scholarly journals Play in Elephants: Wellbeing, Welfare or Distraction?

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 305 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Elizabeth Webber ◽  
Phyllis C. Lee
Keyword(s):  
Social Play ◽  
Feeding Time ◽  
Term Survival ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Active Time ◽  
Object Play ◽  
Welfare Indicator ◽  
Potential Indicator ◽  
In The Wild

We explore elephant play behaviour since (a) play has been proposed to represent a potential welfare indicator; and (b) play has been associated with long-term survival in the wild. We categorised play into four types, and investigate both social (gentle, escalated-contact) and non-social (lone-locomotor, exploratory-object) play from observations made on wild (Asian N = 101; African N = 130) and captive (Asian N = 8; African N = 7) elephant calves ranging in age from birth to five years. Social play was the most frequent type of play among immature elephants, accounting for an average of 3%–9% of active time. Non-social play accounted for an additional 1%–11% of time. The most time spent in play was seen in captive Asian calves, particularly at the ages of 1–6 months, while wild African calves spent the least time in play overall, even though they had the greatest number and most diverse range of play partners available. We assessed calf energetics using time spent suckling, resting, moving and independent feeding. Time spent playing was unrelated to time spent suckling but negatively associated with time spent independently feeding. There were no associations with time spent moving or resting. Maternal energy via lactation was unrelated to play early in life, but energy acquired independently may constrain or enable play. Play, while a potential indicator of compromised welfare for many species when absent, can act as a highly stimulating activity for captive elephants in the absence of other forms of arousal.

scholarly journals The Critically Endangered Myanmar snub-nosed monkey Rhinopithecus strykeri found in the Salween River Basin, China

Oryx ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 134-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yin Yang ◽  
Ying-Ping Tian ◽  
Chen-Xiang He ◽  
Zhipang Huang ◽  
Shao-Hua Dong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
River Basin ◽  
Infrared Camera ◽  
Critically Endangered ◽  
Term Survival ◽  
Transect Sampling ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Disturbed Forest ◽  
Endangered Status ◽  
Salween River

AbstractThe Myanmar snub-nosed monkey Rhinopithecus strykeri was discovered in 2010 on the western slopes of the Gaoligong Mountains in the Irrawaddy River basin in Myanmar and subsequently in the same river basin in China, in 2011. Based on 2 years of surveying the remote and little disturbed forest of the Gaoligong Mountains National Nature Reserve in China, with outline transect sampling and infrared camera monitoring, a breeding group comprising > 70 individuals was found on the eastern slopes of the Gaoligong Mountains in the Salween River Basin. Given the Critically Endangered status of this primate (a total of < 950 individuals are estimated to remain in the wild), efforts to protect the relatively undisturbed habitat of this newly discovered population and to prevent hunting are essential for the long-term survival of this species.

No long-term effect of intracoelomic acoustic transmitter implantation on survival, growth, and body condition of a long-lived stenotherm in the wild

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin A. G. Hubbard ◽  
Brendan E. Hickie ◽  
Jeff Bowman ◽  
Lee E. Hrenchuk ◽  
Paul J. Blanchfield ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Condition ◽  
Lake Trout ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Term Survival ◽  
Acoustic Transmitter ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Surgical Implantation ◽  
Fish Survival

A fundamental assumption of biotelemetry studies is that there are no adverse consequences from the surgical implantation or presence of the acoustic transmitter. In fisheries, most studies have evaluated this assumption over only short time periods (<2 y) in a laboratory setting. Here we compared the survival, growth, and body condition of populations of Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush) in three lakes containing tagged and untagged individuals over a 12-year period (2002-2013). We found no significant negative effects of acoustic telemetry tagging on the long-term survival of fish (estimates of combined annual survival ranged from 67% to 91%), and no negative effect of surgical implantation on growth or body condition for fish of either sex. Additionally, we found no significant effect of transmitter:fish mass ratio on fish survival, growth (with the exception of smaller-bodied fish in one lake), or condition. All implanted fish received tags weighing <1.25% of their mass (in water), indicating that this criterion is desirable for larger-bodied adult Lake Trout. Our findings support the assumption that long-lived fish species tagged with acoustic transmitters via intracoelomic surgery survive, grow, and maintain body condition similar to un-tagged conspecifics over the long-term in the wild.

