Cognitive Enrichment Intervention for Captive Orcas
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Bard College Bard Digital Commons Senior Projects Spring 2015 Bard Undergraduate Senior Projects Spring 2015 Cognitive Enrichment Intervention for Captive Orcas Eve Copeland Bard College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.bard.edu/senproj_s2015 Part of the Psychology Commons This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License. Recommended Citation Copeland, Eve, "Cognitive Enrichment Intervention for Captive Orcas" (2015). Senior Projects Spring 2015. 128. https://digitalcommons.bard.edu/senproj_s2015/128 This Open Access work is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been provided to you by Bard College's Stevenson Library with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this work in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights- holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/or on the work itself. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Cognitive Enrichment Intervention for Captive Killer Whales Senior Project submitted to The Department of Science, Math, and Computing of Bard College by Eve Copeland Annandale-on-Hudson, New York May, 2015 Acknowledgments My deepest gratitude to my advisor, Sarah Dunphy-Leli, for guiding me through this process. An inspiration as a scientist, an animal lover, and a person, and I am so grateful for her help. Table of Contents Abstract………………………………………………………………………………………….....I Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………..1 Orca Intelligence…………………………………………………………………………..2 Taxonomy and Evolution………………………………………………………….2 Neuroanatomy……………………………………………………………………..4 Mirror Self-Recognition…………………………………………………………...5 Sociality…………………………………………………………………………...6 Cooperative Hunting Behaviors…………………………………………………...8 Manta Ray Tonic Immobilization…………………………………………8 Intentional Stranding………………………………………………………9 Wave Washing…………………………………………………………...10 Communication…………………………………………………………………..12 Orcas in Captivity………………………………………………………………..13 Stereotypic Behavior……………………………………………………………………..14 Causes of Stress and Stereotypic Behavior………………………………………15 Stereotypy and Mortality………………………………………………………...16 Assessing Stress in Captive Animals…………………………………………….18 Enrichment……………………………………………………………………………….20 Behavioral Needs………………………………………………………………...20 Habituation and Anticipation…………………………………………………….22 Forms of Enrichment…………………………………………………………….22 Feeding Enrichment……………………………………………………...23 Cognitive Enrichment……………………………………………………23 Assessing Enrichment……………………………………………………………25 Marine Mammal Training………………………………………………………………..25 Operant Conditioning…………………………………………………………….26 History of Operant Conditioning and Marine Mammal Training………………..26 Basic Principles With Regard to Marine Mammal Training…………………….27 Reinforcement……………………………………………………………27 Schedules of Reinforcement……………………………………………..28 Communication………………………………………………………….29 Target Recognition………………………………………………………30 Shaping and Habituation…………………………………………………30 Summary…………………………………………………………………………………31 Methods………………………………………………………………………………………….36 Subjects…………………………………………………………………………………..36 Intervention Group……………………………………………………………….36 Increased Training Group………………………………………………………..37 Control Group……………………………………………………………………37 Materials…………………………………………………………………………………38 Stereotypic Behavior Coding Sheet……………………………………………..38 Blood Samples…………………………………………………………………...38 Enrichment Toys…………………………………………………………………39 Shape Cards……………………………………………………………………...39 Food Reward…………………………………………………………………….39 Training Log……………………………………………………………………..40 Procedure………………………………………………………………………………...40 Intervention Group……………………………………………………………….40 Baseline Data Collection…………………………………………………40 Training Period…………………………………………………………..41 Intervention Period………………………………………………………42 Post-Intervention Period…………………………………………………42 Increased Training Group………………………………………………………..43 Baseline Data Collection…………………………………………………43 Increased Training Period………………………………………………..43 Post-Intervention Period…………………………………………………44 Control Group……………………………………………………………………44 Baseline Data Collection…………………………………………………44 Observation Period……………………………………………………….45 Results……………………………………………………………………………………………46 Data Preparation………………………………………………………………………….46 Baseline Blood Serum Cortisol Between Groups………………………………………..47 Baseline Stereotypic Between Groups…………………………………………………...47 Logging………………………………………………………………………….47 Gate Chewing……………………………………………………………………47 Interval 2: Blood Serum Cortisol Between Groups……………………………………..48 Interval 2: Stereotypic Between Groups…………………………………………………48 Logging…………………………………………………………………………..48 Gate Chewing…………………………………………………………………….49 Interval 3: Blood