BERG

berg@lists.stir.ac.uk

976 discussions

by Sarah Kraemer

Happy Halloween, BERGers! 🎃👻 (Or should we say, All Hallows Eve-olution?) We hope you and your pump-kin *selected* a fun disguise, and had a weekend filled with as many treats and as few tricks as possible. If anyone has any animal-related costumes to share with the group, please forward them along! Taxonomically-confused monsters may also apply. The world spins madly on, and today is particularly scary for all the wrong reasons. But we do have a few beacons of good news to share to light-up your lanterns this week! Scientists Have Made the First Large Coral Reef Discovery in 120 Years, and it is taller than the tallest skyscraper in New York City! "Marine scientists have discovered a coral tower in Australia's Great Barrier Reef that stands more than 500 meters (1,640 feet) tall, exceeding the height of the Empire State Building. It’s the first time in 120 years that a reef so large has been found in this famous ocean region, according to scientists at Schmidt Ocean Institute, who spotted and filmed the giant living structure. ... And as if this news wasn’t delightful enough, the vehicles used to find and explore the new reef appear to be named after characters from The Neverending Story. Beaman and her colleagues spotted the structure while onboard research vessel Falkor, and the team remotely operated a camera-carrying dive vehicle called SuBastian." -Excerpt from article https://www.vice.com/en/article/epddda/scientists-discover-coral-reef-talle…<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vice.…> You can read more about this immense discovery on the Schmidt Ocean Institute's Website dedicated to the exploratory project!! https://schmidtocean.org/cruise/northern-depths-of-the-great-barrier-reef#n…<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fschmidtoc…> Also, for your viewing pleasure, here is a video of some of the scientists collecting specimens of the reef!* (*please note that the sound is cut-out until roughly 2 minutes into the video, and then commentary can be heard): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnUVnNX7yrw<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtu…> A Record number of baby Olive Ridley Sea Turtles hatched in one Mexican town and traveled into the Gulf of California! This year 2,250 turtle babes made the journey, compared to the regular 1,000, and this is probably due to lessened human disturbance. "This year, an Indigenous conservation group in Sonora released a record number of sea turtle hatchlings in its community on the Sea of Cortez. And it’s probably a result of the pandemic. The group Tortugueros del Desemboque has released more than 2,250 Olive Ridley sea turtle hatchlings on the Mancha Blanca beach in the tiny seaside town El Desemboque. ... In a normal year, the group might release 1,000 hatchlings, if they're lucky, said turtle conservation group coordinator Mayra Estrella Astorga, adding that in the coming weeks even more turtles may still hatch and make their way back to the sea. ... 'This year has been one of the hardest for our community. The pandemic brought sickness and death to our people and complicated the economic situation here," she said. "And that’s why we are so happy that, in the middle of this tragedy this miracle of nature happened as a result of fewer fishing boats and tourists. But also through the efforts of the community.' " Excerpt from article: https://www.azpm.org/p/home-articles-news/2020/10/28/182961-indigenous-comm…<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.azpm.…> You can learn more about the mass-nesting rituals of these turtles from National Geographic, with an informative video clip found here!!: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/o/olive-ridley-sea-turt…<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.natio…> After a Super Typhoon, and numerous landslides, one critically endangered primate species got their own rope bridge to Safety! 🌴🐒🐒🌴 "Hainan gibbons are the world’s most critically endangered primates. They are endemic to the Hainan island of China and only about 30 of them remain on the planet. In July 2014, when the Super Typhoon Rammasun hit Hainan Island, landslides created forest gaps up to 30m wide. This fragmented the habitat of the Gibbons forcing them to dangerously leap across the passage. To avoid accidental injuries or deaths, a team from Hong Kong constructed a canopy rope bridge across the damaged way in 2015." -Excerpt from article https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/how-a-rope-bridge-…<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thehi…> The team just published their findings on the effectiveness of the bridge in Nature and noted that they never recorded or observed the bridge being used by the alpha male in the group, only by females and juveniles. The alpha male preferred to rely on his long-jump skills! Click on the link ^^above^^ to enjoy a video and explanation of the Bridge project, and click the following link for the peer-reviewed article: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-72641-z<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.natur…> That's all for now, BERGoblins, BERGhouls, and BERGuisers. Good fright, and Good luck this week! -Sarah and Hannah E-mail for Hannah [Professor of Psychology at Stirling; Organiser of BERG]: h.m.buchanan-smith(a)stir.ac.uk E-mail for Sarah [PhD Student at Stirling; occasional coordinator of BERG]: s.b.kraemer(a)stir.ac.uk The link to add people to the mailing list or unsubscribe to these e-mails is here: http://lists.stir.ac.uk/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/berg<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Flists.stir…> ________________________________ The University achieved an overall 5 stars in the QS World University Rankings 2020 UK Sports University of the Year 2020 (Times Higher Good University Guide) The University of Stirling is a charity registered in Scotland, number SC 011159.

