Despite the number of dolphins that have been kept in dolphinaria, and the many behavioural studi... more Despite the number of dolphins that have been kept in dolphinaria, and the many behavioural studies that have been conducted on captive dolphins, few have focused on their welfare. Some behaviours have been described in detail, but insufficient attention has been paid to the diurnal variations in their occurrence.Behavioural observations were conducted upon two groups (two and six individuals each) of captive bottlenose dolphins(Tursiops truncates)over a period of six weeks. Behavioural descriptions were produced and the amount of time the animals spent engaged in different behaviours was sampled. General trends of both groups and differences in patterns of variation throughout the day were also analysed. The use of area by the dolphins and their degrees of association were recorded. Considerable individual variation and differences between the two groups were observed.In comparing the behaviour of different dolphins and in considering their welfare it is necessary to take into acco...
Outdoor activities with dogs are known to be physically and mentally beneficial to them and their... more Outdoor activities with dogs are known to be physically and mentally beneficial to them and their owners, but less is known about their circulation in public spaces. This study aimed to understand the effects of dog-owner dyad’s visits to an interactive exhibition on the dogs’ behaviour and the perceptions of owners, visitors, and staff. 38 dog-owner dyads were studied in four rooms (Angry Birds, Dòing, Explora and Access) over eight periods of 90 minutes during which animals’ behaviour was sampled, and questionnaires were filled out by owners, visitors, and staff. Results showed that a very high percentage of owners and more than half of the visitors and staff acknowledged benefits for dyads, with a great majority not feeling disturbed by the presence of the dogs. Only 6% of visitors mentioned less tolerance to dogs in this space, exclusively associated with their own beliefs and apprehensions. Dogs’ behaviour was characterised by 44% of the time in managing surrounding stimuli (st...
Durante 1990-91 foram registados nos Açores sete arrojamentos de mamíferos marinhos. As espécies ... more Durante 1990-91 foram registados nos Açores sete arrojamentos de mamíferos marinhos. As espécies arrojadas foram: Megaptera novaeangliae (baleia de bossas), Balaenoptera borealis? (rorqual nortenho), Physeter macrocephalus (cachalote), Globicephala macrorhynchus (baleia piloto tropical), Stenella frontalis (golfinho pintado) e Stenella coeruleoalba (golfinho listado). A morfometria externa dos exemplares arrojados, bem como os níveis de mercúrio de três deles são aqui fornecidos. Os arrojamentos de M. novaengliae, B. borealis e S. frontalis são registados pela primeira vez nos Açores.ABSTRACT: Seven stranding is of marine mammals were recorded in the Azores during 1990-91. The species involved were: Megaptera novaeangliae (humpback whale), Balaenoptera borealis? (sei whale), Physeter macrocephalus (sperm whale), Globicephala macrorhynchus (short-finned pilot whale), Stenella frontalis (spotted dolphin) and Stenella coeruleoalba (striped dolphin). External measurements of the strande...
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‘My fish and I’ is an account of the diversity of human-fish interactions. This includes their be... more ‘My fish and I’ is an account of the diversity of human-fish interactions. This includes their benefits, detriments/harms as well as their moral and animal welfare. Fish are not easily perceived as individual animals having mental states, interests, needs and a degree of individuality. Additionally, fish have been handled as a simple resource in innumerable human interactions. Important ethical approaches address animal-human interactions based upon the individual’s cognitive ability and capacity to feel pleasure and pain. Given the ample evidence that fish have neuroanatomical structures that support the capacity to feel (sentience) and have complex behavioural and cognitive abilities, a moral duty is imposed upon us. Some human-centered and eco-centered moral views complement different perceptions of the nature of our relationship with fish. This occurs both at the individual level and as species or populations face a serious need for conservation. The concepts and assessments in the developments of animal welfare science provide ample basis for an evolution in the quality of human-fish interactions. However, many stakeholders must take part in this evolution. This is especially true as it concerns those areas of activity involving many individual fish and higher levels of suffering. Examples of these are aquaculture and commercial fisheries where there is much more at stake. Consumers will have the last word in this role, namely by reducing fish consumption.
In the natural environment animal communication occurs on a network with several potential signal... more In the natural environment animal communication occurs on a network with several potential signallers and receivers. Given that in a signalling interaction sender and receiver can be observed by a third-party who will collect relevant information, it would be advantageous for those who interact to modulate their behaviour according to the presence of an audience (audience effect). In this study we investigated the audience effect in males of the African cichlid Oreochromis mossambicus. Specifically, we investigated the influence of two factors: i) exposure to an audience (presence/absence); and ii) exposure to an intruder (presence/absence), on the behaviour and steroid hormone levels. We found an audience effect in males’ behaviour resulting in an increase of attention directed towards the audience when intruder is absent, which reveals an interest of the focal male in the audience, and an increase of the agonistic behaviour towards intruders in the presence of the audience. This i...
