STUDY: Not only animals experience fear, but the memory has long-lasting negative consequences.
‘Deer In The Headlights’: PTSD In Wild Animals
The emotional well-being of animals matters. Conditions in factory farms, crowds viewing animals in zoos or the presence of motorized vehicles in wilderness parks all create fear and stress.
SARA STREETER: ‘Free-living wildlife regularly encounter life-threatening situations. Frequently, this results in some form of non-lethal injury. Giraffes exhibit scars from lions and harbor porpoises show bite and claw marks from gray seals. An astonishing 100% of manta rays bear bite wounds from sharks. It is hard to imagine that these experiences do not cause long-lasting memories of fear.
In a study, researchers confirm that the experience of fear does have lasting effects on wild animals. And while this response has negative implications for reproduction and survival, it also raises a question: is PTSD truly a maladaptive response?…
Previous research has shown that predator-induced fear affects behavior as well as the levels of stress hormones in wild animals. This study looked for physiological changes in the brains of the animals that would be typical of PTSD. The subjects in the first experiment were 27 wild-caught black-capped chickadees, who react to danger by freezing in place. Researchers exposed the experimental group of birds to calls of known predators, such as the Cooper’s hawk and the northern saw-whet owl. The control group heard non-predator vocalizations…
The brains of birds in the experimental group showed changes to the amygdala and hippocampus while the birds in the control group did not. A subsequent experiment involving 22 birds confirmed these physiological responses. These results meet the criteria to be considered PTSD in a wild animal. They also suggest that PTSD is a natural rather than a maladaptive response to fear…
Animal advocates can point to these results as empirical evidence that conditions that induce fear have negative health effects on animals. The emotional well-being of animals matters. Conditions in factory farms, crowds viewing wildlife in national parks or the presence of motorized vehicles in wilderness areas could all create fear. Reducing or eliminating such stressors should lead to better health outcomes and improved quality of life for animals’. SOURCE…
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