Does Experience Make Hucul Horses More Resistant to Stress? A Pilot Study

The aim of the study was to determine whether experience related to horse age and number of starts in championships influences stress level, measured by salivary cortisol concentration. The study involved 18 clinically healthy Hucul mares who participated in the Polish Championships for Hucul Horses. Evaluation of performance value was carried out in accordance with the guidelines specified in the breeding and genetic resources conservation program for this breed. The championship lasted two days, consisting of conformation evaluation, endurance, and Hucul path. Saliva was collected at baseline (T1), after arena assessment (T2), after endurance (T3), and on the second day after the Hucul path (T4). Cortisol levels increased from an average of 2.73 ± 1.18 ng/mL (T1) to 10.46 ± 8.03 ng/mL after T3. Significantly lower levels of free cortisol were detected in the saliva of the younger mares, up to 9 years old, and mares who participated in only one qualifying path after each element of the championship. The highest levels of cortisol (T3) were found in mares competing repeatedly on the qualifying path. No correlation was found between cortisol levels and the championship results. Participation of mares in the championship was associated with stress, which was reflected in the increase in cortisol levels in saliva.

A History of the Tuna-Dolphin Problem: Successes, Failures, and Lessons Learned

Multispecies aggregations of tuna, dolphins, and seabirds are prevalent and conspicuous in the vast waters of the eastern tropical Pacific and form the basis of a commercial fishery for yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) through setting on schools of dolphins, which is among the largest tuna fisheries in the world. Incidental dolphin mortality associated with the development and early years of the fishery was high; by 1993 it was estimated that eastern spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris orientalis) had been reduced to 44% and northeastern offshore spotted dolphins (S. attenuata attenuata) to 19% of pre-fishery levels. Efforts to reduce this mortality began at the inception of the fishery and comprised a diverse array of approaches: modifications to fishing methods and fishing gear (backdown, Medina panel, high-intensity floodlights, swimmers to disentangle and release dolphins); U.S. legislation (through the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act, MMPA, and subsequent amendments); international agreements (including the International Dolphin Conservation Program that established dolphin mortality limits, and the legally binding multilateral Agreement on the International Dolphin Conservation Program); and economic incentives [notably through establishment of the U.S. dolphin-safe label and positive certification by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)]. Together, these bycatch mitigation efforts have been remarkably successful; dolphin mortality due to entanglement as recorded by fisheries observers (hereafter, entanglement mortality) has been reduced by > 99%. Despite this, the degree to which dolphin populations have recovered remains unclear. Multiple lines of evidence indicate that individual dolphins experience multiple sets in their lifetimes and although causality has not been established, research suggests that chase and encirclement might have impacts on dolphins in addition to entanglement mortality. These impacts potentially include increased fetal and/or calf mortality, separation of nursing females and their calves, decreased fecundity, increased predation, disruption of mating and other social systems, and ecological disruption. The strong management emphasis on monitoring entanglement mortality, and the infrastructure necessary to support this monitoring (in particular, 100% observer coverage on large purse-seiners) require funding to the extent that other activities, particularly continued surveys to monitor stock status and clarify the potential influence of other effects of the fishery on dolphin populations, are currently inadequately funded.

Aspects of animal welfare on Rusa Timor (Cervus timorensis) in Bumi Marina Captive Breeding Facility in Manokwari

A conservation program of timor deer (Cervus timorensis) is carried out through its breeding approaches in captivity. This study aims to examine the welfare aspects of timor deer (Cervus timorensis) in Bumi Marina captivity based on the principles of animal welfare. This research uses a descriptive method and observation techniques in the captivity. Variables observed in this study are (1) free from hunger and thirst, and (2) free from pain, injury and diseases. The result indicates that the implementation of two welfare aspects of timor deer (Cervus timorensis) kept in the captivity has a 86 point based on the criteria used in this study, and categorised as very good, or grade A. This means that these two welfare components of the timor deer (Cervus timorensis) have fully met the criteria determined by the regulation of Directorate General of Forest Protection and Nature Conservation No. P.9 / IV-SET / 2011 regarding ethical guidelines and animal welfare in the captivity.