A produção de peixes teleósteos em piscicultura tem vindo a aumentar nas últimas décadas. Embora ... more A produção de peixes teleósteos em piscicultura tem vindo a aumentar nas últimas décadas. Embora exista legislação reguladora do bem-estar animal em contextos de produção animal que tende a abranger todos os vertebrados, e por consequência também as espécies piscícolas, o conhecimento acerca do bem-estar dos peixes é ainda reduzido. Noutras classes de vertebrados (i.e. mamíferos e aves), tradicionalmente utilizados em produção animal, o estudo do bem-estar animal permitiu no passado recente um conhecimento aprofundado do estado em que os animais se encontram e dos recursos mínimos de que necessitam nas explorações pecuárias, o que veio modelar normas de boas práticas, linhas de orientação e legislação acerca de como devem ser tratados em cativeiro. Estes estudos identificaram três dimensões centrais no conceito de bem-estar animal: (a) o funcionamento orgânico e a saúde dos animais; (b) o funcionamento mental e o sofrimento dos animais; e (c) a natureza dos animais e a capacidade de...
Personality traits, such as exploration–avoidance, are expected to be adaptive in a given context... more Personality traits, such as exploration–avoidance, are expected to be adaptive in a given context (e.g. low-risk environment) but to be maladaptive in others (e.g. high-risk environment). Therefore, it is expected that personality traits are flexible and respond to environmental fluctuations, given that consistency across different contexts is maintained, so that the relative individual responses in relation to others remains the same (i.e. although the magnitude of the response varies the differences between high and low responders are kept). Here, we tested the response of male cichlid fish ( Oreochromis mossambicus ) to a novel object (NO) in three different social contexts: (i) social isolation, (ii) in the presence of an unfamiliar conspecific, and (iii) in the presence of a familiar conspecific. Males in the familiar treatment exhibited more exploratory behaviour and less neophobia than males in either the unfamiliar or the social isolation treatments. However, there were no o...
Despite the number of dolphins that have been kept in dolphinaria, and the many behavioural studi... more Despite the number of dolphins that have been kept in dolphinaria, and the many behavioural studies that have been conducted on captive dolphins, few have focused on their welfare. Some behaviours have been described in detail, but insufficient attention has been paid to the diurnal variations in their occurrence.Behavioural observations were conducted upon two groups (two and six individuals each) of captive bottlenose dolphins(Tursiops truncates)over a period of six weeks. Behavioural descriptions were produced and the amount of time the animals spent engaged in different behaviours was sampled. General trends of both groups and differences in patterns of variation throughout the day were also analysed. The use of area by the dolphins and their degrees of association were recorded. Considerable individual variation and differences between the two groups were observed.In comparing the behaviour of different dolphins and in considering their welfare it is necessary to take into acco...
Outdoor activities with dogs are known to be physically and mentally beneficial to them and their... more Outdoor activities with dogs are known to be physically and mentally beneficial to them and their owners, but less is known about their circulation in public spaces. This study aimed to understand the effects of dog-owner dyad’s visits to an interactive exhibition on the dogs’ behaviour and the perceptions of owners, visitors, and staff. 38 dog-owner dyads were studied in four rooms (Angry Birds, Dòing, Explora and Access) over eight periods of 90 minutes during which animals’ behaviour was sampled, and questionnaires were filled out by owners, visitors, and staff. Results showed that a very high percentage of owners and more than half of the visitors and staff acknowledged benefits for dyads, with a great majority not feeling disturbed by the presence of the dogs. Only 6% of visitors mentioned less tolerance to dogs in this space, exclusively associated with their own beliefs and apprehensions. Dogs’ behaviour was characterised by 44% of the time in managing surrounding stimuli (st...
