Special Issue Survey of Cetaceans in Captive Care

Aquatic Mammals 2005, 31(3), 371-381, DOI 10.1578/AM.31.3.2005.3718. HusbandryGood husbandry and animal care are the underlyingmotivations of all environmental and habitatenhancements. For an animal maintained in a controlledenvironment, there are many factors thatcan affect its health and behaviour: social parameters,public display-related factors, breeding,pathogens, age, etc. In the wild, many animal speciesmask signs of illness to avoid falling prey toother species. This is especially true for cetaceans.Because of the aquatic environment, marine mammalsexhibit symptoms of illness very late in thedisease process and differently from terrestrialanimals (Cowan et al., 2001; McBain, 2001;Sweeney & Reddy, 2001). Therefore, cetaceanveterinarians need to spend time observing theanimals in their care and adjust their practices toaccommodate these animals (McBain, 2001).The purpose of this chapter is to present a briefoverview of the various aspects of husbandry, thenecessities of medical training, and the importanceof implementing a veterinary programme to maintainthe physical and psychological health of cetaceansin human care. It is by no means an exhaustiveand detailed reference on diagnosis and treatments.One book is the international and uncontested referencein this field—the CRC Handbook of MarineMammal Medicine (2nd ed.), published in 2001 byDierauf & Gulland (Eds.). This overview chapter iscompiled from this reference, as well as several governmentalregulations, such as the USA regulations(Anonymous, 1979-1984, 1995) and the Australianregulations for Queensland (Anonymous, 1992),and it also presents some results from the internationalsurvey of cetacean facilities. Husbandry alsorelies heavily on adequate training and conditioning,and frequent references to these areas will bemade throughout this chapter. For professionalvocabulary, training methods, and problem solving,the international reference is Ramirez (1999).Husbandry and Veterinary CareThe basic foundation for a successful captive cetaceangroup is preventive medicine (Allen, 1996).Husbandry training can help minimise stressand encourage the animal’s cooperation. Thefrequent and regular monitoring of physiologicaland behavioural parameters allows for earlydiagnosis and treatment of any health condition(Sweeney, 1993). Variation from usual behaviouroften occurs at the beginning of many diseaseepisodes. Hence, evaluation of an animal’sbehaviour in its environment is of crucial importanceboth in the diagnosis of disease and in preventingthe consequences of disease. Husbandryproblems with cetaceans in human care comepartly from exhibiting animals in an enclosedenvironment. This presents a challenge to curatorialstaff and veterinarians (Sweeney, 1990).Monitoring and ExaminationDue to the fact that early recognition of behaviouralsymptoms facilitates prompt medical diagnosisand treatment, it is recommended that allanimals be monitored regularly, which includes adaily visual assessment and a regularly scheduledfull physical assessment. Sweeney (1993) recommendsa full examination every three months.Husbandry staff and trainers are very importantin the daily observation of the animals and the carefulrecording of each animal’s behaviour, appearance,and food intake. Through their daily interactions,they develop the ability to detect abnormalcetacean behaviour, change in appetite, and motivation.They are responsible for alerting the veterinarianif they detect abnormal behaviours, loss ofappetite for 24 h, or a change in body appearance.Efficient and frequent communication between husbandrystaff, trainers, and veterinarians is importantto ensure a rapid transfer of information (McBain,2001). They should comply with the training programestablished by the curator and veterinarian,which includes husbandry and handling techniques,reporting data, and keeping records. It is importantto motivate husbandry and training staff to developtheir skills through courses and participation ininternational symposiums and conferences.Every facility should have a veterinarian responsiblefor the health of the animals or one who isquickly available when not directly attached to theinstitution. Depending on his or her experience,this person will have ready contacts with otherexperts and specialised professionals. The veterinarianis responsible for establishing the medicalprotocol, the examination schedule, the healthcareprogramme, the behavioural conditioning tofacilitate animal handling, the dietary goals (e.g.,food type, quantity, caloric content, and vitaminsupplements), the administration of vaccines, themanagement of pregnancy and birth control, thetherapy and treatment of disease, and the controlof records. In addition, the veterinarian will control© 2005 EAAM