Table 2.
Factors that may affect manatee behavioural responses considered as positive or negative in term of welfare. ?: no data, +: impact, -: no studies published. We distinguish positive and negative aspects, as some factors may affect manatees positively or negatively depending on current manatee temperament, the nature of the object/individual/animal they interact with, whether the manatee is wild or captive, or the animal’s history and experiences. A [16,24,27,33,47]; B [16]; C [25]; D [16,35,36]; E [38].
| Factors | Positive Effect | Negative Effect | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artificial habitat complexity | ? | ? | - |
| Size of the area | ? | ? | - |
| Anthropogenic noises | ? | + (a) | A |
| Interaction with other species | + (a) | + (a) | B |
| Interaction with people | ? | + (a) | C |
| Sociality | ? | ? | - |
| Chemoreception | ? | ? | - |
| Visual stimuli | + (1) | ? | D |
| Tactile stimuli | + (2) | ? | D |
| Emotion and anticipatory behaviours | + (b) | ? | E |
a (observed for wild manatees only), b (observed in rehabilitation centre), 1 (attraction and associative learning), 2 (object manipulation, learning).