Serum Cortisol Between Groups……………………………………...49 Interval 3: Stereotypic Between Groups…………………………………………………50 Logging…………………………………………………………………………..50 Gate Chewing…………………………………………………………………….52 Interval 4: Blood Serum Cortisol Between Groups……………………………………...53 Interval 4: Stereotypic Between Groups…………………………………………………54 Logging…………………………………………………………………………..54 Gate Chewing…………………………………………………………………….55 Correlations Between Stereotypy and Blood Serum…………………………………….55 Discussion………………………………………………………………………………………..57 Implications………………………………………………………………………………58 Strengths…………………………………………………………………………………59 Weaknesses………………………………………………………………………………62 Future Directions………………………………………………………………………...63 General Discussion………………………………………………………………………65 References………………………………………………………………………………………..67 Appendices……………………………………………………………………………………….74 Abstract The goal of the present proposal was to design a cognitive enrichment program to reduce stereotypy and physiological signs of stress in captive orcas ( Orcinus orca ). This intervention consists of an object discrimination and retrieval task, and was designed to simulate orcas’ behavioral need of hunting. Seaworld’s three parks were used as locations for each of the group conditions: the Intervention Group, the Increased Training Group, and the Control Group. The hypothesized results demonstrate that the Intervention Group will show the smallest amount of stereotypic behavior at each interval of the experiment and that stereotypic behavior has a strong, positive correlation with blood serum cortisol levels, a physiological measure of stress. 1 “The orca brain just screams out intelligence and awareness. We took this tremendous brain and we put in a Magnetic Resonance Imaging scanner, what we found is just astounding. […] It's becoming clear that dolphins and whales have a sense of self, a sense of social bonding that they've taken to another level much stronger, much more complex than other mammals, including humans.” Lori Marino, PhD The people who study and spend time with orcas, more commonly known as killer whales, often argue that they are not quite like any other animal. They describe the awe they feel when a six-foot tall dorsal fin emerges from the waves, the adrenaline rush of witnessing their speed and power as they hunt, and the distinct sense of mutual curiosity when staring into their uncannily human-like eyes. According to these individuals, an orca’s gaze is not a blank one. They can see the orca regarding them, not with suspicion or fear, but with an inquisitive interest. Orcas and humans share a number of distinguishing features, despite the vast physiological and environmental differences between our two species. Like humans, orcas are highly intelligent, live in tight-knit familial groups, engage in play, and pass down group-specific traditions from generation to generation. Orcas use tools and innovative hunting strategies to capture prey, their vocalizations resemble languages with dialects that vary from group to group, and the bond between females and their calves is so strong that mourning mothers are often observed carrying the decomposing body of their young for weeks. In other words, orcas are highly intelligent, social, and emotional animals, and, as I will argue, may be inadequately stimulated in captivity. 2 The topic of orca captivity has been controversial since the first orca was captured in 1961, leading many to question the ethicality of keeping intelligent and wide-ranging predators in small tanks. Even Seaworld, the popular American marine theme park that is celebrated for having the most well-equipped orca facilities, has recently come under scrutiny in the media. One of the most striking differences between captive orcas and their wild counterparts is their behavior. Just as with many species that are poorly adapted to life in captivity, captive orcas routinely exhibit abnormal and repetitive behavior, referred to as “stereotypic behavior.” These behaviors can be deleterious for orcas’ health, and may contribute to premature deaths in captivity. The most effective method for reducing these behaviors is enrichment, the practice of adding sensory stimuli or choices into a captive environment in order to make it more naturalistic. In the present paper, I am proposing a novel enrichment intervention that will simulate one of orcas’ most important behavioral needs: hunting. Orca Intelligence Taxonomy and evolution. Contrary to popular belief, orcas are not just whales, but rather the largest members of the dolphin family ( Delphinidae ). Just as with other dolphins, orcas belong to the order Cetacea , which includes all dolphins, porpoises, and whales, and are referred to as cetaceans. 3 Orcas are found in