Intervention to Improve the Quality of Life of a Bottlenose Dolphin That Developed Necrosis on the Tail Flukes
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- Ueda Keiichi
- Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium: 888 Ishikawa, Motobu-cho, Okinawa 905-0206, Japan Research Center, Okinawa Churashima Foundation
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- Murakami Masahito
- Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Rehabilitation, Kobe International University
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- Kato Junichi
- Hyogo Prefectural Rehabilitation Center, Nishiharima Hospital
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- Miyahara Hirokazu
- Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium: 888 Ishikawa, Motobu-cho, Okinawa 905-0206, Japan
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- Izumisawa Yasuharu
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Rakuno Gakuen University
抄録
[Purpose, Case, and Methods] A female bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) in captivity developed necrosis of the tail flukes. Although the diseased site healed after surgical resection, the loss of approximately 75% of the tail greatly affected her swimming performance. To restore swimming ability, we developed artificial tail flukes as a prosthetic swimming aid and provided physical therapy that included swimming training from postoperative day 1 to day 1427. [Results] The prosthetic enabled the dolphin to recover swimming ability almost to the level prior to disease onset, but even acquire applied movement, and reestablish social relationships, thus greatly improving the animal’s quality of life. [Conclusion] The results clearly demonstrate that, as in postoperative rehabilitation in humans, the use of prosthetic devices in physical therapy can be beneficial for marine animals such as dolphins.
収録刊行物
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- Ｊ Ｐｈｙｓ Ｔｈｅｒ Ｓｃｉ
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Ｊ Ｐｈｙｓ Ｔｈｅｒ Ｓｃｉ 25 (9), 1201-1207, 2013
理学療法科学学会