scholarly journals Telomere dynamics rather than age predict life expectancy in the wild

2009 ◽  
Vol 276 (1662) ◽  
pp. 1679-1683 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre Bize ◽  
François Criscuolo ◽  
Neil B Metcalfe ◽  
Lubna Nasir ◽  
Pat Monaghan
Keyword(s):  
Life Expectancy ◽  
Telomere Length ◽  
Good Evidence ◽  
Chronological Age ◽  
Term Survival ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Telomere Dynamics

Despite accumulating evidence from in vitro studies that cellular senescence is linked to telomere dynamics, how this relates to whole-organism senescence and longevity is poorly understood and controversial. Using data on telomere length in red blood cells and long-term survival from wild Alpine swifts of a range of ages, we report that the telomere length and the rate of telomere loss are predictive of life expectancy, and that slow erosion of relatively long telomeres is associated with the highest survival probabilities. Importantly, because telomere dynamics, rather than chronological age, predict life expectancy, our study provides good evidence for a mechanistic link between telomere erosion and reduced organism longevity under natural conditions, chronological age itself possibly not becoming a significant predictor until very old ages beyond those in our sample.

scholarly journals Trade in Asian elephant ivory in Sri Lanka

Oryx ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 176-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Santiapillai ◽  
Ajith Silva ◽  
Champika Karyawasam ◽  
Shameema Esufali ◽  
Salila Jayaniththi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Endangered Species ◽  
Turn Of The Century ◽  
Elephas Maximus ◽  
Sri Lankan ◽  
Recent Past ◽  
Term Survival ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Elephant Ivory

AbstractElephants Elephas maximus have declined in range and number in the wild in Sri Lanka, from c. 12,000 at the turn of the nineteenth century to c. 4000 today. While in the distant past the decline in elephant numbers was due largely to indiscriminate killing by sportsmen and trophy hunters, today elephants are being killed primarily because they interfere with agriculture. Human-elephant conflicts have increased substantially in the recent past and ivory poaching has become a byproduct of such conflicts. Elephant tusks have been used traditionally in the ivory-carving industry in Sri Lanka since the time of the ancient kings. Until the turn of the century, very little ivory was imported from Africa because there was a plentiful supply of tuskers locally available. Sri Lankan ivory carvers started to use African ivory in 1910. Today ivory and fake-ivory products are sold openly to tourists in some 86 shops in the island. Before the listing of the African elephant in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), the value of raw ivory in Sri Lanka used to be $US228–285 per kg. After the listing, the price fell to $US72 per kg, reflecting a drastic drop in the demand for ivory from tourists. Many ivory carvers have switched to other jobs or are using substitutes (such as bone and horn) to produce fake-ivory carvings. Only about 7.5 per cent of bulls in Sri Lanka are tuskers and they are under poaching pressure outside protected areas. Given the rarity of tuskers in Sri Lanka, promotion of trade in ivory products, even locally, may pose a serious threat to their long-term survival in the wild.

scholarly journals Ecology and conservation of a living fossil: Australia's Wollemi Pine (Wollemia nobilis)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Berin Dylan Ewing Mackenzie ◽  
Steve W. Clarke ◽  
Heidi C. Zimmer ◽  
Edward C. Y. Liew ◽  
Maureen T. Phelan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
In Situ Conservation ◽  
Public Support ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Ex Situ ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Term Survival ◽  
Living Fossil ◽  
In The Wild

