Monitoring bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) welfare during a functional neuroimaging study

The development of non-invasive methods to study brain structure and function has enabled a flowering of cognitive neuroscience in humans and nonhuman species. Herein, we describe the development of protocols for functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of a bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), including protocols to monitor the health and welfare of the subject over the course of our five-year study. A Welfare Control Plan (WCP) was designed to monitor, enhance, and protect our subject’s welfare throughout the course of the study. The WCP was developed so our team of marine mammal veterinarians, trainers, and researchers could (1) identify study procedures that might negatively impact the individual’s welfare and propose measures to mitigate them, (2) define and implement protocols for monitoring the individual’s welfare throughout the study, and (3) determine the study’s temporary or final endpoints. Overall, behavioral, physiological, and health welfare indicators showed that the dolphin’s quality of life was not negatively impacted by participating in our functional neuroimaging study. Our study provides an example of how innovative, ambitious, and logistically complex animal studies can successfully be performed while protecting the welfare of participating animals through adequate planning, enough human and economic resources, and full human/institutional commitment to animal welfare.