4 years, 9 months

Fw: Saints Talk: Professor Christian Rutz

by Hannah Buchanan-Smith

Professor Christian Rutz is giving a presentation on Studying wildlife responses to reduced human activity during COVID-19 lockdown. Tuesday 3rd November 5pm - please see teams link below. [https://sparc.st-andrews.ac.uk/image/uosa-email-template-images/founded-log…] [https://sparc.st-andrews.ac.uk/image/Christian_Social_Media_Email.png] We are delighted to welcome you to our next Saints Talk lecture by Professor Christian Rutz, taking place live on Tuesday 3 November at 5pm GMT via Microsoft Teams<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fsparc.st-…>* Studying wildlife responses to reduced human activity during COVID-19 lockdown. Earlier this year, many countries around the world were forced to go into lockdown to control the spread of COVID-19. Brought about by the most tragic circumstances, this period of unusually reduced human mobility — which Professor Rutz’s team recently coined “anthropause” — provides an unprecedented opportunity to study human–wildlife interactions. How do animals behave when there are fewer humans out and about? Do they “reclaim” habitats they would normally avoid? Do terrestrial and marine animals respond in the same manner? In this talk, Professor Rutz will explain how the International Bio-Logging Society, which he is serving as Founding President, recently launched a global research initiative to investigate wildlife behaviour before, during and after COVID-19 lockdown. Specifically, the team is using data collected by so-called “bio-loggers” — miniature animal-attached tracking devices that record detailed information about an animal’s movements and activity patterns. The scientific insights gained during this devastating crisis will allow us to develop innovative strategies for sharing space on this increasingly crowded planet, with benefits for both wildlife and humans. We hope that to see you on Tuesday at the online event. With best wishes [https://sparc.st-andrews.ac.uk/image/signatures/Robert-Signature-100pxl.png] Robert Fleming Director of Development *Please note you can join a Teams event, whether or not you have a Teams account. [http://sparc.st-andrews.ac.uk/smtp.mailopen?id=10944101] ________________________________ The University achieved an overall 5 stars in the QS World University Rankings 2020 UK Sports University of the Year 2020 (Times Higher Good University Guide) The University of Stirling is a charity registered in Scotland, number SC 011159.

