Effects of odors on behaviors of captive Amur leopards Panthera pardus orientalis

Captive environments often fail to resemble the wild environment in respects of limited space, unchanging habitat, lack of stimulus and contingency. Common animal welfare problems which occur in captive animals include low behavioral diversity, abnormal behavior and excessive inactivity. Environmental enrichment, as an effective strategy to tackle these problems and promote mental health of captive animals, has been recognized as an important principal for captive animal management. Among all the enriehment techniques, olfactory enrichment is a simple and effective method for improving the well-being of the olfactory sensitive felids. Behavioral problems were observed in six Amur leopards Panthera pardus orientalis at Beijing Zoological Garden. These were held in the older type exhibits which have now been rebuilt. These behaviors include stereotypic behavior and excessive inactivity caused by the spatially limited enclosures with low levels of stimuli. To determine the effects of predator, prey, and herb odors as potential enrichment materials for captive leopards, we conducted olfactory enrichment experiments for the leopards and tested the effects of nutmeg Myristica fragrans, feces of roe deer Capreolus capreolus and urine of Amur tiger Panthera tigris altaica to test for an increase in behavioral repertoire and activity. Odors provided in this study were also believed to improve the psychological and physiological health of individuals. To standardize the method of presentation the odors were introduced to the enclosures by rubbing or spraying onto a clean towel. Our results show that the selected three odors effectively increased the behavioral diversity. Ten new behavior types were observed in the nutmeg experiment, eight in the feces of roe deer experiment and six in the tiger urine experiment. Among the three odors, cats responded to nutmeg for the longest duration, followed by tiger urine and feces of roe deer. Leopards showed more play behavior in presence of nutmeg while more investigatory behavior in presences of feces of roe deer and tiger urine. Providing novel odors increased the spatial use of the exhibit and the animal＇ s increased use of the logs, sleeping platforms and bars in the cages. Novel odors also significantly increased the overall activity of the leopards, but the effects were diminished in about three hours.

Cross-Cultural Studies and ELT-Designing a Cross-Cultural Communication Course

From country to country, social taboos, politics, religious traditions and values differ. Cross-cultural communication refers to communication between people of different cultures. This paper is about what will be discussed in the Cross-Cultural Communication course and how we can ＂teach＂ the target culture which involves so many topics to students who usually do not have close contact with native speakers of English and have little opportunity to discover how these speakers think, feel and act in their own way.

Efficacy and moderating factors of the Early Start Denver Model in Chinese toddlers with autism spectrum disorder:a longitudinal study

Background Several studies have shown the effectiveness of the Early Start Denver Model(ESDM),but few studies have explored the long-term efficacy of ESDM.This study aimed to explore the efficacy and moderating factors of ESDM in Chinese toddlers with autism spectrum disorder(ASD)in a longitudinal way.Methods A total of 60 toddlers with ASD were recruited and randomly divided into two groups:ESDM group all received 24 weeks intervention;Control group were waiting for intervention.Baseline assessment(T0)was conducted before intervention,including Gesell Developmental Scale(GDS)and Psycho-educational Profile-3rd Edition(PEP-3).All toddlers with ASD were examined in the first assessment(T1)at 6 months and in the second assessment(T2)at 12 months.Results In T1 assessment,the increments in speech and personal communication development quotient in GDS were significantly larger in the ESDM group than in the control group(P=0.010,0.047).In T2 assessment,the ESDM group had higher elevation in cognitive verbal/preverbal(CVP),social reciprocity and characteristic verbal behaviors assessed by PEP-3(P=0.021,0.046,0.014).In addition,the severity of stereotyped behavior was negatively associated with improvement in CVP.Family income was positively associated with improvement in speech and CVP(all P<0.05).Conclusions ESDM can effectively improve speech and communication in toddlers with ASD after 24-week intervention.More importantly,ESDM can promote cognition and social interaction and can reduce stereotyped verbal behavior in toddlers with ASD in longitudinal observation.The severity of stereotyped behavior and family ecological factors may be considered as affecting the efficacy of ESDM.

Adverse impact of industrial animal agriculture on the health and welfare of farmed animals

Industrial animal agriculture is grounded in the concept of maximizing productivity and profit.Selective breeding for maximum productivity in one characteristic of the animal(e.g.milk yield in cows,or breast meat in broiler chickens)has resulted in genotypes and phenotypes that may predispose the animals to poor health and welfare.The conditions in which these individuals are kept may also frustrate many inherited behaviors that they are strongly motivated to perform.In order to curb the resulting harmful aberrant behaviors,such as feather-pecking in chickens,we sometimes resort to mutilating the animals.In many places chickens are routinely de-beaked by means of a hot metal guillotine.Compassion in World Farming(an international organization that promotes the humane treatment of farm animals)believes that it is unethical to treat sentient beings in such ways.We have a duty to respect farm animals’sentience by providing them with housing conditions that take their needs and wants into account,and by reverting to the use of dual-purpose,slower-growing breeds that have the potential for good welfare.Alternatives to current farming practices are available,and we owe it to the animals,and to our consciences,to pursue them.