Investigation of the Physiological Responses of Belugas to 'Stressors' to Aid in Assessing the Impact of Environmental and Anthropogenic Challenges on Health.

摘要

The objectives of this effort are: 1) To monitor the neuroimmunoendocrinological responses of three resident aquarium belugas before and after the introduction and throughout the adaptation process of seven new belugas to their habitat and to measure the neuroimmunoendocrinological responses of 5 belugas to transport and 2) To monitor the neuroimmunoendocrinological responses (via blood, saliva, blow and feces) of 2- 3 aquarium resident whales before and after the occurrence of a known Stressor (i.e. an out of water examination).