4 years, 9 months

A Little BERG Update, & a Call for More

by Sarah Kraemer

Dear BERGers, A new semester is upon us, and we persist. We soldier on. We will not go gentle into that good night. As we say in America, We Keep on Truckin'. Perhaps in Scotland it might be, "Keep on Lorrying," but that sounds too much like "Keep on Worrying", which nobody needs any reminders to do. BERG as a group is adjusting to this strange new world, the same way its members are individually adjusting. We want to check-in with you before we proceed with any meetings this semester! So, if any BERG members would like to share any ideas for meetings, inspirations, stories from their summers, or general words of encouragement, [better than these recycled old phrases] please e-mail them to us! Now is a unique time to be in Academia-- we stand at the crossroads of science and politics, and we are equally scared and hopeful for the future. That is okay. That is to be expected. Normalise it! Time for some Positive News in the Animal Kingdom BERGers, We want to know what you know! What have you/ your labmates been working on, what are your collaborators publishing, etc. In the meantime, here are some intriguing findings from around the world in the animal kingdom. Male Flamboyant Cuttlefish mostly pretend to be rocks all day long, but when they get to courting the ladies, it is a sight to behold. In a new article for Science News, Hanlon & McManus (2020) described studying the courtship displays of these colourful creatures: 'After spotting a female in the distance, a male will flaunt bright colors and undulate their mantle stripes in a move called “the passing cloud.” Researchers also observed two types of gestures during this colorful routine: arm waving (reminiscent of a human bowing) and kissing (a tap on the female’s arm with his arms). “These displays are really elaborate and dynamic,” says Hanlon. “And they’re comparable to what some of the most sophisticated birds do and even some primates.”' -Quote from https://www.sciencenews.org/article/flamboyant-cuttlefish-video-mating-defe… Published paper in Science Direct: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022098120300642 Watch a video of their flashy flirtations here!! You will not be disappointed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AwFr5lmhcw African Grey Parrots are just as fed up as you are, and they have some choice words to share. In an amusing news story for the BBC, Chief executive Steve Nichols the of the Lincolnshire Wildlife Park described how five of their African grey parrots would cuss at guests, and then feed off of the energies of guests, whose reactions they took as encouragement to continue swearing. The parrots "swear to trigger reaction or a response" so if people look shocked or laugh, it just encourages them to do it more, he said. "With the five, one would swear and another would laugh and that would carry on," he said. -Quote from https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-54340425 In a further interview for The Guardian, Steve went on: The parrots – named Billy, Elsie, Eric, Jade and Tyson – joined Lincolnshire Wildlife<https://www.theguardian.com/environment/wildlife> Park’s colony of 200 grey parrots in August. But soon after, they started encouraging each other to swear. “We saw it very quickly – we are quite used to parrots swearing but we’ve never had five at the same time,” Steve Nichols, CEO of the wildlife park, told PA. “Most parrots clam up outside, but for some reason these five relish it.” Now the parrots are in quarantine together, in the hopes that they don't distribute their naughty behaviours to the other grey parrots at the park. Lincolnshire already had a famous parrot, "Chico", who can sing Beyonce's "If I were a Boy." Click here to enjoy an interview with the Steve Nichols who not only manages Chico's singing talents, but also shares why the wildlife park has so many parrots: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZ04mXbCgC4 One Hundred and Ten Pilot Whales have been Rescued from a recent mass stranding in Australia-- the largest on record. The Guardian has been covering the mass stranding of the whales since last week, when they were discovered. 'Some 270 long-finned pilot whales were discovered stranded on sandbars on Monday morning and another 200 were found dead further inside the harbour two days later. The stranding surpasses a beaching event in 1996 involving about 320 pilot whales in Western Australia. [Incident Controller Robert] Buck praised rescuers for their tireless work in icy waters and rough weather.' -Quote from https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/sep/27/tasmania-rescuers-guide… You can follow along with the story, and listen to a short 30-minute podcast on the rescue missions HERE: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/audio/2020/sep/28/inside-the-res… A Whale of a Tale... The Grey Parrots' Regale... And the Seductive Displays of the Cuttlefish Male! [While the female awaits to judge pass-or-fail ✔️] We hope that these stories give YOU hope to prevail. Stay Safe and Sane out there, BERGers, and we are eager to receive any updates and/or ideas you might have to share with us, on a rolling basis. -Sarah and Hannah E-mail for Hannah [Professor of Psychology at Stirling; Organiser of BERG]: h.m.buchanan-smith(a)stir.ac.uk E-mail for Sarah [PhD Student at Stirling; occasional coordinator of BERG]: s.b.kraemer(a)stir.ac.uk The link to add people to the mailing list or unsubscribe to these e-mails is here: http://lists.stir.ac.uk/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/berg ________________________________ The University achieved an overall 5 stars in the QS World University Rankings 2020 UK Sports University of the Year 2020 (Times Higher Good University Guide) The University of Stirling is a charity registered in Scotland, number SC 011159.

