Nonhuman primate welfare: Can there be a relationship between personality, lateralization and physiological indicators?

Fernández-Lázaro, Gloria; Latorre, Roberto; Alonso-García, Enrique; Núñez, Isabel Barja

doi:10.1016/j.beproc.2019.103897

Cited by 18 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 96 publications

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“…Reduced lateralization, associated with reduced interhemispheric connections, has been associated with a number of negative psychological states in humans, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (e.g., [113][114][115][116]) and stress is associated with changes in lateralization in humans [117]. In non-human vertebrate species, living in conditions of poor welfare is associated with different degrees of lateralization [118,119]. Availability of sufficient space is of paramount importance for enrichment, and hence good welfare, and it can influence lateralization [120].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does Functional Lateralization in Birds Have any Implications for Their Welfare?

Rogers

Kaplan

2019

Symmetry

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We know a good deal about brain lateralization in birds and a good deal about animal welfare, but relatively little about whether there is a noteworthy relationship between avian welfare and brain lateralization. In birds, the left hemisphere is specialised to categorise stimuli and to discriminate preferred categories from distracting stimuli (e.g., food from an array of inedible objects), whereas the right hemisphere responds to small differences between stimuli, controls social behaviour, detects predators and controls attack, fear and escape responses. In this paper, we concentrate on visual lateralization and the effect of light exposure of the avian embryo on the development of lateralization, and we consider its role in the welfare of birds after hatching. Findings suggest that light-exposure during incubation has a general positive effect on post-hatching behaviour, likely because it facilitates control of behaviour by the left hemisphere, which can suppress fear and other distress behaviour controlled by the right hemisphere. In this context, particular attention needs to be paid to the influence of corticosterone, a stress hormone, on lateralization. Welfare of animals in captivity, as is well known, has two cornerstones: enrichment and reduction of stress. What is less well-known is the link between the influence of experience on brain lateralization and its consequent positive or negative outcomes on behaviour. We conclude that the welfare of birds may be diminished by failure to expose the developing embryos to light but we also recognise that more research on the association between lateralization and welfare is needed.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does Functional Lateralization in Birds Have any Implications for Their Welfare?

Rogers

Kaplan

2019

Symmetry

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“…The start of the daily test began when hatch of the nest box was opened, and it finished when the 4 min elapsed. Since we previously observed that the European mink was a very active animal that performed numerous behaviors in a short time, other studies with mammals that use a few minutes were considered 57 – 59 . Moreover, we observed previously that the European mink is a very fast, active and agile animal when it is out of the burrow, so four minutes are enough to obtain an appropriate volume of data.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Behavioral responses of the European mink in the face of different threats: conspecific competitors, predators, and anthropic disturbances

Ortiz-Jiménez

Iglesias-Merchán

Barja

2021

Sci Rep

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Prey species assess the risk of threat using visual, olfactory, and acoustic cues from their habitat. Thus, they modify their behavior in order to avoid encounters with competitors, predators, and human disturbances that endanger their fitness. European mink (Mustela lutreola) is a critically endangered species that can be preyed upon by larger carnivores and displaced by dominant conspecifics to areas of lower quality, e.g., near to more anthropized localities which may be noisier. In this study, the behavioral responses of 24 European mink were evaluated by conducting an experiment in which the presence of a conspecific competitor was simulated with a visual cue (mirror) and the presence of predators (terrestrial and aerial) with odorous cues. Additionally, they were also exposed to potential sources of anthropic disturbance with acoustic cues (road traffic noise and human voices). Our results showed that European mink were hidden for longer periods of time due to the presence of conspecifics and being exposed to the fecal odors of a terrestrial predator such as dog, but especially when they were exposed to anthropic noises. In the presence of a conspecific, the females and the subadults were the ones who remained hidden for the longest time. As well, they were hidden for longer periods of time due to the presence of conspecifics but in combination with dog feces and anthropic sounds did not induce variations in the response, as both by themselves already triggered an increase in the time they spent hiding. The vigilance model showed the effects of the same factors as the hiding model, but with antagonistic effects in the case of vigilance time which decreased during anthropic noises exposition. Finally, we want to highlight that European mink showed an innate response favorable to all three types of threats, but attention should be focused on human disturbances—as they trigger the most extreme responses—which may affect the rate of survival of this threatened species.

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“…Following these applications, several zoological associations, for example, the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA), have developed guidelines that include explanations of how to measure and analyze the personality and benefits that this research brings to different areas of health, management, and conservation of zoo animals [ 72 ]. Additionally, there are books dedicated entirely to personality or temperament in nonhuman primates [ 73 ], and, specifically for strepsirrhine species, several studies have measured it with behavioral coding identifying traits on a spectrum of boldness to shyness ([ 74 ] with Otolemur garnetti ; [ 75 , 76 ] with Microcebus murinus ), while others have combined behavioral coding and trait rating ([ 77 ] with Nycticebus pygmaeus ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As animal welfare refers to the physical health, behavior, and emotional state of animals, measuring it requires a multi-dimensional approach combining different indicators [ 82 ]. This can be complex, but we already have examples in strepsirrhine primate species that combine behavioral observations, personality ratings, and physiological measures [ 77 , 83 ]. With advanced husbandry behaviors increasing with strepsirrhine species, evidence-based physiological measures may become more prevalent.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Strepsirrhine Primate Training Programs in North American Institutions: Status and Implications for Future Welfare Assessment

Fernández-Lázaro

Dye

Eddie³

et al. 2021

Animals

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Many articles have shown the benefits of operant conditioning training techniques in the care and welfare of several species of nonhuman primates; however, the information regarding their use in strepsirrhine species is scarce. We assessed the development and current status of training programs with these species in North American institutions. An online survey was distributed through members of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums using a multiple-choice format. We collected information related to training program details; animals, behaviors, and techniques; the evaluation process; and the impact of training. Seventy-one organizations completed the survey, with the results showing that 97% of respondents trained their strepsirrhines with the main objective of husbandry and veterinary care (around 80%). Sixty-eight percent of organizations did not report any risk in training these species. The benefits reported include increases in positive human–animal interactions (97%), psychological well-being (88%), and staff awareness of animal behaviors (90%). However, a multi-dimensional approach to measure the efficacy of training could provide a deeper understanding of its impact on the welfare of strepsirrhine primates. We hope that the data offered in this survey can help in this future assessment.

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Nonhuman primate welfare: Can there be a relationship between personality, lateralization and physiological indicators?

Cited by 18 publications

References 96 publications

Does Functional Lateralization in Birds Have any Implications for Their Welfare?

Does Functional Lateralization in Birds Have any Implications for Their Welfare?

Behavioral responses of the European mink in the face of different threats: conspecific competitors, predators, and anthropic disturbances

Strepsirrhine Primate Training Programs in North American Institutions: Status and Implications for Future Welfare Assessment

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