Advances of Husbandry Training in Pinnipeds Care Programs in Toba Aquarium

Abstract

Medical training is an essential tool in the husbandry of marine mammals, as it is a method of having the animals maintain the medical positions for examination and treatment voluntarily without retaining. The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the effect of 2653 cases of medical training on pinnipeds medicine and husbandry in Toba Aquarium during 2006-2020. The case number of medical training has increased since 2015, and the largest number of cases were walrus examinations. The percentage of blood sampling and ultrasonography were 71.1% and 26.5%, respectively, and these were the majority of medical training. A high percentage of purposes was found in routine blood tests (48.4%) and reproductive examinations (40.0%). It was determined in this study that the period of embryonic diapause in the South American sea lion was 15 weeks and fetal growth rates of biparietal diameter in the South African fur seal were 0.85 cm/month. The medical training of pinnipeds was useful in reproductive technology, ophthalmology and anesthesia induction. Setting objectives and evaluation of medical training were necessary for advancing pinniped’s veterinary medicine, and clinicopathological data obtained by the medical training should be examined in detail to develop a training method that can contribute to the husbandry program and animal welfare of captive marine mammals.