Skip to main navigation menu Skip to main content Skip to site footer

Vol. 38 No. 1 (2022)

Articles

Environmental enrichment for grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) in captive environment

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24326/jasbb.2022.1.4
Submitted: December 6, 2021
Published: 2022-03-30

Abstract

Grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) is one of the most popular marine mammals found in the Baltic Sea and North Atlantic. It is protected worldwide because of an important role it plays in the ecosystem along with other marine predators, also because it is an indicator. It arouses both the sympathy and aversion of the public opinion, probably caused by insufficient knowledge about this species. Due to the high adaptability, captive individuals adapt easily to the artificial environment, but this does not exempt them from the necessity of providing them with the comfort of living in closed conditions. The study concerns the design and application of environmental enrichments for grey seals living in zoos. They aim to improve the welfare of those animals which, by living in small enclosures and impoverished environment, are not able to display the full range of species behavior. Stimulation with new elements is also important in preventing aggression, apathy, and stereotypies. The proposed enrichments are easy to implement and relatively low-cost, intended for use in zoos and other organizations or institutions keeping specimens of this species. The results of the preliminary observation showed that grey seals reacted positively to some of the proposed enrichments and the time of expressing the food behavior has extended. Further issues require additional and more detailed observations.

References

  1. Alligood C., Leighty K., 2015. Putting the “E” in SPIDER: Evolving trends in the evaluation of environmental enrichment efficacy in zoological settings. Anim. Beh. Cogn. 2, 200–217. https://doi.org/10.12966/abc.08.01.2015 DOI: https://doi.org/10.12966/abc.08.01.2015
  2. Alligood C.A., Dorey N.R., Mehrkam L.R., Leighty K.A., 2017. Applying behavior‐analytic methodology to the science and practice of environmental enrichment in zoos and aquariums. Zoo Biol. 36, 175–185. https://doi.org/10.1002/zoo.21368 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/zoo.21368
  3. Bernacka H., Gulda D., Peter E., Święcicka N., Zawiślak J., 2014. Selected species of carnivorous mammals in Polish zoos (in Polish). WU UTP, 8–106.
  4. Bombik T., Bombik E., Biesiada-Drzyzga B., 2013. Animal welfare in terms of evaluation criteria and methods (in Polish). Przeg. Hod. 81, 25–27.
  5. Corcoran M., 2015. Environmental enrichment for aquatic animals. Vet. Clin. Exot. Anim. 18, 305–321. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cvex.2015.01.004 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cvex.2015.01.004
  6. Gili C., Meijer G., Lacave G., 2018. EAZA and EAAM Best Practice Guidelines for Otariidae and Phocidae (Pinnipeds). Acquario di Genova, Genova Italy.
  7. Gójska A., Pawliczka I., 2012. Grey seal conservation program – draft (in Polish). http://awsassets.wwfpl.panda.org/downloads/program_ochrony_foki_szarej___projekt.pdf [access: 1.12.2021]
  8. Hunter S.A., Bay M.S., Martin M.L., Hatfield J.S., 2002. Behavioral effects of environmental enrichment on harbor seals (Phoca vitulina concolor) and gray seals (Halichoerus grypus). Zoo Biol. 21, 375–387. https://doi.org/10.1002/zoo.10042 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/zoo.10042
  9. IUCN, 2019. www.iucnredlist.org/species/9660/45226042 [access: 15.03.2021]
  10. Kaleta T., 2014a. Environmental enrichments and the welfare of wildlife in zoos (in Polish). Przeg. Hod. 3, 20–22.
  11. Kaleta T., 2014b. Animal behavior in zoos and their welfare. In: Gardocka T., Gruszczyńska A., Maślak R., Sergiel A. (eds.), Animal welfare in zoos and EU legal standards (in Polish), Dom Wydawniczy Elipsa, Warszawa, Polska, 117–125.
  12. Kowalski A., 2005. Stereotypes as an indicator of animal welfare (in Polish). Med. Wet. 61, 1335–1339.
  13. Kroshko J., 2015. Population-level risk factors for stereotypic behaviour and infant mortality in captive carnivores. Doctoral thesis, The University of Guelph, 1–152.
  14. Makecha R.N., Highfill L.E., 2018. Environmental enrichment, marine mammals, and animal welfare: a brief review. Aquat. Mam. 44, 221–230. https://doi.org/10.1578/AM.44.2.2018.221 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1578/AM.44.2.2018.221
  15. Mellor D., 2016. Updating animal welfare thinking: moving beyond the “Five freedoms” towards “A life worth living”. Anim. 6, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani6030021 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ani6030021
  16. Russell D.J.F., McClintock B.T., Matthiopoulos J., Thompson P.M., Thompson D., Hammond P.S., Jones E.L., MacKenzie M.L., Moss S., McConnell B.J., 2015. Intrinsic and extrinsic drivers of activity budgets in sympatric grey and harbour seals. Oikos 124, 1462–1472. https://doi.org/10.1111/oik.01810 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/oik.01810
  17. Stevens J., Thyssen A., Leavens H., Veryaecke H., 2013. The influence of zoo visitor numbers on the behaviour of harbour seals (Phoca vitulina). J. Zoo Aquar. Res. 1, 31–34. https://doi.org/10.19227/jzar.v1i1.20
  18. Swaisgood R.R., Shepherdson D.J., 2005. Scientific approaches to enrichment and stereotypies in zoo animals: what’s been done and where should we go next? Zoo Biol. 24, 499–518. https://doi.org/10.1002/zoo.20066 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/zoo.20066
  19. Tomczyk K., Zieliński D., 2021. The use of environmental enrichments on the
  20. meerkats’ run (Suricata suricatta) in zoo conditions to eliminate aggressive behaviors. J. Life Medic. Sci. 32, 37–44. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5560001
  21. Zhang Z., Gao L., Zhang X., 2021. Environmental enrichment increases aquatic animal welfare: a systematic review and meta‐analysis. Rev. Aquac. 00, 1–16, https://doi.org/10.1111/raq.12641 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/raq.12641

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Most read articles by the same author(s)

Similar Articles

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 > >> 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.