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Many animals display a suite of increased vigilance and/or activity responses in relation to upcoming events, termed "anticipatory behavior." Anticipatory behavior toward positive events has been suggested as a cross-species measure of affective state as it likely reflects the balance of the reward-sensitivity system: various studies suggest that animals in poorer welfare situations show higher or excessive levels of anticipation for positive events. Another tool for evaluating animals' affective state is cognitive bias testing, and although it has been attempted, a link has not yet been made between cognitive bias and anticipatory behavior levels. Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in captivity increase the performance of behaviors such as surface-looking and spy-hopping in anticipation of training sessions during which food is provided. In this study we measured anticipatory behavior frequency in bottlenose dolphins prior to positive reinforcement training sessions, and assessed whether frequency of anticipatory behavior correlated with their performance on cognitive bias tasks. We found that higher frequencies of anticipatory behavior for training sessions was significantly associated with more pessimistic judgements in cognitive bias tests, supporting previous findings linking higher reward sensitivity with negative affective states. Anticipatory behavior is an easily measured activity and could represent a welfare indicator in dolphins as well as other animals in captive environments., (© 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

In the last 30 years, concerns about animal emotions have emerged from the general public but also from animal professionals and scientists. Animals are now considered as sentient beings, capable of experiencing emotions such as fear or pleasure. Understanding animals’ emotions is complex and important if we want to guarantee them the best care, management, and welfare. The main objectives of the paper are, first, to give a brief overview of various and contemporary assessments of emotions in animals, then to focus on particular zoo animals, that is, marine mammals, since they have drawn a lot of attention lately in regards of their life under professional care. We discuss here 1 approach to monitor their emotions by examining their laterality to finally conclude the importance of understanding animal emotion from a holistic welfare approach.

Exploratory behaviors describe the actions performed by an animal to obtain information on an object, environment, or individual by using its different senses. Exploration is described in some marine mammals, but not yet in manatees. Our study investigated behavioral and acoustic responses of two groups of Antillean manatees (N = 12 and N = 4) housed in zoological parks toward various stimuli involving three sensory modalities: visual, tactile, and auditory. Simultaneous audio and video recordings were collected during three periods of time (i.e., before, during, and after the presentation of all stimuli). Behaviors related to interest, social behaviors, the number and type of calls produced, and their frequency and duration were recorded and analyzed. Manatees reacted more to submerged stimuli than to out-of-water and sound stimuli, with an increase in approach, social contacts, and number of vocalizations. The proportion of squeaks and squeals call types also varied according to stimuli, and call entropy and F0 range varied according to periods. Our results suggest that manatees display sensory preferences when exploring stimuli, with more interest in manipulable stimuli, supporting the importance of their somatic perception. We highlight the need for particular enrichment programs (i.e., involving submerged objects) in zoological facilities. By displaying social contacts and by producing vocalizations, manatees communicate information such as their motivational state. The increase in call rate, harsh calls, and entropy values could be valid indicators of heightened arousal. We encourage further studies to associate acoustic recordings with ethological data collection to increase the understanding of manatees' behaviors andperception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 1985, a well-studied community of free ranging Atlantic spotted dolphins, Stenella frontalis, and bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, has been observed underwater in the Bahamas. Over this period, the dolphins have become habituated to human swimmers. Long-term underwater observations revealed that some of these dolphins engaged in play behavior using man-made and natural objects in the presence of humans, and allowed humans to interact with them during play. We investigated the dolphins’ play behaviors in response to a more formal two-way communication interface from 1997-2000. Spotted dolphins were exposed to an underwater keyboard in which visual and acoustic symbols represented the objects the dolphins were observed playing with. Objects could be obtained and played with by indicating the appropriate associated symbol. Pointing and triadic gaze between human participants was used to model the system in the presence of dolphins. Our results indicated that human use of the system encouraged the dolphins to attend to activity at the keyboard. Female juveniles, especially six main individuals, were the main players. Dolphins increased their normal levels of associations with certain conspecifics during exposure sessions and also took dominant roles during sessions in the presence of certain conspecifics. Dolphin age class, sex, and levels of synchronization with humans all contributed to the success and level of engagement during exposure sessions between humans and dolphins.

Scientific literature describes the various ways that we perceive animals and their contribution to our humanization. Our understanding of “animality” is changing, corresponding to an ever-increasing general knowledge of animals. Scientific studies provide objective descriptions of the complexity of animal worlds. The present article discusses recent findings on socio-spatiality, social cognition, and self-recognition in various marine mammal species, as well as the relevance and coherence of theories used to explain them. In a constructivist ethological approach, animals are not considered to be mere living organisms or objects, but rather, subjects. All animals use their senses to create relationships with their physical and social environments. Through their perceptions and actions, they give meaning to their surroundings; they enact individual and specific worlds, known as umwelts.The human-animal relationship is an inter subjectivity. Examples from studies of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and killer whales (Orcinus orca) can be used to hypothesize the existence of a context-dependent situated self. Finally, animal welfare/well-being and the effectiveness of environmental enrichment programs can be re-evaluated in the context of this theoretical framework. In sum, no objective world exists; rather, we propose the existence of multiple context-dependent cognitive and subjective umwelts. The present article is the first to consider marine mammals with this perspective.

Simple Summary: Fewer than 200 manatees are hosted permanently by zoological parks worldwide. Their living conditions differ considerably from zoo to zoo. Recent research on ecology, acoustics, cognition and behaviour has changed the perception humans have on manatees with implications for their welfare. Using the five-model approach, this study examines our current knowledge on manatees' behaviour and cognition, and suggests ways to improve their welfare in zoological parks. The order Sirenia comprises several species of manatees and one species of dugong. These popular marine mammals are relatively recent acquisitions to zoological parks throughout the world. As far as we know, there are less than 200 manatees, mostly American, a few African, and ever less Amazonian, currently in zoological parks. American manatees are predominantly found in zoos in Europe, North America, and in some Asian countries, while African ones are present exclusively in Asian zoos. The living conditions of captive manatees differ considerably from zoo to zoo (i.e., numbers, sex ratio, outdoor vs. indoor habitats, complex vs. simple habitats). Most research on manatee behaviour has been relatively recent, and studies on cognition, sociality, and ecology have a significant impact on our perception of manatee needs and management, with wider implications for their welfare. In the wild, manatees demonstrated various cognitive capacities; spatial memory and learning abilities play an important role in their daily life in a complex and dynamic environment. Furthermore, there is evidence that these mammals are more social animals than expected. Individuals show various personality traits on the boldness–shyness continuum and their sociality varies. All those parameters are important in terms of animal welfare. Several behavioural studies showed that standardized enrichment programs benefit and ensure the welfare of captive zoo animals. However, obtaining accurate information on the presence of manatees in zoos, living conditions, management, and consequently welfare remains challenging. This study examines the current knowledge on manatee behaviour and cognition and then discusses different approaches to improving the welfare of this charismatic marine mammal in zoological parks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]