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Madeline Winans MS Thesis.pdf (725.94 KB)

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Measuring the effect of facility relocation on the welfare of California sea lions (Zalophus californianus)

Winans, Madeline Marie
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0393-1735
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1619011327519385

Abstract Details

2021, Master of Science, Ohio State University, Animal Sciences.
Although animal welfare science has developed into a comprehensive field, there remains a lack of evidence-based assessments for many species. Marine mammals are generally an understudied group of species, and although these animals are regularly transported between zoological facilities, their welfare at all stages of these processes is rarely a research focus. In this study, The Ohio State University’s Center for Human-Animal Interactions Research and Education partnered with Columbus Zoo and Aquarium to conduct a long-term welfare assessment of a population of California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) throughout facility relocation. With measurement of animal behavior, as well as both hair and salivary cortisol concentrations, we aimed to assess the effect of transport and relocation to a novel environment on the welfare of this population of sea lions. Data were collected for 24 months prior to relocation (baseline phase) and for 8 months following relocation (acclimation phase) for the longitudinal study, and for 4 days pre-transport and 4 days post-transport for the shorter-term study. We found that the sea lions spent 21.3% more time swimming (P = 0.0022), 30.0% less time resting hauled out of the water (P < 0.0001) and had elevated hair cortisol concentrations during acclimation to their new facility compared to baseline data derived pre-transport. We also found there was no change in salivary cortisol during transport, but a significant elevation occurred post-transport (P < 0.0001). These findings indicate there was some effect of transport and relocation on this population of sea lions’ behavior and cortisol concentrations, although additional confounding factors, such as breeding season and influence of medication, may be impacting these results. These findings offer the first documentation of an evaluation of the transport and relocation effects on marine mammal welfare and provide a foundation for future research progressing the field of marine mammal welfare science.
Kelly George, Dr. (Advisor)
Kim Cole, Dr. (Committee Member)
Mark Flint, Dr. (Committee Member)
104 p.
Animal Sciences; Animals; Behavioral Sciences; Physiology; Welfare; Zoology
animal welfare; animal behavior; cortisol; marine mammals; sea lions; zoo

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Winans, M. M. (2021). Measuring the effect of facility relocation on the welfare of California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1619011327519385

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Winans, Madeline. Measuring the effect of facility relocation on the welfare of California sea lions (Zalophus californianus). 2021. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1619011327519385.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Winans, Madeline. "Measuring the effect of facility relocation on the welfare of California sea lions (Zalophus californianus)." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2021. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1619011327519385

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.