The iconic Wollemi Pine (Wollemia nobilis) is a critically endangered Australian conifer and one of the world’s rarest trees with only 46 mature individuals remaining in the wild. The species is regarded as a ‘living fossil’ and was discovered on the brink of extinction following a natural historical decline. While its discovery has enabled crucial intervention for its long-term conservation, it has also created novel threats. Wollemia nobilis is facing extinction in the wild due to its highly restricted distribution, extremely small population size, and ongoing impacts from exotic pathogens, inappropriate fire regimes, unauthorised site visitation, and anthropogenic climate change. A highly successful, collaborative program combining in situ management, ecological research and monitoring with public education and ex situ conservation strategies, such as translocation and commercial cultivation, is enhancing the species’ long-term survival. The extended longevity and slow growth and maturation of wild Wollemi Pine present unique challenges to effective in situ conservation, including the multidecadal timescales required to deliver certain conservation objectives. The continued success of the conservation program depends on strong forward planning, intergenerational commitment and collaboration, and ongoing public support.

The policy which maximises long-term survival of an animal faced with the risks of starvation and predation

1990 ◽  
Vol 22 (02) ◽  
pp. 295-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. McNamara
Keyword(s):  
Energy Reserves ◽  
Markov Decision Problem ◽  
Term Survival ◽  
Long Term Survival ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Special Cases ◽  
Finite State ◽  
Markov Decision ◽  
In The Wild

This paper presents a simple model of the decision problems which face many animals in the wild. Animals have an upper limit to the amount of energy reserves which can be stored as body fat. They constantly use energy and find food as a stochastic process. Death occurs if energy reserves fall to zero or if the animal is taken by a predator. Typically animals have a range of behavioural options which differ in the distribution of food gained and in the associated predation risk. There is often a trade-off between starvation and predation in that animals have to expose themselves to higher predation risks in order to gain more food. The above situation is modelled as a finite-state, finite-time-horizon Markov decision problem. The policy which maximises long-term survival probability is characterised. As special cases two trade-offs are analysed. It is shown that an animal should take fewer risks in terms of predation as its reserves increase, and that an animal should reduce the variability of its food supply at the expense of its mean gain as its reserves increase.

scholarly journals Repeated ex situ Spawning in Two Highly Disease Susceptible Corals in the Family Meandrinidae

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keri L. O’Neil ◽  
Rachel M. Serafin ◽  
Joshua T. Patterson ◽  
Jamie R. K. Craggs
Keyword(s):  
Ex Situ ◽  
Tissue Loss ◽  
Coral Tissue ◽  
Population Declines ◽  
Genetic Rescue ◽  
Term Survival ◽  
Artificial Lighting ◽  
The Family ◽  
In The Wild

Members of the family Meandrinidae are highly susceptible to stony coral tissue loss disease, resulting in population reductions up to 88% in both Dendrogyra cylindrus and Meandrina meandrites along the Florida Reef Tract. Reductions in abundance on this scale leave these species susceptible to limitations in sexual reproduction and natural recovery without intervention. In response to the ongoing outbreak of the disease across the Caribbean, a variety of genetic rescue projects have been implemented to bring disease susceptible species into ex situ culture and preserve living genetic diversity. In this study, corals being held in a long-term ex situ genetic bank were maintained using artificial lighting and temperature cues programmed to mimic natural cycles in Key Largo, FL, United States. Synchronized broadcast spawning events in both species were documented in aquaria over two annual spawning cycles in 2019 and 2020. Timing of gamete release relative to the perceived date and sunset was highly synchronized with wild observations. Up to 21 unique D. cylindrus genotypes collected from reef locations spanning over 230 km contributed gametes to the larval pool. The majority of these parental colonies are no longer alive in the wild. Repeatable and predictable ex situ spawning events such as these will become an essential tool for managed breeding and assisted fertilization in species suffering from severe population declines. These annual events have the potential to produce thousands of genetically diverse offspring for restoration efforts and offer future hope for the long-term survival of these threatened species.

