Assessment of the Effects of Four Acoustic Energy Devices on Animal Behavior

摘要

To determine if narrow-band, high-intensity acoustic energy in the audible frequency range could be used as a non-lethal weapon, four acoustic devices were tested: (a) a compressed-air-driven siren (CADS); (b) a combustion- driven siren (the Dismounted Battlefield Battle Laboratory, or DBBL); (c) an impulsive acoustic device, the Sequential Arc Discharge Acoustic Generator (SADAG); and (d) a complex waveform generator, the Gayl Blaster. The Primate Equilibrium Platform (PEP) is a continuous, compensatory tracking task that measures fine motor control. The CADS significantly impacted the PEP performance of some rhesus monkeys, but the effect was probably due to the substantial air flow created by the siren. The effects of the DBBL siren on goal-directed behavior (panel pressing for food) of goats were both minimal and transient. Exposure to the SADAG failed to significantly impact PEP performance in rhesus monkeys. The SADAG had a marked impact on the operant behavior of swine engaged in a panel-pressing task. The effect, however, could have been mediated by non- acoustic factors such as light and ozone associated with SADAG operation. The Gayl Blaster had no effects on behavior (panel pressing) in goats. In summary, none of the four devices tested would have obvious utility as a non-lethal weapon.