scholarly journals The Protection of Animals During Warfare

AJIL Unbound ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 111 ◽  
pp. 272-276
Author(s):  
Jérôme de Hemptinne
Keyword(s):  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Bottlenose Dolphins ◽  
Rapid Rate ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Armed Groups ◽  
Military Operations ◽  
Protected Species ◽  
California Sea Lions ◽  
Animal Products ◽  
Sea Lions

In times of war, the first instinct is to relieve the suffering of human beings. Environmental and animal interests are always pushed into the background. However, warfare strongly affects natural resources, including animals, which makes animal issues a matter of great concern. Certain species have been vanishing at a rapid rate because of wars, often with disastrous effects on the food chain and on the ecological balance. Indeed, belligerents rarely take into account the adverse consequences of their military operations on animals. They even take advantage of the chaotic circumstances of war in order to poach protected species and to engage in the trafficking of expensive animal products. While generating billions of dollars each year, such poaching and trafficking allows armed groups to grow and to reinforce their authority over disputed territory. States have also trained, and continue to train, certain animals—principally marine mammals such as bottlenose dolphins and California sea lions—to perform military tasks, like ship and harbor protection, or mine detection and clearance. Millions of horses, mules, donkeys, camels, dogs, and birds are obliged to serve on various fronts (transport, logistics, or communications) and become particularly vulnerable targets.

scholarly journals Do Pinnipeds have Personality? Broad Dimensions and Contextual Consistency of Behavior in Harbor Seals (Phoca vitulina) and California Sea Lions (Zalophus californianus).

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amber J. de Vere ◽  
Malin K. Lilley ◽  
Lauren Highfill
Keyword(s):  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Bottlenose Dolphins ◽  
Routine Activity ◽  
Personality Factors ◽  
Harbor Seals ◽  
Behavioral Consistency ◽  
California Sea Lions ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Sea Lions

Personality has now been studied in species as diverse as chimpanzees and cuttlefish, but marine mammals remain vastly underrepresented in this area. A broad range of traits have been assessed only once in each of bottlenose dolphins and California sea lions, while consistent individual differences in a few specific behaviors have been identified in grey seals. Furthermore, the context component of definitions of personality is not often assessed, despite evidence that animals may show individual patterns of behavioral consistency across contexts. The current study therefore aimed to use behavioral coding to assess underlying personality factors and consistency across contexts in two marine mammal species: California sea lions and harbor seals. In both species, two personality factors were extracted using exploratory factor analysis. Both were broadly similar across species; the first, Boldness, resembled human Extraversion, and to some extent Openness, with sea lions exhibiting a greater social component. The second factor was labeled Routine Activity, and may contain some Conscientiousness-like traits. Species-specific patterns were also identified for interactive behaviors across two contexts. However, there was substantial individual variation in the frequency of these behaviors, as well as some animals who did not conform to group-level trends. This study therefore provides novel evidence for broad personality factors and both group- and individual-level patterns of contextual consistency in two pinniped species.

scholarly journals Epidemiological models to control the spread of information in marine mammals

2016 ◽  
Vol 283 (1844) ◽  
pp. 20162037 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zachary A. Schakner ◽  
Michael G. Buhnerkempe ◽  
Mathew J. Tennis ◽  
Robert J. Stansell ◽  
Bjorn K. van der Leeuw ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
Social Transmission ◽  
Sea Lion ◽  
California Sea Lions ◽  
Sea Lions ◽  
Promising Tool ◽  
Diffusion Analysis ◽  
And Control ◽  
The Impact

Socially transmitted wildlife behaviours that create human–wildlife conflict are an emerging problem for conservation efforts, but also provide a unique opportunity to apply principles of infectious disease control to wildlife management. As an example, California sea lions ( Zalophus californianus ) have learned to exploit concentrations of migratory adult salmonids below the fish ladders at Bonneville Dam, impeding endangered salmonid recovery. Proliferation of this foraging behaviour in the sea lion population has resulted in a controversial culling programme of individual sea lions at the dam, but the impact of such culling remains unclear. To evaluate the effectiveness of current and alternative culling strategies, we used network-based diffusion analysis on a long-term dataset to demonstrate that social transmission is implicated in the increase in dam-foraging behaviour and then studied different culling strategies within an epidemiological model of the behavioural transmission data. We show that current levels of lethal control have substantially reduced the rate of social transmission, but failed to effectively reduce overall sea lion recruitment. Earlier implementation of culling could have substantially reduced the extent of behavioural transmission and, ultimately, resulted in fewer animals being culled. Epidemiological analyses offer a promising tool to understand and control socially transmissible behaviours.

scholarly journals Evidence of a ‘dinner bell’ effect from acoustic transmitters in adult Chinook salmon