The policy which maximises long-term survival of an animal faced with the risks of starvation and predation

1990 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 295-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. McNamara
Keyword(s):  
Energy Reserves ◽  
Markov Decision Problem ◽  
Term Survival ◽  
Long Term Survival ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Special Cases ◽  
Finite State ◽  
Markov Decision ◽  
In The Wild

This paper presents a simple model of the decision problems which face many animals in the wild. Animals have an upper limit to the amount of energy reserves which can be stored as body fat. They constantly use energy and find food as a stochastic process. Death occurs if energy reserves fall to zero or if the animal is taken by a predator. Typically animals have a range of behavioural options which differ in the distribution of food gained and in the associated predation risk. There is often a trade-off between starvation and predation in that animals have to expose themselves to higher predation risks in order to gain more food.The above situation is modelled as a finite-state, finite-time-horizon Markov decision problem. The policy which maximises long-term survival probability is characterised. As special cases two trade-offs are analysed. It is shown that an animal should take fewer risks in terms of predation as its reserves increase, and that an animal should reduce the variability of its food supply at the expense of its mean gain as its reserves increase.

Seeding small numbers of cultured black-lip abalone (Haliotis rubra Leach) to match natural densities of wild populations

2006 ◽  
Vol 57 (7) ◽  
pp. 747 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. J. Goodsell ◽  
A. J. Underwood ◽  
M. G. Chapman ◽  
M. P. Heasman
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Investigations ◽  
Commercial Fishing ◽  
Wild Populations ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Term Survival ◽  
Total Recovery ◽  
Density Dependent ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Haliotis Rubra

Haliotis rubra Leach, the black-lip abalone, is a valuable, commercially harvested species, but populations have declined since the onset of commercial fishing. Seeding juvenile cultured abalone into natural habitats can enhance and/or re-establish populations. This is often done in numbers well above natural densities of both unfished and fished populations, but is usually unsuccessful (probably because of increased mortality from predation or other density-dependent factors) and is potentially problematic for the ecology of the habitat. A major aim was, therefore, to assess survival of H. rubra when seeded in small numbers. The current study is one of a few experimental investigations to improve understanding of the potential of re-seeding. We test: (1) the importance of the spatial and temporal configuration of seed; (2) the usefulness of the urchins, Centroste phanus rodgersii, to act as a potential shelter from predators; and (3) differences in survival when using the deployment devices versus urchins. After a few days, total recovery among treatments ranged between 3 and 31%. The configuration of abalone or their proximity to urchins did not affect long-term survival. Survival in devices may be greater than with urchins, but these results were spatially variable. Recovery dropped to 0.2–3% from 1–2 months, and 0.05–2% after 6 months. Nevertheless, these results show that seeding fewer abalone (rather than previous attempts at mass out-planting) can sustain populations close to average natural densities of adults previously observed in Australia (1–3 abalone per m2). It may be more productive and ecologically conservative to release fewer and therefore larger abalone, which are known to survive better in the wild.

scholarly journals Millimeter-sized smart sensors reveal that a solar refuge protects tree snail Partula hyalina from extirpation

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cindy S. Bick ◽  
Inhee Lee ◽  
Trevor Coote ◽  
Amanda E. Haponski ◽  
David Blaauw ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Snail ◽  
Forest Edge ◽  
Land Snails ◽  
Smart Sensors ◽  
Term Survival ◽  
Control Programs ◽  
Alien Predator ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Euglandina Rosea

AbstractPacific Island land snails are highly endangered due in part to misguided biological control programs employing the alien predator Euglandina rosea. Its victims include the fabled Society Island partulid tree snail fauna, but a few members have avoided extirpation in the wild, including the distinctly white-shelled Partula hyalina. High albedo shell coloration can facilitate land snail survival in open, sunlit environments and we hypothesized that P. hyalina has a solar refuge from the predator. We developed a 2.2 × 4.8 × 2.4 mm smart solar sensor to test this hypothesis and found that extant P. hyalina populations on Tahiti are restricted to forest edge habitats, where they are routinely exposed to significantly higher solar radiation levels than those endured by the predator. Long-term survival of this species on Tahiti may require proactive conservation of its forest edge solar refugia and our study demonstrates the utility of miniaturized smart sensors in invertebrate ecology and conservation.

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