Formal Presentations - Wednesday
Abstracts

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Keepers are the Backbone:
Enhancing and Advancing an Existing Animal Wellbeing Program

Megan Saylor

Columbus Zoo and Aquarium
Full Abstract
The care and prioritization of animal wellbeing in zoos and aquariums is paramount. To effectively assess animal wellbeing, various tools and metrics are utilized. This includes assessments completed by husbandry staff, as their experiences and knowledge of the animals in their care is invaluable. In 2023, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium updated their animal wellbeing program, including the development of a new assessment tool and tracking process, to better identify and address wellbeing opportunities. The zoo created a zookeeper wellbeing group to leverage the experience and knowledge of their animal care team and created a practical, functional wellbeing assessment tool.

One year after the implementation of the new program, a survey was sent to the animal care staff to obtain feedback. The survey evaluated four themes spanning across both the wellbeing assessment tool and the tracking process. It included nine statements asking animal keepers to utilize a seven point Likert scale, as well as a comment section for general feedback. The survey was sent to 107 animal caretakers, and a total of 48 responded (44.9%). Sixty-two
percent of respondents agreed that the updated animal wellbeing assessment tool was more effective than the tool previously utilized. Similarly, 71% agreed that these changes strengthened the voice of the keepers in communicating wellbeing opportunities and concerns effectively, giving them the ability to advocate for the animals within their care. This is significant as many organizations look for ways to cultivate and empower a wellbeing-minded culture amongst staff members. By utilizing the expertise and passion of the animal care staff, the zoo was able to create a wellbeing program with strong staff investment and measurable outcomes. Other organizations who want to create or update their own wellbeing programs should invest in their keepers, as they are the true backbone to enhancing animal wellbeing.
COMMITMENT, COLLABORATION, COLLECTION:
TRAINING VOLUNTARY SEMEN COLLECTION IN A BELUGA (DELPHINAPTERUS LEUCAS)
UTILIZING NOVEL TRAINING METHODS

Stacie Cole

Mystic Aquarium
Full Abstract
Various cetacean species have been trained for voluntary semen collection behavior since the mid-1980s (Keller, 1986). Detailed methods for training the behavior with belugas (Delphinapterus leucas) have been described (Graack & Grovhoug, 2003); however, conversations with colleagues who have attempted to train the behavior indicate that the process can be highly variable between individual animals (Personal communication, August 15, 2023).

For ten years, Mystic Aquarium trainers have attempted to use a variety of methods to train a voluntary semen collection behavior with the only male in our beluga pod. Attempts to capture spontaneous occurrences of the behavior were unsuccessful, as were all attempts to approximate the behavior through manual manipulation.

The current Arctic Coast training team gathered as much information as possible from scientific literature, conversations with colleagues at other facilities, behavioral observations, and past training efforts to determine the best approach to approximate occurrences of the desired behavior. This paper will detail the novel training approaches used, including pairing involuntary physical response to an ultrasound machine with melon brushing to train a repeatable and reliable behavior resulting in multiple successful sample collections.
BELUGA WHALE (DELPHINAPTERUS LEUCAS) VOCALIZATION
AND CALLER IDENTIFICATION: INSIGHTS FROM ACOUSTIC PLAYBACK EXPERIMENTS

Sonny Schoenhoft

Stephen F. Austin
State University
Full Abstract
Beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) produce a wide range of vocalizations that are broadly categorized into three main types: pulsed, tonal, and biphonated calls. These comprise around three dozen total distinct call types [1-3]. Limited research has been done on the functions of these calls or the extent to which belugas can recognize individuals based on the acoustic features of calls. We know belugas exhibit greater intergroup variation in call structure compared to intragroup variation, with variance growing as geographical distance increases [1], and we know during separations, belugas produce calls where the number of distinct call structures recorded corresponds to the number of individuals present [3]. However, it is unclear whether these individual calls encode identity, as seen in bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) signature whistles [4].

In this study, we created a vocal repertoire of belugas housed at the Georgia Aquarium(n=5) through active-recording methods, as well as assessed belugas as a candidate for the types of playbacks now commonly used in dolphins under professional care [5]. Our study aimed to address gaps in understanding how belugas differentiate between vocalizations, particularly regarding call type and individual identity of callers within call types. We conducted underwater playback experiments using a habituation-dishabituation paradigm to investigate whether belugas could recognize and discriminate between different conspecific vocalizations (including the vocalizations of animals at Oceanogràfic de València, who they had never met). Using this paradigm, we were able to observe the whales’ acoustic and behavioral responses to repeated calls of the same type or individual (habituation), followed by a call of a different type or individual (dishabituation). This allowed us to determine which call types the belugas viewed as same or different, as well as which of those calls may hold individual identity. Preliminary data from this study indicates that this playback technique can successfully allow researchers to "ask" belugas how they categorize their own calls. Furthermore, our data indicates belugas may possess the ability to distinguish between individual callers in contact calls, likely confirming signature calls in belugas. This represents the first time an experimental approach has confirmed the existence of signature vocalizations in this species.
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REVIEW OF A PHARMACOLOGICAL AND BEHAVIORAL MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR A
CALIFORNIA SEA LION WITH ACUTE ONSET BEHAVIORAL TRANSFORMATION, INCLUDING
SPONTANEOUS LACTATION, FOLLOWING SUDDEN SOCIAL CHANGES

