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Owen, Helen C.; Flint, Mark; Limpus, Colin J.; Palmieri, Chiara; Mills, Paul C.
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2013 |
Evidence of sirenian cold stress syndrome in dugongs Dugong dugon from southeast Queensland, Australia.
Diseases of Aquatic Organisms 103: 1-7. 1 tab. 4 figs. DOI:10.3354/dao02568. Mar. 2013.
–ABSTRACT: Cold stress syndrome (CSS) is the term used to describe the range of clinical signs and chronic disease processes that can occur in Florida, USA, manatees Trichechus manatus latirostris exposed to water temperatures below 20°C for extended periods. Although no cold-related adverse events have been described in the closely related dugong Dugong dugon thus far, it has been established that they make movements in response to water temperatures lower than about 17 to 18°C. In this study, archive reports for dugong carcasses submitted to The University of Queensland School of Veterinary Science for post mortem examination during 2010 to 2012 were examined. These animals had been recovered from Moreton Bay, southeast Queensland, Australia, and 10 out of 14 fulfilled the criteria for 'potential cold stress cases.' Epidermal hyperplasia and secondary bacterial infection, serous atrophy of pericardial adipose tissue, and multisystem abscessation were features commonly noted in these cases. Water temperature data were correlated with the time of year that carcasses were submitted for examination. Higher numbers of carcasses diagnosed with potential CSS were noted during sustained periods in which water temperature was below 20°C. Given the pattern of increased submission of non-specifically, chronically unwell animals in the colder months and evidence that environmental conditions known to precipitate CSS occur in southeast Queensland, it is probable that, like manatees, dugongs in this area are affected by CSS. Further investigation to confirm and to better characterize the syndrome is recommended to refine management practices and improve treatment of affected animals.
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Owen, Helen; Flint, Mark; Limpus, Col; Palmieri, Chlara; Mills, Paul C.
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2015 |
Comment on "Insulative capacity of the integument of the dugong (Dugong dugon): thermal conductivity, conductance and resistance measured by in vitro heat flux" by Horgan, Booth, Nichols and Lanyon (2014).
Marine Biology DOI: 10.1007/s00227-015-2640-x. Mar. 15, 2015.
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Bonde, Robert K.; Flint, Mark
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2017 |
Human interactions: manatees and dugongs. Chap. 17 in: Andy Butterworth (ed.), Marine mammal welfare: human induced change in the marine environment and its impacts on marine mammal welfare.
Springer International Publishing: Animal Welfare Series, Vol. 17: 299-314. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-46994-2. June 20, 2017.
–ABSTRACT: There are three extant sirenian species of the Trichechidae family and one living Dugongidae family member. Given their close ties to coastal and often urbanized habitats, sirenians are exposed to many types of anthropogenic activities that result in challenges to their well-being, poor health, and even death. In the wild, they are exposed to direct and indirect local pressures as well as subject to large-scale stressors such as global climate change acting on regions or entire genetic stocks. In captivity, they are subject to husbandry and management practices based on our collective knowledge, or in some cases lack thereof, of their needs and welfare. It is therefore reasonable to consider that their current imperiled status is very closely linked to our actions. In this chapter, we identify and define human interactions that may impact dugongs and manatees, including hunting, fisheries, boat interactions, negative interactions with man-made structures, disease and contaminants, and global climate change. We examine techniques used to investigate these impacts and the influence of sirenian biology and of changing human behaviors on potential outcomes. We examine how this differs for dugongs and manatees in the wild and for those held in captivity. Finally, we provide possible mitigation strategies and ways to assess the efforts we are making to improve the welfare of individuals and to conserve these species. This chapter identifies how the welfare of these species is intrinsically linked to the human interactions these animals experience, and how the nature of these interactions has changed with societal shifts. We proffer suggested ways to minimize negative impacts. Current knowledge should be used to minimize negative human interactions and impacts, to promote positive impacts, and to protect these animals for the future.
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Flint, Mark; Bonde, Robert K.
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2017 |
Assessing welfare in the wild and in captivity. Chap. 21 in: Andy Butterworth (ed.), Marine mammal welfare: human induced change in the marine environment and its impacts on marine mammal welfare.
Springer International Publishing: Animal Welfare Series, Vol. 17: 381-393. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-46994-2. June 20, 2017.
–ABSTRACT: Assessing the welfare of wild populations of sirenians has required a "generalist" approach. The outcome has been a subjective decision as to whether what the observers are witnessing in an individual or group of animals is normal and whether that has positive or negative consequences. The understanding of sirenian welfare requirements, and a decision process for whether to support and maintain their natural habitats or to try to replicate it in a meaningful way in an artificial captive setting, is still in its early developmental stages and has dynamic qualities that are in need of urgent attention. In this chapter we use the knowledge and observations presented throughout the chapters on sirenians to outline a proposed standard approach for assessing welfare in individuals in wild populations, as well as guidelines for assessing captive groups of dugongs and manatees. In the wild, the suitability of the habitat and human impact on it, the limitations of carrying capacity, the dynamics of ecosystems, and the effects that the immediate environment will have on the known resident populations are examined. In captivity, we use the foundation of the Five Freedoms, based on experience derived from other captive species, and we combine this with experience from rehabilitating manatees in Europe and the United States and, more recently, dugongs in the Indo-Pacific, to identify requirements and to help us to assess the unique needs of these species when held in facilities. We present considerations and approaches to (1) holistically assess captive facilities and to assess the well-being of the individuals held in the facility, (2) derive a guideline for standard captive assessment, (3) determine if adequate welfare needs for the animals are being met, and (4) help to provide guidance on whether an animal is suitable for release after rehabilitation.
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Owen, Helen; Flint, Jaylene; Flint, Mark
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2017 |
Impacts of marine debris and fisheries on sirenians. Chap. 18 in: Andy Butterworth (ed.), Marine mammal welfare: human induced change in the marine environment and its impacts on marine mammal welfare.
Springer International Publishing: Animal Welfare Series, Vol. 17: 315-331. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-46994-2. June 20, 2017.
–ABSTRACT: Harmful marine debris includes land and ship-sourced waste and abandoned fishing gear from recreational and commercial fisheries; these forms of debris are making their way into waterways and oceans with increasing frequency. For sirenians, marine debris and fisheries pose a significant risk to their well-being through entanglement, ingestion and hunting, both legal and illegal, as well as through more indirect ways, such as changing social structures and creating orphans through loss of cohorts. This chapter addresses the welfare impacts of marine debris and fisheries on sirenians. It also explores the changes in attitude that are occurring in many of the stakeholders involved and how these are translating into positive outcomes.
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Bibliography and Index of the Sirenia and Desmostylia 