Human interventions in a behavioural experiment for Asian Elephants (Elephas maximus).

ABSTRACT: Experiments are widely used to investigate the behaviour and cognition of animals. While the automation of experiments to avoid potential experimenter bias is sometimes possible, not all experiments can be conducted without human presence. This is particularly true for large animals in captivity, which are often managed by professional handlers. For the safety of the animals and experimenters, a handler must be present during behavioural studies with certain species. It is not always clear to what extent cues provided by handlers affect the animals, and therefore the experimental results. In this study, we investigate handler interventions during the training process for a behavioural experiment with Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) in Nepal. We show that elephant handlers (mahouts) inter

SUBMITTER: Chu PC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9392510 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature