Dear Colleagues,
We are very pleased to be able to share with you our publication in the current issue of Animal Welfare: Clegg, I. L. K., van Elk, C. E., & Delfour, F. (2017). Applying welfare science to bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Animal Welfare, 26, 165-176. This is the first review of the applications of welfare science to dolphins, with implications for captive cetaceans in general. The work highlights potential welfare measures from the behaviour, health and cognition disciplines of cetology, and suggests areas of future research. Abstract Animal welfare science is a burgeoning field, but research on cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) is lacking. Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) are the most well-known and studied cetaceans, particularly in captivity, and thus are used in this review as a model for other cetacean species. Despite the public interest and need for such research, studies specifically investigating dolphin welfare are lacking. This review uses the three broad categories of behaviour, health, and cognition, to discuss how dolphin welfare has been assessed thus far, and could be assessed in future. We present welfare indicators validated in other species that could be applied to dolphins, including innovative measures such as cognitive appraisal of emotions. We provide a summary of practical recommendations for validating the indicators of bottlenose dolphin welfare. This paper aims to stimulate further research into dolphin welfare which could improve the lives of the animals themselves and ultimately support regulatory decisions. We recommend uniting expertise in cetology and welfare science in order to develop a holistic approach to dolphin welfare assessment. The paper can be found here: <http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0166432817300761> http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/ufaw/aw/2017/00000026/00000002/art00003 Or send any requests for copies directly to isabella.cl...@leec.univ-paris13.fr Best wishes, Isabella Clegg Isabella Clegg Laboratoire d'Ethologie Expérimentale et Comparée Université Paris 13 isabella.cl...@leec.univ-paris13.fr +33 7 71 21 18 14
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