[GRASSY KEY, FL] Researchers at Dolphin Research Center (DRC) found that when social animals must be temporarily housed alone, spending time interacting with human caregivers can improve the animals’ well-being. The study, published in the Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens, was conducted with a 2-year-old bottlenose dolphin named “Ranger”.
Ranger was found and rescued in June 2021. Dehydrated and malnourished, he was swimming next to his deceased mother near Rockport, Texas. After being nursed back to health by Texas State Aquarium, National Marine Fisheries deemed him non-releasable due to his young age and lack of hunting abilities. DRC was chosen to be his permanent home.
During the five-week quarantine period before he could be introduced to his new social group, researchers at DRC observed Ranger’s behavior after a training session, after a trainer toy play session, and between interactive sessions.
“We found that indicators of Ranger’s well-being – such as spending more time playing with toys and less time just floating in place – were significantly better after both training sessions and trainer play sessions,” explained DRC’s director of research, Dr. Kelly Jaakkola. “In other words, spending time interacting with caregivers increased his welfare.”
“Everyone agrees that social animals should be housed socially,” Dr. Jaakkola added. “But in those rare cases where a social animal must be temporarily isolated, our study suggests that better welfare would come if caregivers would not only give them toys, but interact with the animal and those toys together.”
Reference
“Trainer Interaction can Improve Welfare Outcomes of Toy Enrichment for Isolated Animals: A Case Study” by Kelly Jaakkola, Sarah Brignac, Linda Erb, Abigail Haddock, Emily Guarino & Armando Rodriguez, in Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens
