Animal Welfare / Wellbeing & Welfare /
Wellbeing Assessment
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Blood for Dummies: a no frills look at blood values in fish and elasmobranch
relating to overall health Erika Pinney Wonders of Wildlife Full Abstract
Wonders of wildlife may be in the middle of country but we house a variety of fresh water, marine fish, invertebrates, sharks and rays. As part of our husbandry, we regularly catch our elasmobranchs to perform physicals. When assessing an animal’s health many things need to be carefully looked at. As technology advances and we learn more about our animals, we can take a more in depth look at our animals by performing a blood draw. In the public aquarium world, it is most often the job of the veterinary staff to look at the hematology samples taken from a fish or elasmobranch. This presentation is a basic overview of values that are commonly tested when physicals are done on fish and elasmobranchs. The focus will mostly be on sharks, but the information will cover many marine fish and elasmobranchs. Blood gases, sodium, calcium, total protein and methods will be some of the key values we will take a closer look at when we run a blood test for elasmobranchs. We will discuss what these mean, what high/low levels can look like and how that may affect our animals. We can get a better snapshot of our animal’s health with the understanding of basic hematology. There is a lot of information hiding in that small vial of shark blood. We can evaluate reproductive status, organ health, injury healing, nutritional deficiencies and stressful events. I believe that with a basic grasp of blood levels and their meaning we can improve our understanding and thus husbandry for our aquarium animals. |
IT'S BETTER TOGETHER: A MODEL FOR ADVANCING BEHAVIORAL HUSBANDRY
Anaka Nazareth Jennie Janssen National Aquarium Full Abstract
Historical industry data have shown that challenges to implementing or advancing positive reinforcement training into routine husbandry include staffing, available time, knowledge, tools, infrastructure, finances, and institutional support. At National Aquarium, behavior training has historically been a key component of animal care. In late 2021, our Ambassador Animal Programs team pivoted to become our Behavioral Husbandry (BH) team to support further advancement of behavioral husbandry for our animal collection at large. This led to a surge in our ability to make positive strides in existing training initiatives for much of our elasmobranch collection. Behavioral goals for these taxa were set collaboratively between the associated curatorial team and the veterinary and BH teams. The BH team then worked alongside aquarists to learn about each species’ or individual’s biology, ecology, medical and institutional history to develop realistic training plans toward these specific goals. At each animal training session, the BH team shared training theory, partnered in the act of training, built and shared mechanical skills, videoed sessions, kept records, and adjusted training plans as needed. BH’s routine and active presence enabled us to conduct sessions otherwise impossible with current aquarist staffing, even keeping training sessions on track while maintaining consistency when aquarists were reprioritized elsewhere or short staffed. Given multiple recent successes with our elasmobranchs, this truly collaborative model could be useful at other facilities to advance training programs beyond diet management and feeding multispecies exhibits, as it addresses staffing/time, knowledge transfer, professional development, and of course and in effect, animal welfare. |
VOLUNTARY CRANIAL FLUSHES ON PORCUPINE RAY (Urogymnus asperrimus)
Amy Jo Li The Seas with Nemo and Friends Walt Disney World Resorts Full Abstract
A female porcupine ray (Urogymnus asperrimus) at Disney’s The Seas with Nemo and Friends presented with a raised area on her head due to bacterial infection. Treatment involved managing her in a 5.7-million-gallon environment with injections and oral medications. It became clear that more intensive treatment would be necessary. After transfer to a smaller environment, the veterinary team inserted a catheter into the area to allow daily antibiotic flushes. The husbandry team built on her previously established training of targeting and following a green acrylic square to assist in preforming the flushes. A table was designed to allow the ray to remain submerged while allowing the syringe to be removed from the water and a second trainer was introduced to allow flushes to be performed voluntarily during training. This helped to reduce the possible complications with repeated captures and anesthesia. After approximately 3 months of daily treatments, the catheter was removed. She was relocated back into her larger habitat and continues to thrive, thanks to the team's use of behavioral management. |
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What to do When Your GPO is Blue? A Case Study of Protozoan
Infections in Enertoctopus dofleini. Katie Benya Greensboro Science Center Full Abstract
Giant pacific octopus are a popular display choice among the cephalopod family as they are an iconic large species that are interactive towards guests and typically thrive in human care. Historically, these robust cephalopods received an observation quarantine period when brought into facilities. However, a recent individual at the Greensboro Science Center wasn’t thriving as typical of the species, and upon investigation we discovered the coccidian, Aggregata. Coccidia, particularly the genus Aggregata, is known to be one of the most widely distributed coccidian within the cephalopod family. This protozoan parasite not only infects the digestive tract of cephalopods bit also has a heteroxenous life cycle with its intermediate host being the gut of a crustacean. This lifecycle can pose a challenge when it comes to treatment as crustaceans are a staple in the diets of cephalopods and the infectious stage of Aggregata is passed through the fecal matter of cephalopods, releasing to the rest of the ocean or exhibit. In early October 2021, the initial symptoms of our giant pacific octopus were loss of appetite and white coloration which progressed to denning up with no locomotion for several weeks. During this time, the individual had only been in our collection for 4 months and weighed 3kgs, ruling out early senescence. Over the course of 9 months, we were able to treat the Aggregata orally with several rounds of toltrazuril. |
