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Salivary cortisol in captive dolphins (Tursiops truncatus): a non-invasive technique

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 January 2023

C Pedernera-Romano ,
RA Valdez ,
S Singh ,
X Chiappa ,
MC Romano  and
F Galindo
C Pedernera-Romano
Affiliation:
Dpto. de Etología y Fauna Silvestre, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510, México DF, México
RA Valdez
Affiliation:
Dpto. de Fisiología, Biofísica y Neurociencias, CINVESTAV, Apdo. Postal 14 - 740. 07360, México DF, México
S Singh
Affiliation:
Dpto. de Etología y Fauna Silvestre, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510, México DF, México
X Chiappa
Affiliation:
Unidad de Investigación en Ecología Marina, FES-Z, UNAM, Ap. 9-020, 15000 México DF, México
MC Romano*
Affiliation:
Dpto. de Fisiología, Biofísica y Neurociencias, CINVESTAV, Apdo. Postal 14 - 740. 07360, México DF, México
F Galindo
Affiliation:
Dpto. de Etología y Fauna Silvestre, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510, México DF, México
*
* Contact for correspondence and requests for reprints: mromano@fisio.cinvestav.mx
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Abstract

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Dolphins in captivity have to cope with severe changes in their environment. So far, there are few studies on the welfare of these animals under these conditions. The aim of the present study was to find if cortisol was present in the saliva of dolphins and to explore the possibility of performing serial, non-invasive cortisol assays in captive dolphins. Saliva was collected non-invasively during a month from four dolphins that had responded to previous training, in order to provide saliva samples, in two aquaria in Mexico City. In addition, serum and saliva time-matched samples were obtained in an aquarium in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico. Cortisol concentrations in saliva and blood were measured by radioimmunoanalysis (RIA). Results show for the first time that measurable quantities of cortisol are secreted within the saliva of dolphins. Salivary cortisol measurements could be a useful tool for carrying out long-term cortisol sampling. It is far less invasive than blood-sampling and could be used, in conjunction with behavioural observations, to monitor the welfare of captive dolphins, non-invasively.

Keywords

animal welfaredolphinsaliva cortisolserum cortisolsteroidsstress
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Welfare , Volume 15 , Issue 4 , November 2006 , pp. 359 - 362
Copyright
© 2006 Universities Federation for Animal Welfare

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