Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 2016
Transmission beam characteristics have been described in a small number of odontocete species, pr... more Transmission beam characteristics have been described in a small number of odontocete species, providing insight into the biological and ecological factors that have influenced the design of the outgoing echolocation beam. The current study measured the on-axis spectral characteristics and transmission beam pattern of echolocation clicks from a small oceanic delphinid, the spinner dolphin (Stenella longirostis). A formerly stranded individual was rehabilitated in captivity and trained to station underwater in front of a 16 element hydrophone array. Preliminary analysis of a subset of recorded clicks showed on-axis spectral characteristics with a mean center frequency of 68 kHz and a mean peak frequency of 52 kHz. The dolphin exhibited both a circular beam shape and also varying degrees of a dorso-ventrally compressed transmission beam. The mean angular beamwidth for all clicks was 16.6 and 14.3 degrees in the horizontal and vertical planes, respectively, though some clicks exhibited...
The UFAW Handbook on the Care and Management of Laboratory and Other Research Animals
... 2004 ; Bloomsmith et al. ... Furthermore, specific training techniques that are directed at r... more ... 2004 ; Bloomsmith et al. ... Furthermore, specific training techniques that are directed at reducing fear can serve the dual purpose of achieving a positive human animal relationship while reducing stress on ... Desensitisation is a process designed to ' train out ' , or over-come, fear. ...
Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 2003
for a species. If we continue to draw upon a broad base of disciplines within zoo biology (ie, be... more for a species. If we continue to draw upon a broad base of disciplines within zoo biology (ie, behavior as well as population biology), I am confident that we will arrive at decisions that will benefit populations and individuals. Careful, scholarly, strategic planning is the key to optimal, ethical, and humane operating standards in every principled zoo.
Protected contact is: "...a concept of elephant confinement that consists, principally, of elimin... more Protected contact is: "...a concept of elephant confinement that consists, principally, of eliminating tactile human contact..." "...the relegation of elephants to a kind of penal confinement." "...a return to the unhappy era of enforced isolation." With protected contact: "...those relationships (human/animal) will become a robotic, remote relationship." "...we could wind up with a generation of unmanageable "wild" zoo elephants. Protected contact will: "...reduce the quality of life for these magnificent animals." In reading the preceding comments from a variety of newspaper, magazine, and newsletter articles, it is difficult to imagine that protected contact was developed as a positive alternative for traditional elephant handling. In addition, looking at the many forms of protected contact that have cropped up around the country, many significantly diverge from the fundamental principles of protected contact. And there really are some basic tenets upon which it was built. They have just gotten a bit distorted along the way.
This article may be used for research, teaching and private study purposes. Any substantial or sy... more This article may be used for research, teaching and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, re-distribution, re-selling, loan or sub-licensing, systematic supply or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instructions, formulae and drug doses should be independently verified with primary sources. The publisher shall not be liable for any loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of this material. Enhancing Nonhuman Primate Care
Between 1976 and 1991, fifteen people died in elephant-related incidences in North America. Six o... more Between 1976 and 1991, fifteen people died in elephant-related incidences in North America. Six of those deaths occurred in the 2 years between 1989 and 91. An elephant handler was 3 times more likely to die on the job than someone in the next most dangerous occupation, coal mining. If you didn't like those kind of odds, you could reduce your risk by joining the police force or fire department. In that same paper, John identified 3 elephant management options available to zoos: free contact, confined contact, and no contact. At the time, only 6 zoos had functioning restraint devices, and no contact was considered impractical, which left free contact as the only viable option for the vast majority of zoos. However, all the deaths had occurred in a free contact setting, which created a dilemma for zoos looking to reduce the risk of captive elephant management. Coincidentally, at the same conference, on the same day, Active Environments presented a paper on the results of a 2 year...
Positive reinforcement training holds great potential for enhancing the management of species for... more Positive reinforcement training holds great potential for enhancing the management of species for reproduction. This paper reviews a wide range of animal training activities and resultant benefits which could have application to captive reproduction programs. Recognized benefits fall into several categories. Basic animal care can be improved through voluntary cooperation by the animals with veterinary procedures and routine husbandry activities. The quality and quantity of physiological data collected for research can be improved through voluntary cooperation by the animal subjects with sample collection. Positive social interaction and reproductive behavior can be increased and aggressive behavior reduced through employment of a specialized training regime called "cooperative feeding". Good success has been reported with special training programs to facilitate introduction of new members into primate social groups while mixed results have been obtained in efforts to use t...
The Animal Welfare Information Center Newsletter for Oct-Dec 1993. Contains "The Use of Beha... more The Animal Welfare Information Center Newsletter for Oct-Dec 1993. Contains "The Use of Behavioral Management Techniques to Reduce or Eliminate Abnormal Behavior" by Gail Laule, "Preparing the Farm and Farm Animals for Disasters by Jacob Casper, Sebastian E. Heath, and Robert D. Linnabary, and "Surgery in Rodents: Risk of Potential Hypo- and Hyperthermia by Andrej A. Romanovsky.