4 years, 10 months

New Platform Launched

by Mark Kingston Jones

Dear all, I really missed the Wednesday meeting yesterday, but I hope you are all well! I just wanted to share something we have just launched as it might be of interest to some of you, plus it might make a unique last minute Father’s Day gift! After the amazing feedback we received from the funders of our recent work at Lakeview Monkey Sanctuary, it was suggested we should take it further and allow people to contribute monthly. So that is exactly what we are doing with a Patreon account, where each month we will use the subscription to build a new feeder, new enclosure furniture, or do a whole enclosure renovation, for different animals at different locations, in order to progress our mission of assisting keepers to continually improve the lives of animals at zoos and sanctuaries. It will mean we can prototype devices and conduct builds that may not be suitable for our Team Building events, and we will be creating our very own Team who will share in the highs and lows of developing enrichment! In exchange our Team Members will get exclusive videos of the process, and of course the results, to provide that genuine feel good factor as they see what they have made possible! As an extra bonus, our first 15 subscribers will receive an exclusive invite to a private Open Day at Lakeview Monkey Sanctuary (in Ascot) to see first-hand the work they have funded at this private facility. To find out more or just to see our new design for Kinkajous we used to kick things off, visit: https://www.patreon.com/TeamBuildingwithBITE Any help spreading the word would be sincerely appreciated and if anyone is interested I also have an idea for a new ‘Institutional’ tier, which might be useful for those teaching students about enrichment and welfare. Many thanks and best wishes, Mark Mark Kingston Jones, Co-Founder - Team Building with BITE Workshop Coordinator - The Shape of Enrichment www.teambuildingwithbite.com 2nd highest rated provider two years running on Coursecheck for 2015 and 2016, and highest rated for 2017 and 2018. Vanarama Customer Service Hero 2017! See our latest reviews from course and workshop participants at: http://www.coursecheck.com/provider/39/team-building-with-bite

5 years, 1 month

Our new enrichment platform

by Mark Kingston Jones

5 years, 1 month

Animal connections survey

by Hannah Buchanan-Smith

Dear BERGers Some of you may remember Alaina Marci from Discovery and Learning at Edinburgh Zoo. She is now a PhD student in Queens University Belfast and would really appreciate your help with this ~15 minute survey....[cid:43c21655-5875-44af-a05e-dc94f1c36e6f] https://qubpsych.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cSWLJKQKcchXjk9 ________________________________ The University achieved an overall 5 stars in the QS World University Rankings 2020 UK Sports University of the Year 2020 (Times Higher Good University Guide) The University of Stirling is a charity registered in Scotland, number SC 011159.

5 years, 1 month

Zoo researchers and staff wanted for an interview for a project

by Lesley Craig

Morning everyone, I hope you are well. Matthew (an MSc student in Science Communication at Imperial College, London) is keen to speak to anyone who has worked in zoos (including researchers) and their opinion on how COVID-19 will affect non-human primates, their conservation, welfare and education. I have just finished my interview and I found it an enjoyable experience! If you would like to participate in this (audio) documentary, please email him: matthew.dale19(a)imperial.ac.uk Best wishes, Lesley ________________________________ The University achieved an overall 5 stars in the QS World University Rankings 2020 UK Sports University of the Year 2020 (Times Higher Good University Guide) The University of Stirling is a charity registered in Scotland, number SC 011159.