Saving the night: improving animal welfare by decreasing light usage in an aquarium
Leah Maurer The Seas with Nemo and Friends Walt Disney World Resorts Full Abstract
Disruption to a normal light/dark regime, specifically exposing animals to light at night, can have substantial influence on an animal’s biological rhythm and behavior. Providing a period of darkness is important to ensure the best welfare, however, darkness can be unintentionally interrupted for animals housed indoors, especially for facilities that employ staff throughout the night. At Disney’s The Seas, some unusual feeding behaviors of coral alerted aquarists to a potential environmental issue. Through careful investigation, it was discovered that lights were being turned on during the night unbeknownst to our animal care team. We then launched a light monitoring program in which light sensors were deployed to determine the extent to which lights were being turned on at night for cleaning and maintenance. All lights in the animal care areas were cataloged and mapped and then surveyed for usage after the facility closed to guests. These surveys and light sensors allowed us to discover how many lights were disrupting our animals’ light/dark regime. Furthermore, a cost analysis of the lights in the animal areas was performed to understand the financial impact of keeping unnecessary lights off during the night. Conversations with our partners in the facility allowed us to implement changes to human behavior and improve electrical control accessibility, thus decreasing the disruptions to the light/dark regime. Ongoing monitoring of overnight lights in animal areas is now a permanent aspect of care in our facility. |
Elasmobranch Ovariectomies for Management of Reproductive Disease
Charlene Burns Disney’s Animals, Science & Environment Full Abstract
Aquariums often house female only elasmobranch groups to manage population size. The consequence of this is that some species develop reproductive disease, specifically, ovarian disease. Diagnosis is confirmed with ultrasound; associated bloodwork and coelomic fluid (Donnelly et al. 2019) can assist in determining severity. In advanced cases, treatment is difficult due to limited response to medical management. Surgical removal of the ovary (or ovaries) can be employed but most cases have a very large ovary which complicates a surgical procedure. Ovariectomies have been performed for permanent contraception in southern stingrays but have been advocated for specific developmental stages when the ovary is small and thus presents less risk (George et al. 2017) than those with advanced reproductive disease. The removal of diseased ovary(-ies) involves a lengthy anesthesia and a sizeable incision. Tissues are fragile and tear easily, with moderate blood loss often occurring. Additionally, the epigonal is usually intimately associated, requiring complete removal or partial resection. Complications can include relative anemias, concurrent or resultant coelomitis, incomplete resection, and dehiscence of incisions. Using balanced anesthesia and peri- and postoperative supportive care, outcomes can be markedly improved. A combination of immersion and injectable anesthesia, appropriate treatments (antiinflammation, analgesia and fluids) as well as delicate tissue handling diminishes complications and contributes to successful outcomes. Early diagnosis and intervention will reduce risk as well. Overall, these surgical procedures have resulted in the long-term health of the individuals and resolution of significant disease. |
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Cancer in Elasmobranchs:
A Case Study Brett De Poister The Aquarium Vet Full Abstract
It is a common misconception that elasmobranchs do not get cancer. Historically, there are limited reports documenting cancer in sharks and stingrays in the wild and in public aquariums. With increased veterinary investigation of elasmobranch health in the last decade there are more cases of cancer being documented. An Australian Smooth Ray (Bathytoshia brevicaudata, previously Dasyatis brevicaudata) displayed in a public aquarium developed masses on the skin surface. Under anaesthesia, a biopsy was collected, and the histology resulted in a diagnosis of lymphosarcoma. This ray was managed with prednisolone which resulted in regression of the masses for six months before euthanasia was required. Full details of the necropsy and histology will demonstrate how widespread the cancer had spread. |
Unique Approaches in Resolving Buoyancy Issues in a Sand Tiger Shark
Josh Moline Christoph Neotzli Minnesota Zoo Full Abstract
In 2018 the Minnesota Zoo received two juvenile female Sand Tiger Sharks (Carcharius taurus) from the Mystic Aquarium. One of these sharks was known to have a pre-existing buoyancy control issue. At the Minnesota Zoo, this shark (Osiris) struggled with buoyancy, often swimming in a ‘spyhopping’ position, and showing signs of breathing difficulty. Once this behavior was observed, the animal would be captured and placed in tonic immobility. Air would then be added to the stomach via an air cylinder and PVC pipe. While this procedure proved successful, it had to be repeated every few weeks and was stressful for both shark and staff. As this process became more time consuming and labor intensive, different methods were explored to introduce and retain air in Osiris’ stomach. Various treatment methods were attempted (including steroids, antibiotics, supplements, and even Alka Seltzer) over a two-year period with little success. After consulting with staff veterinarians and Dr. Rob Jones, a probiotic was recommended to boost the stomach’s microbial load. In the end, the probiotic treatment proved successful. After ninety days of treatment, the time between manual inflation increased exponentially and currently stands at 15 months. The correlation between the administration of probiotics and Osiris’ improved condition shows that this could be a worthwhile approach for future buoyancy conditions in Sand Tiger sharks. |