Durante 1990-91 foram registados nos Açores sete arrojamentos de mamíferos marinhos. As espécies ... more Durante 1990-91 foram registados nos Açores sete arrojamentos de mamíferos marinhos. As espécies arrojadas foram: Megaptera novaeangliae (baleia de bossas), Balaenoptera borealis? (rorqual nortenho), Physeter macrocephalus (cachalote), Globicephala macrorhynchus (baleia piloto tropical), Stenella frontalis (golfinho pintado) e Stenella coeruleoalba (golfinho listado). A morfometria externa dos exemplares arrojados, bem como os níveis de mercúrio de três deles são aqui fornecidos. Os arrojamentos de M. novaengliae, B. borealis e S. frontalis são registados pela primeira vez nos Açores.ABSTRACT: Seven stranding is of marine mammals were recorded in the Azores during 1990-91. The species involved were: Megaptera novaeangliae (humpback whale), Balaenoptera borealis? (sei whale), Physeter macrocephalus (sperm whale), Globicephala macrorhynchus (short-finned pilot whale), Stenella frontalis (spotted dolphin) and Stenella coeruleoalba (striped dolphin). External measurements of the strande...
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‘My fish and I’ is an account of the diversity of human-fish interactions. This includes their be... more ‘My fish and I’ is an account of the diversity of human-fish interactions. This includes their benefits, detriments/harms as well as their moral and animal welfare. Fish are not easily perceived as individual animals having mental states, interests, needs and a degree of individuality. Additionally, fish have been handled as a simple resource in innumerable human interactions. Important ethical approaches address animal-human interactions based upon the individual’s cognitive ability and capacity to feel pleasure and pain. Given the ample evidence that fish have neuroanatomical structures that support the capacity to feel (sentience) and have complex behavioural and cognitive abilities, a moral duty is imposed upon us. Some human-centered and eco-centered moral views complement different perceptions of the nature of our relationship with fish. This occurs both at the individual level and as species or populations face a serious need for conservation. The concepts and assessments in the developments of animal welfare science provide ample basis for an evolution in the quality of human-fish interactions. However, many stakeholders must take part in this evolution. This is especially true as it concerns those areas of activity involving many individual fish and higher levels of suffering. Examples of these are aquaculture and commercial fisheries where there is much more at stake. Consumers will have the last word in this role, namely by reducing fish consumption.
In the natural environment animal communication occurs on a network with several potential signal... more In the natural environment animal communication occurs on a network with several potential signallers and receivers. Given that in a signalling interaction sender and receiver can be observed by a third-party who will collect relevant information, it would be advantageous for those who interact to modulate their behaviour according to the presence of an audience (audience effect). In this study we investigated the audience effect in males of the African cichlid Oreochromis mossambicus. Specifically, we investigated the influence of two factors: i) exposure to an audience (presence/absence); and ii) exposure to an intruder (presence/absence), on the behaviour and steroid hormone levels. We found an audience effect in males’ behaviour resulting in an increase of attention directed towards the audience when intruder is absent, which reveals an interest of the focal male in the audience, and an increase of the agonistic behaviour towards intruders in the presence of the audience. This i...
A produção de peixes teleósteos em piscicultura tem vindo a aumentar nas últimas décadas. Embora ... more A produção de peixes teleósteos em piscicultura tem vindo a aumentar nas últimas décadas. Embora exista legislação reguladora do bem-estar animal em contextos de produção animal que tende a abranger todos os vertebrados, e por consequência também as espécies piscícolas, o conhecimento acerca do bem-estar dos peixes é ainda reduzido. Noutras classes de vertebrados (i.e. mamíferos e aves), tradicionalmente utilizados em produção animal, o estudo do bem-estar animal permitiu no passado recente um conhecimento aprofundado do estado em que os animais se encontram e dos recursos mínimos de que necessitam nas explorações pecuárias, o que veio modelar normas de boas práticas, linhas de orientação e legislação acerca de como devem ser tratados em cativeiro. Estes estudos identificaram três dimensões centrais no conceito de bem-estar animal: (a) o funcionamento orgânico e a saúde dos animais; (b) o funcionamento mental e o sofrimento dos animais; e (c) a natureza dos animais e a capacidade de...
Personality traits, such as exploration–avoidance, are expected to be adaptive in a given context... more Personality traits, such as exploration–avoidance, are expected to be adaptive in a given context (e.g. low-risk environment) but to be maladaptive in others (e.g. high-risk environment). Therefore, it is expected that personality traits are flexible and respond to environmental fluctuations, given that consistency across different contexts is maintained, so that the relative individual responses in relation to others remains the same (i.e. although the magnitude of the response varies the differences between high and low responders are kept). Here, we tested the response of male cichlid fish ( Oreochromis mossambicus ) to a novel object (NO) in three different social contexts: (i) social isolation, (ii) in the presence of an unfamiliar conspecific, and (iii) in the presence of a familiar conspecific. Males in the familiar treatment exhibited more exploratory behaviour and less neophobia than males in either the unfamiliar or the social isolation treatments. However, there were no o...
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