5 years, 1 month

BERG Wednesday 13th May, 5.30pm

by Hannah Buchanan-Smith

Dear BERGers As promised, here is a link to Kristine Gandia’s presentation entitled " "Using a worldwide zoo database to assess the effect of circadian synchrony on animal welfare" It is 15 minutes long, and we hope you will watch it IN ADVANCE of the BERG meeting to discuss during the BERG meeting. Kristine has some additional slides she may share relating circadian rhythms to our current situation with lockdown, and she may even share her future research plans to get feedback before she embarks upon it. We trust you will not share this presentation beyond BERG without express permission from Kristine Gandia - this is a practice presentation for the virtual EAZA conference, and should you wish a final version then please ask Kristine (k.m.gandia(a)stir.ac.uk). if you are unable to come to BERG, but still wish to offer feedback, you can also email Kristine directly. https://www.dropbox.com/s/7d79kjkx3w1tjf6/EAZA%20virtual%20presentation.mp4… If you have problems accessing it let me know and I can try to fix it! The link for the Zoom BERG meeting on Wednesday 13th May @ 17.30 (BST) is: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85235213041?pwd=SDFmWHhqZzBvbmVJNzgvb2Ivbnk2UT09<https://www.google.com/url?q=https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85235213041?pwd%3DSD…> Meeting ID: 852 3521 3041 Password: 882965 For those of you new to our Zoom BERG format - we join Zoom from 17.25, do a very quick set of introductions starting 17.30 promptly. We request that YOU use the "chat" to jot down any point you wish to include in a record of the meeting. I attach a privacy statement. Excited to share a summary of Dr Betsy Herrelko's (National Zoo, Washington DC) presentation for BERG next week (May 20th). Animal perspectives affect everything we do in zoos. Our success as animal care specialists heavily relies on identifying those perspectives and understanding how to best work with each individual’s needs. When we take into consideration behavioral responses to their social environment and added activities, our understanding of the complexity of their world becomes richer. In this BERG, we will talk about a few of the ways in which perception is studied (largely focused on my own work) and how it can impact applied practices. Please also consider completing this questionnaire for one of our Masters students - it takes just 20 mins to complete: https://stirlingpsych.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5iKUUuwW5V97dWJ The aim of the study is to investigate the effects which different photos have on everyday food choices and related personality variables. Anyone who wants to become a regular BERGer - just subscribe here - and you can also unsubscribe. http://lists.stir.ac.uk/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/berg Hannah M. Buchanan-Smith Professor, Behaviour and Evolution Research Group (BERG) Psychology, Faculty of Natural Sciences University of Stirling Stirling, FK9 4LA Scotland E-mail: h.m.buchanan-smith(a)stir.ac.uk<mailto:h.m.buchanan-smith@stir.ac.uk> Home page: https://rms.stir.ac.uk/converis-stirling/person/11925 http://marmosetcare.com/ http://www.animalconcepts.eu/247animalwelfare/ http://refiningdogcare.com/ Hannah M. Buchanan-Smith Professor, Behaviour and Evolution Research Group (BERG) Psychology, Faculty of Natural Sciences University of Stirling Stirling, FK9 4LA Scotland E-mail: h.m.buchanan-smith(a)stir.ac.uk<mailto:h.m.buchanan-smith@stir.ac.uk> Home page: https://rms.stir.ac.uk/converis-stirling/person/11925 http://marmosetcare.com/ http://www.animalconcepts.eu/247animalwelfare/ http://refiningdogcare.com/ ________________________________ The University achieved an overall 5 stars in the QS World University Rankings 2020 UK Sports University of the Year 2020 (Times Higher Good University Guide) The University of Stirling is a charity registered in Scotland, number SC 011159.

5 years, 1 month

HALP-ers Needed!

