Decrease Stress; Train Your Animals: The Effect of Handling Methods on Cortisol Levels in Harbour Porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) Under Human Care

• Published in: Aquatic Mammals
• Main Authors: Desportes, Geneviève, Buholzer, Lisette, Anderson-Hansen, Kirstin, Blanchet, Marie-Anne, Acquarone, Mario, Shephard, Gwyneth, Brando, Sabrina, Vossen, Arndt, Siebert, Ursula
• Other Authors: Fjord & Bælt Centre, Independent, University of Kiel, orcid:0000-0002-4283-3444
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Aquatic Mammals Journal 2007
• Subjects: Harbour porpoise; North Sea; Phocoena phocoena; cortisol levels; human care; handling methods; voluntary husbandry behaviours; Four Harbour
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1893/33173; https://doi.org/10.1578/am.33.3.2007.286; http://dspace.stir.ac.uk/retrieve/ba420424-ff4c-4c84-9211-707bf6c92475/Desportes%20G%20et%20al%202007%20Decrease%20Stress%20Train%20Your%20Animals.pdf

Circulating cortisol levels are accepted as a sensitive indicator of acute stress in marine mammals, particularly in relation with capture and handling. The present study provides the first long-term monitoring of cortisol levels in four harbour porpoises held in human care—an adult male and adult f...