Special Issue Survey of Cetaceans in Captive Care

368 Couquiaudbut grouts are difficult to clean. Plastic or vinylliners are not recommended for fish house flooringas they are not resistant enough to punctures,cuts, and disinfectants. Floor lining will be appliedon wall plinths as well (15 to 20 cm high). Floorsshould be made of no-slip materials. All materialsused in the preparation room, from floor to ceiling,should be resistant to detergents, disinfectants, hotwater, and high pressure water. Preparation roomsalso will be equipped with a pressure hose and hotwater taps.Survey respondents recommended that the preparationroom be equipped with an ice machine (evenin facilities located in cold countries) and a manualor electronic stainless steel scale to weigh theamount of food given to the animals. The accuracyof the scale calibration will be checked regularly.Near the scale, a board will indicate the name ofeach dolphin, its daily food intake, and the portionsof fish species given. Data should then be recordeddaily and stored with other records, preferably digitally.Data can be more easily analysed if enteredinto a database or spreadsheet application.Figure 7.2. Grinder under sinkFigure 7.1. Fish kitchenPlastic or stainless steel buckets are used forfood distribution. Stainless steel buckets aredefinitely preferred over plastic. Although moreexpensive, they are easier to clean, more resistantto intensive manipulation, and less likely to tipover (survey). It is recommended that there be anelevated stainless steel mesh or perforated sheet atthe bottom of the bucket to allow melted ice andfish juices to be drained away from the remainingfood. Stainless steel lids should be used to coverthe food during transportation from the kitchento the pool to protect it from outside elementssuch as birds and wind-carried objects. Eachanimal requires two or three buckets if the foodis prepared in the morning for the whole day; thefeedings also can be placed in layers in the samebucket. After the buckets are prepared, there needsto be space available to store them. Buckets canbe hung upside-down on long pegs fixed in a wallFigure 7.3. Weighing individual rationsto air dry after cleaning and sanitising. The layoutof the preparation room will provide ample spaceto allow people to carry out several tasks simultaneously.No cleaning and disinfection should beconducted until the food is safely put in bucketsand removed from the room.SanitationSpecial attention will be paid to sanitation.Utensils, processing surfaces, walls, and floorsmust be cleaned and sanitised prior to and afterfish processing (Crissey, 1998). Staff must washtheir hands prior to handling food, vitamins, andmedicine tablets. A footbath with disinfectantshould be placed at the entrance of the preparation