by New Leaf Animal Society

Dear BERG-ers, We are the HALP-ers, looking for feedback on our messaging below and which variation of our logo to use. If you would like to help us reply your feedback and option choice to newleafanimalsociety(a)outlook.com<mailto:newleafanimalsociety@outlook.com> by Monday 8th June. When considering your feedback, our messaging is for social media platforms only, aimed at the average reading age 9-11 years old and our purpose is to improve human-animal interaction knowledge of a wide variety of animals across the world. This platform is our chance to make the years of research and knowledge we all accumulate accessible to the general public. If you would be interested in joining the HALP-ers team we would love to hear from you. Messaging 'Welcome to our page HALP (Helping Animals Live Positively). We are a group of animal lovers who want to help animals live their best life by helping you become the best HALPer there is! So why us and why now? Firstly there is no other platform like us. Now, because we are interested in how COVID-19 might have changed the way you and your pets interact. As well as the effects that lockdown might have had on zoo animals, conservation projects, and the wonderful wildlife around you. Are you still with us? Great, we can't wait for you to begin your HALPer journey with us. Each week we will share helpful information with you on how you can improve animals' lives, from sea turtles to your dog at home. We're super excited to bring you some exciting challenges that you can do with your pets - so stay tuned! We aim to create a community of HALPers who've got the know-how on how to make animals happy, both during and after lockdown! If you see any posts we might be interested in, share them with us, with the hashtag #HALPers<https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/halpers?__eep__=6&source=feed_text&epa=HAS…>.' Logo [cid:image001.jpg@01D63811.E14E4190][cid:image002.jpg@01D63811.E14E4190][cid:image003.jpg@01D63811.E14E4190] Option 1 Option 2 Option 3 Thank you in advance! The HALP-ers (Kirsty Moran, Kirsty MacQueen, Suzanne Ruby, Emily Messer & Ellie Berry) New Leaf Animal Society Phone - 07307 591988 Website - https://www.newleafanimalsociety.org/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/newleafanimalsociety/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/LeafAnimal Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/newleafanimalsociety/

5 years, 2 months

Fwd: UFAW LINKs. Virtual UFAW conference, 'Recent advances...VII' - registration now open

by Hannah Buchanan-Smith

Please see the programme for the free Virtual UFAW conference. You need to register. Dear Hannah, Hope all well with you and your students in this unusual time. Just to update you with our plans for the UFAW conference 'Recent advances in animal welfare science VII', that we had to cancel as a physical event because of the coronavirus pandemic. We are now running this as a free on-line event. Rather than having all the talks given on one day we have decided to run the conference over two – the 30th June and 1st July - as we feel that this will give us the extra time we will need to get each speaker on-line and will allow a little more leeway for questions. Each day will start at 11.00am and finish around 15.30pm (GMT +1hr). Places to watch this on-line conference 'live' are limited - although the talks are being recorded so they can be watched at any time after the event. I'll send you details of how to do so post conference but happy to answer questions. If you are interested in finding out the list of speakers for this conference and wish to register, click on this link to do so www.ufaw.org.uk/bham20<http://www.ufaw.org.uk/bham20>. Thanks and stay safe. Stephen Dr Stephen Wickens Universities Federation for Animal Welfare, The Old School, Brewhouse Hill, Wheathampstead, Herts AL4 8AN, UK Email: wickens(a)ufaw.org.uk ; Direct Tel: +44(0)1276 500880; Office: +44(0)1582 831818 (tel), 831414 (fax) MailScanner has detected a possible fraud attempt from "c:" claiming to be www.ufaw.org.uk<C:\Users\Stephen%20Wickens\AppData\Local\Temp\~ed_sb_3\www.ufaw.org.uk> ---------------------------------------- Hold the date: * Animal welfare: Emerging challenges and solutions UFAW International Animal Welfare Science Symposium, Edinburgh, UK 29-30th June 2021. For further information about UFAW awards, scholarships, meetings and other news follow us on: Facebook: Universities Federation for Animal Welfare - UFAW<http://www.facebook.com/ufaw.org.uk> ; Twitter: @UFAW_1926<https://twitter.com/ufaw_1926> The Universities Federation for Animal Welfare (UFAW) is an UK charity that works to develop and promote improvements in the welfare of all animals through scientific and educational activity worldwide. Registered Charity No 207996 (Registered in England) and Company Limited by Guarantee No 579991 Science in the service of animal welfare ________________________________ The University achieved an overall 5 stars in the QS World University Rankings 2020 UK Sports University of the Year 2020 (Times Higher Good University Guide) The University of Stirling is a charity registered in Scotland, number SC 011159.

5 years, 2 months

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