DCP is spending the week in Orlando, Florida, collaborating with Dr. Heather Manitzas Hill (StMU), Alicia Virthe (StMU), and ManyOtters (manyotters.github.io) to continue our studies of the dolphins at Discovery Cove during interaction programs and helping with Heather’s ManyOtters project. For the dolphins, we’re looking at their welfare around interaction programs … seeing how much each dolphin is engaged with these programs (spoiler alert … they like ‘em!). For the otters, Heather leads testing the second exposure to “novel” foraging puzzles. Many of these puzzles are dog toys/treat puzzles. Each otter’s personality shines through, especially when we wake them from a nap! It reminds me (Kathleen) of the differences between Baloo and Hazel … our seabeagles!
It’s been a very productive week so far, despite the heat advisories and humid, sweaty temps!
Cheers
Kathleen, Heather & Alicia