2020 ◽  
Vol 641 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
AM Wargo Rub ◽  
BP Sandford
Keyword(s):  
Chinook Salmon ◽  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Oncorhynchus Tshawytscha ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
California Sea Lions ◽  
Sea Lions ◽  
Acoustic Transmitter ◽  
Archival Tags ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Survival Differences

The ‘dinner bell’ hypothesis posits that marine mammals hear or otherwise sense soundwaves produced by acoustic transmitters and use the signal to selectively prey on fish carrying them. A dual tagging study conducted during 2010 and 2011 supports this hypothesis. Results from this study revealed a significant difference in the survival of fish marked with passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags and those marked with active acoustic transmitters. Our objective had been to use both types of tags to study behavior and survival of migrating adult spring Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha at 2 different spatial scales. We tagged fish as they entered the Columbia River, USA, and monitored their survival and progress over a 193 km reach to Bonneville Dam (river km 234), its lowest impoundment. In 2010, estimated survival was 0.74 (95% CI, 0.62-0.86) for PIT-tagged fish but only 0.30 (0.15-0.45) for acoustic-tagged fish. Therefore, in 2011, we included archival tags and a sham acoustic transmitter group to help identify causes of the survival discrepancy. Survival was 0.75 (0.54-0.97) for sham transmitter fish and 0.73 (0.60-0.86) for PIT fish, but only 0.10 (0.00-0.24) for active acoustic transmitter fish. Our study area was replete with harbor seals Phoca vitulina, California sea lions Zalophus californianus, and Steller sea lions Eumetopias jubatus during both years. We suspect the most likely cause of survival differences between tag treatment groups was pinniped predation. Using temperature data from archival tags, we found evidence of such predation and support for a ‘dinner bell’ effect from acoustic transmitter tags.

Patterns of seabird and marine mammal carcass deposition along the central California coast, 1980–1986

1991 ◽  
Vol 69 (5) ◽  
pp. 1149-1155 ◽  
Author(s):  
James L. Bodkin ◽  
Ronald J. Jameson
Keyword(s):  
Cause Of Death ◽  
Marine Mammal ◽  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
California Sea Lions ◽  
Central California ◽  
Sea Lions ◽  
Common Murres ◽  
Local Patterns ◽  
Species Specific

At monthly intervals from February 1980 through December 1986, a 14.5-km section of central California coastline was systematically surveyed for beach-cast carcasses of marine birds and mammals. Five hundred and fifty-four bird carcasses and 194 marine mammal carcasses were found. Common murres, western grebes, and Brandt's cormorants composed 45% of the bird total. California sea lions, sea otters, and harbor seals composed 90% of the mammal total. Several factors appeared to affect patterns of carcass deposition. The El Niño – Southern Oscillation (ENSO) of 1982–1983 was the dominant influence in terms of interannual variation in carcass deposition. During this ENSO, 56% of the seabirds and 48% of the marine mammals washed ashore. Patterns of intra-annual variation were species specific and were related to animal migration patterns, reproduction, and seasonal changes in weather. Nearshore currents and winds influenced the general area of carcass deposition, while beach substrate type and local patterns of sand deposition influenced the location of carcass deposition on a smaller spatial scale. Weekly surveys along a 1.1-km section of coastline indicated that 62% of bird carcasses and 41% of mammal carcasses remained on the beach less than 9 days. Cause of death was determined for only 8% of the carcasses. Oiling was the most common indication of cause of death in birds (6%). Neonates composed 8% of all mammal carcasses.

scholarly journals Phylogeny and Pathology of Anisakids Parasitizing Stranded California Sea Lions (Zalophus californianus) in Southern California

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jerko Hrabar ◽  
Hrvoje Smodlaka ◽  
Somayeh Rasouli-Dogaheh ◽  
Mirela Petrić ◽  
Željka Trumbić ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Los Angeles ◽  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Phylogenetic Trees ◽  
Care Center ◽  
Gastric Wall ◽  
Zalophus Californianus ◽  
California Sea Lions ◽  
Sea Lions ◽  
Pseudoterranova Decipiens ◽  
Bacterial Coinfection