There is a growing trend in the zoological and biomedical community to recognize the use of opera... more There is a growing trend in the zoological and biomedical community to recognize the use of operant conditioning techniques as a valuable animal care and management tool. (Baker, 1991) (Reichard, 1992) (Priest, 1991) (Laule, 1993) (Reinhardt, 1990) Operant conditioning offers two basic alternatives for influencing behavior: positive reinforcement, and negative reinforcement or escape/avoidance. As animal training consultants we advocate and teach positive reinforcement training. Animals are reinforced with rewards they like for the desired behavioral response. Operationally it means that we exhaust the positive alternatives before any kind of negative reinforcement is utilized. On the rare occasions when an escape/avoidance technique is necessary, it is kept to a minimum and balanced by positive reinforcement the vast majority of the time. Punishment is only used in a life threatening situation for person or animal.
The training of animals in zoological and aquarium settings is gaining acceptance as a valuable a... more The training of animals in zoological and aquarium settings is gaining acceptance as a valuable animal care and management tool. Recognized benefits include: animals' voluntary cooperation in veterinary procedures, reduction in aggressive behavior, and increased positive social interactions. In 1950 Heini Hediger referred to biologically suitable training as assuming the importance of occupational therapy. If viewed from that perspective, training can also be used as an enrichment strategy, addressing elements of psychological well-being. By replacing traditional animal management strategies that rely on escape/avoidance techniques, positive reinforcement training provides animals greater choices and greater control over their lives. Training also offers animals mental stimulation, expanded behavioral repertoires, and increased physical activity. The first study of its kind to look at the enrichment value of training found that three positive changes associated with psychologic...
The training of animals in zoological and aquarium settings is gaining acceptance as a valuable a... more The training of animals in zoological and aquarium settings is gaining acceptance as a valuable animal care and management tool. Recognized benefits include: animals' voluntary cooperation in veterinary procedures, reduction in aggressive behavior, and increased positive social interactions. In 1950 Heini Hediger referred to biologically suitable training as assuming the importance of occupational therapy. If viewed from that perspective, training can also be used as an enrichment strategy, addressing elements of psychological well-being. By replacing traditional animal management strategies that rely on escape/avoidance techniques, positive reinforcement training provides animals greater choices and greater control over their lives. Training also offers animals mental stimulation, expanded behavioral repertoires, and increased physical activity. The first study of its kind to look at the enrichment value of training found that three positive changes associated with psychological well-being occurred during training sessions. This paper explores these issues and offers suggestions for utilizing training for enrichment purposes.
Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 2016
Transmission beam characteristics have been described in a small number of odontocete species, pr... more Transmission beam characteristics have been described in a small number of odontocete species, providing insight into the biological and ecological factors that have influenced the design of the outgoing echolocation beam. The current study measured the on-axis spectral characteristics and transmission beam pattern of echolocation clicks from a small oceanic delphinid, the spinner dolphin (Stenella longirostis). A formerly stranded individual was rehabilitated in captivity and trained to station underwater in front of a 16 element hydrophone array. Preliminary analysis of a subset of recorded clicks showed on-axis spectral characteristics with a mean center frequency of 68 kHz and a mean peak frequency of 52 kHz. The dolphin exhibited both a circular beam shape and also varying degrees of a dorso-ventrally compressed transmission beam. The mean angular beamwidth for all clicks was 16.6 and 14.3 degrees in the horizontal and vertical planes, respectively, though some clicks exhibited...
The UFAW Handbook on the Care and Management of Laboratory and Other Research Animals
... 2004 ; Bloomsmith et al. ... Furthermore, specific training techniques that are directed at r... more ... 2004 ; Bloomsmith et al. ... Furthermore, specific training techniques that are directed at reducing fear can serve the dual purpose of achieving a positive human animal relationship while reducing stress on ... Desensitisation is a process designed to ' train out ' , or over-come, fear. ...
Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 2003
for a species. If we continue to draw upon a broad base of disciplines within zoo biology (ie, be... more for a species. If we continue to draw upon a broad base of disciplines within zoo biology (ie, behavior as well as population biology), I am confident that we will arrive at decisions that will benefit populations and individuals. Careful, scholarly, strategic planning is the key to optimal, ethical, and humane operating standards in every principled zoo.
Protected contact is: "...a concept of elephant confinement that consists, principally, of elimin... more Protected contact is: "...a concept of elephant confinement that consists, principally, of eliminating tactile human contact..." "...the relegation of elephants to a kind of penal confinement." "...a return to the unhappy era of enforced isolation." With protected contact: "...those relationships (human/animal) will become a robotic, remote relationship." "...we could wind up with a generation of unmanageable "wild" zoo elephants. Protected contact will: "...reduce the quality of life for these magnificent animals." In reading the preceding comments from a variety of newspaper, magazine, and newsletter articles, it is difficult to imagine that protected contact was developed as a positive alternative for traditional elephant handling. In addition, looking at the many forms of protected contact that have cropped up around the country, many significantly diverge from the fundamental principles of protected contact. And there really are some basic tenets upon which it was built. They have just gotten a bit distorted along the way.
