Behavioral diversity as a potential positive indicator of animal welfare in bottlenose dolphins.

ABSTRACT: Accredited zoological facilities are committed to fully understanding the behavioral, mental, and physical needs of each species to continuously improve the welfare of the animals under their professional care and detect when welfare has diminished. In order to accomplish this goal, internally consistent and externally valid indicators of animal welfare are necessary to advance our understanding of the current welfare status of individual animals. Historically, efforts have focused on monitoring visible or observable signs of poor health or problem behavior, but lack of signs or problems does not necessarily demonstrate that an individual animal is thriving. The current study examined fecal hormone metabolite levels and behavior for two species of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus an

SUBMITTER: Miller LJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8405024 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature