arousal State of Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops spp.) Involved in Public Presentations
by Rachel Probert, Bridget S. James, Simon H. Elwen and Tess Gridley
J. Zool. Bot. Gard. 2023, 4(4), 711-727; https://doi.org/10.3390/jzbg4040050 - 10 Nov 2023
Viewed by 1639
Abstract
Emotions in animals may be expressed by arousal and understanding this often relies upon the monitoring of their behaviour. Under human care, animals’ arousal states may be linked to husbandry decisions, whereby animals may display arousal responses to scheduled events such as feeding [...] Read more.
Emotions in animals may be expressed by arousal and understanding this often relies upon the monitoring of their behaviour. Under human care, animals’ arousal states may be linked to husbandry decisions, whereby animals may display arousal responses to scheduled events such as feeding and human interaction. Here, we investigate vocal correlates of arousal associated with public presentations of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops spp.) in human care by comparing vocal production rates and characteristics between high and low arousal contexts. Elevated arousal during the day compared with overnight was characterised by increased signature and non-signature whistle production. High intensity broadband crack vocalisations were produced less than whistles during the day and did not correlate with increased arousal around presentation times. Three of ten dolphins increased signature whistle production before and/or after presentation sessions, indicating elevated arousal and variation in individual responses. Many individuals elevated minimum frequency and suppressed maximum frequency of signature whistles in a way that correlated with higher arousal contexts, indicating that these may therefore be good indicators of changes in arousal state. Overall, our study demonstrates that passive acoustic monitoring can provide a useful indication of arousal linked to husbandry decisions, and that individual variation in vocal responses, likely linked to personality, is important to consider. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health and Welfare of Aquarium Animals)
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13 pages, 4653 KiB  
Project Report
The Iconic Philippine Coral Reef at Steinhart Aquarium: The Husbandry, Welfare, Behavior, and Veterinary Care Considerations of a Large Multi-Taxa Living Coral Reef System
by Lana Krol, Brenda Melton, J. Charles Delbeek, Freeland H. Dunker and Bart Shepherd
J. Zool. Bot. Gard. 2023, 4(4), 738-750; https://doi.org/10.3390/jzbg4040052 - 27 Nov 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2240
Abstract
In 2008, Steinhart Aquarium at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, CA, USA, unveiled a brand new facility with the 212,000 gallon Philippine Coral Reef habitat as its iconic centerpiece. Designing and managing a system that consists of a living reef [...] Read more.
In 2008, Steinhart Aquarium at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, CA, USA, unveiled a brand new facility with the 212,000 gallon Philippine Coral Reef habitat as its iconic centerpiece. Designing and managing a system that consists of a living reef this large, with associated invertebrates and teleosts, has been a challenge for the aquarium’s husbandry and veterinary teams. Establishing appropriate lighting, water quality, and flow has required a scientific approach and resulting adjustments to the original habitat design. The medical management of reef species has required an in-habitat approach as well as trial-and-error therapeutics. Determining the criteria for assessing the welfare of corals and other tank inhabitants has been a shifting process that has heavily utilized photography-tracked changes and other quantitative parameters as baselines. This report details the successes and limitations of establishing the environmental and veterinary management of this mesocosm. The consideration of interplay between species is discussed, and recommendations for monitoring welfare both on an individual and tank level are made. Making adjustments for the benefit of the exhibit and its animals is key for the unique aquarium displays that comprise captive coral reef systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health and Welfare of Aquarium Animals)
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15 pages, 1666 KiB  
Case Report
Twenty Years of Managed Epilepsy for a Stranded Male Guadalupe Fur Seal (Arctocephalus townsendi) Secondary to Suspect Domoic Acid Toxicosis
by Todd L. Schmitt, Judy St. Leger, Ben A. Inglis, Isabella Michal, Nancy Stedman, Hendrik H. Nollens, Sophie Dennison-Gibby, Kelsey Herrick, Elsburgh O. Clarke, Alexandra Mena and Peter F. Cook
J. Zool. Bot. Gard. 2023, 4(4), 665-679; https://doi.org/10.3390/jzbg4040047 - 31 Oct 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1635
Abstract
Many wild otariids (sea lions and fur seals) strand along the California coast annually with seizures following presumed exposure to harmful algal blooms (HABs). This is a long-term case study of a stranded subadult male Guadalupe fur seal (Arctocephalus townsendi) that stranded [...] Read more.
Many wild otariids (sea lions and fur seals) strand along the California coast annually with seizures following presumed exposure to harmful algal blooms (HABs). This is a long-term case study of a stranded subadult male Guadalupe fur seal (Arctocephalus townsendi) that stranded in 2001 and within days after admission began demonstrating seizure activity. The epilepsy was stabilized with antiepileptic drug (AED) therapy and advanced imaging was performed. Magnetic resonance (MR) scans showed signs of encephalopathy consistent with domoic acid (DA) toxicosis. This fur seal was deemed “non-releasable” and over the following 19 years, he received supportive veterinary care and AED treatment at a permitted facility. In the summer of 2020, the fur seal showed progressive behavioral and functional deterioration whereupon humane euthanasia was performed. Post-mortem MR and diffusion tensor images (DTI) were acquired. A volumetric comparison with historic scans showed evidence of severe progressive unilateral right hippocampal atrophy. Histopathology confirmed severe chronic right and mild left hippocampal atrophy. The progressive degenerative brain changes demonstrate how adaptive brain function can be with neuronal atrophy secondary to DA exposure. This case highlights some considerations and decision-making processes needed for the rehabilitation and placement of wild stranded otariids with acquired epilepsy secondary to DA toxicity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health and Welfare of Aquarium Animals)
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