Danielle Hessel
Tierney O’Neal

Wildlife Conservation Society
/Bronx Zoo
Full Abstract
In 2022, the Wildlife Conservation Society’s (WCS) Bronx Zoo housed 2.4 California sea lions (Zalophus Californianus). This colony consisted of a wild born, translocated, adult bull named Tacoma (~15 years), two half-sibling adult females named Indy and Margaretta (17 years, 12 years), an adolescent female named Eleanor, a juvenile female named Amelia (4 years, 1 year), and a juvenile male named Buoy (2 years). The colony underwent a sudden social change in June of 2022. In a matter of weeks, the pre-planned relocation of the bull coincided with the unexpected death of the older adult female, Indy. This left one adult female, Margaretta, with three young animals. Margaretta has always had a nervous personality, but it was moderated by the presence of other adult animals, especially her older half-sister. These significant social changes caused an increase in Margaretta’s anxiety level, resulting in hyper-vigilant behavior toward her youngest offspring, Amelia. Margaretta was suddenly treating her like a newborn pup.

Margaretta’s behavioral changes disrupted not only the group’s social dynamics, but the daily feeding and training sessions for each individual. Some of these changes included Margaretta pup-calling in Amelia’s face throughout the day and during sessions and physically removing Amelia from her station to the middle of the pool during sessions. Initially we thought Margaretta needed time to adjust to her new role in the group, but when we did not see evidence of adjustment, several behavioral interventions were implemented, with limited success. Margaretta also began spontaneously lactating, leading us to believe these issues were hormonal as well as behavioral. Concurrently, Amelia was experiencing some health complications requiring medical intervention. We no longer had the luxury of allowing the situation to resolve on its own. We needed to be able to train Amelia while also managing Margaretta’s anxiety and hyper-vigilance. After much discussion of alternative behavioral and pharmacological options, the decision was made to try a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) along with behavioral interventions. This is the first time WCS has tried an SSRI in a pinniped.

A separate presentation addresses Amelia’s medical issues and the challenges with her care during this process. This presentation focuses on the management of Margaretta following significant social changes in the group. We review the physical and behavioral changes observed in Margaretta both before and after administration of the SSRI, fluoxetine, and how behavioral interventions became much more successful following administration of the drug. We focus on effects of the drug, including cognitive, behavioral, and physical changes associated with changes in dosing. This ongoing, comprehensive, behavior management plan resulted in significant positive changes for Margaretta. We hope our experience will provide insight and assistance in the case of other sea lions experiencing behavioral changes brought on by chronic, intense stress.
WHERE ARE WE NOW?
A REVIEW OF THE TRAINING METHODS UTILIZED TO MANAGE
AN IMPRINTED CALIFORNIA SEA LION

Kristy Schutt

New England Aquarium
Full Abstract
It is well known that California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) rescued at a young age can become imprinted on their human caretakers and develop nearly irreversible behavioral patterns (Schusterman et al, 1992). However, successful behavioral management techniques for life-long care of imprinted sea lions in captivity are not well documented. This paper will review the progressive training and management of a twelve-year-old imprinted California sea lion, Zoe.

Zoe arrived at New England Aquarium at nine months old and displayed aggressive behaviors associated with imprinted animals, such as lunging, biting and intense sniffing (Lynn et al, 2010). The training team explored multiple options to reduce her aggression, as presented at the 2014 IMATA conference held in Orlando, FL. These techniques included informal training sessions where play was utilized to shape behaviors. Trainers also interacted with Zoe in a way that allowed her to express natural behaviors during play time, such as encouraging jousting with their hands. Increasing Zoe’s choice and control during training sessions proved to be the most effective method at the time. Zoe was taught to go to a stationary target, where she would always receive reinforcement, whether sent to it by her trainer or of her own accord. The target was always present during her training sessions, providing her the option of going to it when she was confused, frustrated, or not interested in participating rather than aggressing on her trainer.

Over time, it became clear that these methods used to manage Zoe’s aggression were not modifying her behavior as desired. Zoe was frequently refusing behaviors by defaulting to her target to receive reinforcement. Additionally, it did not decrease her end of session aggression, and she continued to have instances of pursuing or grabbing trainers. In 2023, the team decided to eliminate the stationary target and progressively implement training techniques not used with Zoe before, such as least reinforcing scenario (LRS), differential reinforcement of incompatible behavior (DRI), and variable ratio with reinforcement variety (VRRV). The consistent application of these techniques has resulted in an increase in the following: session length, ease in utilizing entire habitat, and safety conducting and ending sessions. Zoe has demonstrated a notable shift in attitude as evidenced by her willingness to engage and learn in session. Additionally, there has been significant advancement in her training, including vital husbandry training, leading to an increase in Zoe’s overall wellbeing.
Enhancing Welfare Through Specialized Transportation
and Medical Training for California Sea Lions (Zalophus californianus)

Kar Wee Chua

Wildlife Reserves Singapore
Singapore Zoo
Full Abstract
In modern marine mammal care, effective transportation methodologies are crucial for facilitating specialized medical procedures. This presentation explores the successful training protocols implemented for California sea lions at the Singapore Zoo, specifically focusing on a case study involving Pedro, a 25-year-old sea lion diagnosed with cataracts.