In marine mammals, nematode-inflicted pathological lesions combined with other pathogens and factors (i.e., pollution, climate change, domoic acid poisoning events, and seasonal El Nino starvation events) negatively impact pinnipeds’ health and may cause mortality. Five California sea lions (Zalophus californianus)—a female pup, three male yearlings, and an adult female—suffered mortalities during rehabilitation at the Marine Mammal Care Center Los Angeles (San Pedro, CA). According to the necropsy reports, animals developed multisystemic parasitism as a leading cause of death, combined with malnutrition and hypoglycemia. In order to reveal host–parasite dynamics that may play a role in pinniped health and recovery, we examined the type and level of histopathological stomach lesions in California sea lions caused by anisakid nematodes. All isolated anisakids were morphologically and molecularly identified, and their phylogenetic relationships were reconstructed using the sequence of the mitochondrial COII gene. Co-parasitation of different Anisakidae spp. within the same host or lesions presented the opportunity to evaluate the existence of recombinant haplotypes and their eventual pathological pressure exerted onto host. The lesions were presented as chronic granulomatous gastritis, with moderate edema and hyperemia of the tunica submucosa and lamina propria, followed by mild, focal fibrosis of the gastric wall. Ulcerative changes with mixed leukocytic infiltrate showed to be localized, shallow, and non-perforative and with no apparent bacterial coinfection, mostly accompanied by healing granulation tissue. Isolated anisakids are grouped into three distinctively separated monophyletic clades corresponding to genera Anisakis, Contracaecum, and Pseudoterranova. Most abundant were representatives of Contracaecum ogmorhini sensu lato (55.36%), followed by Anisakis pegreffii (23.21%), Pseudoterranova azarasi (17.86%), Pseudoterranova decipiens sensu lato (1.79%), and Anisakis simplex (1.79%). Phylogenetic trees revealed no differentiation at intra-species level. Our analysis of divergence revealed Contracaecum separated from other lineages in the Jurassic period at the 176.2 Mya and Anisakis diverging from Pseudoterranova in Cenozoic period at 85.9 Mya.

scholarly journals Proteomic Analysis of Urine from California Sea Lions (Zalophus californianus): a Resource for Urinary Biomarker Discovery

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin A. Neely ◽  
Katherine C. Prager ◽  
Alison M. Bland ◽  
Christine Fontaine ◽  
Frances M. Gulland ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Kidney Disease ◽  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Kidney Diseases ◽  
Renin Angiotensin System ◽  
Zalophus Californianus ◽  
Protein Markers ◽  
California Sea Lions ◽  
Angiotensin System ◽  
Sea Lions ◽  
Urine Proteins

AbstractUrinary markers for the assessment of kidney diseases in wild animals are limited, in part, due to the lack of urinary proteome data, especially for marine mammals. One of the most prevalent kidney diseases in marine mammals is caused byLeptospira interrogans, which is the second most common etiology linked to stranding of California sea lions (Zalophus californianus). Urine proteins from eleven sea lions with leptospirosis kidney disease and eight sea lions without leptospirosis or kidney disease were analyzed using shotgun proteomics. In total, 2694 protein groups were identified and 316 were differentially abundant between groups. Major urine proteins in sea lions were similar to major urine proteins in dogs and humans except for the preponderance of resistin, lysozyme C, and PDZ domain containing 1, which appear to be over-represented. Previously reported urine protein markers of kidney injury in humans and animals were also identified. Notably, neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin, osteopontin, and epidermal fatty acid binding protein were elevated over 20-fold in the leptospirosis-infected sea lions. Consistent with leptospirosis infection in rodents, urinary proteins associated with the renin-angiotensin system were depressed, including neprilysin. This study represents a foundation from which to explore the clinical use of urinary protein markers in California sea lions.AbbreviationsRASrenin-angiotensin systemleptoleptospirosisSCrserum creatinineBUNblood urea nitrogen

scholarly journals Velocity Field Measurements of the California Sea Lion Propulsive Stroke Using Bubble PIV

Fluids ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 3
Author(s):  
Gino Perrotta ◽  
Frank E. Fish ◽  
Danielle S. Adams ◽  
Ariel M. Leahy ◽  
Abigal M. Downs ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Field Measurements ◽  
Suction Side ◽  
The Body ◽  
Sea Lion ◽  
California Sea Lions ◽  
Flow Measurements ◽  
Sea Lions ◽  
Particle Imaging ◽  
Flow Velocities

California sea lions are among the most agile of swimming mammals. Most marine mammals swim with their hind appendages—flippers or flukes, depending on the species—whereas sea lions use their foreflippers for propulsion and maneuvering. The sea lion’s propulsive stroke generates thrust by forming a jet between the flippers and the body and by dragging a starting vortex along the suction side of the flipper. Prior experiments using robotic flippers have shown these mechanisms to be possible, but no flow measurements around live sea lions previously existed with which to compare. In this study, the flow structures around swimming sea lions were observed using an adaptation of particle imaging velocimetry. To accommodate the animals, it was necessary to use bubbles as seed particles and sunlight for illumination. Three trained adult California sea lions were guided to swim through an approximately planar sheet of bubbles in a total of 173 repetitions. The captured videos were used to calculate bubble velocities, which were processed to isolate and inspect the flow velocities caused by the swimming sea lion. The methodology will be discussed, and measured flow velocities will be presented.

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