「圈養鯨豚動物身心行為評估工具建置與應用計畫」計畫內容

• 計畫主持人所屬單位： 生物資源暨農學院 / 獸醫學系
• 計畫主持人： 楊瑋誠 / email: yangweicheng@ntu.edu.tw
• 經費來源：海洋委員會海洋保育署
• 計畫編號 ：案號：114-C-88
• 計畫起迄日：由 114/05/22 至 115/04/15
• 中文關鍵詞：鯨豚;圈養;動物福利;緊迫;監測
• 英文關鍵詞：cetacean; captivity; animal welfare; stress; monitoring

中文摘要：

隨著全球動物福利與保育意識逐步提升，圈養鯨豚的生存與健康狀況正日益受到關注。傳統監測方法多仰賴人員主觀觀察，難以即時掌握動物於不同環境與事件下的身心狀態。國內外文獻指出，圈養鯨豚在空間受限、缺乏社交刺激或長期暴露於高噪音環境下，常出現刻板行為、免疫功能下降與慢性壓力反應，圈養海豚在無外部刺激下可能呈現長期皮質醇濃度偏高，呼吸孔微生物多樣性變動可用於診斷緊迫狀態，行為與生理資料之整合對於早期預警與福利評估具有重要意義。本計畫旨在建構一套整合行為、 生理與微生物資料的多層次監測工具，以提升圈養鯨豚之健康管理與動物福利。本研究將以系統化方法蒐集水面與水下行為記錄、聲學資料、生理檢測數據（如皮質醇與免疫細胞組成），並應用metagenomics技術分析呼吸孔與糞便樣本中的微生物群落結構，作為反映緊迫與健康異常的重要生物指標。這些資料將與環境變數（如溫度、鹽度、噪音等）與人為事件（如訓練模式、動態展示模式等）進行時間序列與交叉分析，藉以辨識在壓力情境下穩定變動的核心指標。本計畫除建構整合性監測架構外，亦將探索適用於水族館自主管控的低侵入性監測技術與標準化流程，以強化設施日常管理能力，並為未來政策推動提供實證依據。本計畫預期成果包括：（1）建立行為、生理與微生物之資料庫，（2）篩選具高度敏感度與特異性的健康指標， （3） 發展初步預測指標應用於緊迫預警系統， （4）提出可應用於國內圈養場域之科學化福利監測工具。最終目標為提升圈養鯨豚之福祉與健康，並為台灣圈養野生動物管理提供創新典範。

英文摘要：

As global awareness of animal welfare and conservation progressively increases, the survival and health conditions of captive cetaceans are receiving growing attention. Traditional monitoring methods predominantly rely on subjective human observation, making it difficult to promptly assess animals` physical and psychological states under different environmental conditions and events. Domestic and international literature indicates that captive cetaceans often exhibit stereotypical behaviors, compromised immune function, and chronic stress responses when confined to limited spaces, lacking social stimulation, or experiencing prolonged exposure to high-noise environments. Captive dolphins may demonstrate persistently elevated cortisol concentrations without external stimuli, while variations in blowhole microbial diversity can serve as diagnostic indicators of stress states. The integration of behavioral and physiological data holds significant importance for early warning systems and welfare assessment. This project aims to construct a multi-level monitoring tool that integrates behavioral, physiological, and microbial data to enhance health management and animal welfare of captive cetaceans. This research will systematically collect surface and underwater behavioral records, acoustic data, and physiological testing data (such as cortisol levels and immune cell composition), while applying metagenomics technology to analyze microbial community structures in blowhole and fecal samples as important biological indicators reflecting stress and health abnormalities. These data will be subjected to time-series and cross-sectional analyses with environmental variables (such as temperature, salinity, and noise) and anthropogenic events (such as training protocols and dynamic display modes) to identify core indicators that consistently fluctuate under stress conditions. Beyond constructing an integrated monitoring framework, this project will explore minimally invasive monitoring technologies and standardized procedures suitable for autonomous aquarium management, strengthening facilities` daily management capabilities and providing empirical evidence for future policy implementation. Expected outcomes include: (1) establishing databases of behavioral, physiological, and microbial data, (2) screening health indicators with high sensitivity and specificity, (3) developing preliminary predictive indicators for stress warning systems, and (4) proposing scientifically-based welfare monitoring tools applicable to domestic captive facilities. The ultimate goal is to enhance the welfare and health of captive cetaceans while providing an innovative paradigm for Taiwan`s captive wildlife management.