This article may be used for research, teaching and private study purposes. Any substantial or sy... more This article may be used for research, teaching and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, re-distribution, re-selling, loan or sub-licensing, systematic supply or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instructions, formulae and drug doses should be independently verified with primary sources. The publisher shall not be liable for any loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of this material. Enhancing Nonhuman Primate Care
Between 1976 and 1991, fifteen people died in elephant-related incidences in North America. Six o... more Between 1976 and 1991, fifteen people died in elephant-related incidences in North America. Six of those deaths occurred in the 2 years between 1989 and 91. An elephant handler was 3 times more likely to die on the job than someone in the next most dangerous occupation, coal mining. If you didn't like those kind of odds, you could reduce your risk by joining the police force or fire department. In that same paper, John identified 3 elephant management options available to zoos: free contact, confined contact, and no contact. At the time, only 6 zoos had functioning restraint devices, and no contact was considered impractical, which left free contact as the only viable option for the vast majority of zoos. However, all the deaths had occurred in a free contact setting, which created a dilemma for zoos looking to reduce the risk of captive elephant management. Coincidentally, at the same conference, on the same day, Active Environments presented a paper on the results of a 2 year...
Positive reinforcement training holds great potential for enhancing the management of species for... more Positive reinforcement training holds great potential for enhancing the management of species for reproduction. This paper reviews a wide range of animal training activities and resultant benefits which could have application to captive reproduction programs. Recognized benefits fall into several categories. Basic animal care can be improved through voluntary cooperation by the animals with veterinary procedures and routine husbandry activities. The quality and quantity of physiological data collected for research can be improved through voluntary cooperation by the animal subjects with sample collection. Positive social interaction and reproductive behavior can be increased and aggressive behavior reduced through employment of a specialized training regime called "cooperative feeding". Good success has been reported with special training programs to facilitate introduction of new members into primate social groups while mixed results have been obtained in efforts to use t...
The Animal Welfare Information Center Newsletter for Oct-Dec 1993. Contains "The Use of Beha... more The Animal Welfare Information Center Newsletter for Oct-Dec 1993. Contains "The Use of Behavioral Management Techniques to Reduce or Eliminate Abnormal Behavior" by Gail Laule, "Preparing the Farm and Farm Animals for Disasters by Jacob Casper, Sebastian E. Heath, and Robert D. Linnabary, and "Surgery in Rodents: Risk of Potential Hypo- and Hyperthermia by Andrej A. Romanovsky.
There is a growing trend in the zoological and biomedical community to recognize the use of opera... more There is a growing trend in the zoological and biomedical community to recognize the use of operant conditioning techniques as a valuable animal care and management tool. (Baker, 1991) (Reichard, 1992) (Priest, 1991) (Laule, 1993) (Reinhardt, 1990) Operant conditioning offers two basic alternatives for influencing behavior: positive reinforcement, and negative reinforcement or escape/avoidance. As animal training consultants we advocate and teach positive reinforcement training. Animals are reinforced with rewards they like for the desired behavioral response. Operationally it means that we exhaust the positive alternatives before any kind of negative reinforcement is utilized. On the rare occasions when an escape/avoidance technique is necessary, it is kept to a minimum and balanced by positive reinforcement the vast majority of the time. Punishment is only used in a life threatening situation for person or animal.
The training of animals in zoological and aquarium settings is gaining acceptance as a valuable a... more The training of animals in zoological and aquarium settings is gaining acceptance as a valuable animal care and management tool. Recognized benefits include: animals' voluntary cooperation in veterinary procedures, reduction in aggressive behavior, and increased positive social interactions. In 1950 Heini Hediger referred to biologically suitable training as assuming the importance of occupational therapy. If viewed from that perspective, training can also be used as an enrichment strategy, addressing elements of psychological well-being. By replacing traditional animal management strategies that rely on escape/avoidance techniques, positive reinforcement training provides animals greater choices and greater control over their lives. Training also offers animals mental stimulation, expanded behavioral repertoires, and increased physical activity. The first study of its kind to look at the enrichment value of training found that three positive changes associated with psychologic...
The training of animals in zoological and aquarium settings is gaining acceptance as a valuable a... more The training of animals in zoological and aquarium settings is gaining acceptance as a valuable animal care and management tool. Recognized benefits include: animals' voluntary cooperation in veterinary procedures, reduction in aggressive behavior, and increased positive social interactions. In 1950 Heini Hediger referred to biologically suitable training as assuming the importance of occupational therapy. If viewed from that perspective, training can also be used as an enrichment strategy, addressing elements of psychological well-being. By replacing traditional animal management strategies that rely on escape/avoidance techniques, positive reinforcement training provides animals greater choices and greater control over their lives. Training also offers animals mental stimulation, expanded behavioral repertoires, and increased physical activity. The first study of its kind to look at the enrichment value of training found that three positive changes associated with psychological well-being occurred during training sessions. This paper explores these issues and offers suggestions for utilizing training for enrichment purposes.
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Papers by Gail Laule