Understanding rabbit owners' willingness to engage in disease prevention behaviors.

Rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus 2 (RHDV2) is a fatal, highly contagious pathogen that infects wild and domestic lagomorphs (rabbits and hares). RHDV2 is an important cause of disease in pet and companion rabbits, has resulted in economic losses for the commercial rabbit industry, and has caused declines of wild lagomorph populations. It is essential for domestic rabbit owners to engage in appropriate actions (e.g., using effective disinfectants, creating secure barriers between domestic and wild rabbits) to protect the health and welfare of their rabbits and reduce the risk of human-mediated spread of RHDV2. Thus, we investigated rabbit owners' stated willingness to engage in nine commonly recommended biosecurity practices and their support for seven potential government-implemented management actions. We administered an online survey to 1790 rabbit owners in the United States between April and August 2021. Respondents were likely to engage in all biosecurity measures and were supportive of most management actions that could be implemented by government agencies. Respondents' willingness to engage in and support biosecurity measures was positively correlated with their perceptions of the importance of biosecurity, risk perceptions pertaining to the impact of RHDV2 on lagomorphs and rabbit-related industries, knowledge of RHDV2, and trust in government to manage RHDV2. Respondents' motivations for owning rabbits, husbandry behaviors, and demographic characteristics also influenced their willingness to engage in or support biosecurity measures. Engaging domestic rabbit owners in collaborative biosecurity measures is critical for protecting domestic rabbit health and preventing potential spillover between domestic and free-roaming lagomorphs, as there are still many uncertainties about how RHDV2 is spreading across the United States and the world. Implementing outreach strategies that communicate the importance and effectiveness of biosecurity practices in protecting rabbit welfare, rabbit-related activities, and wild lagomorph populations may increase the likelihood of rabbit owners adopting biosecurity measures.

U.S. National Park visitor perceptions and behavioral intentions towards actions to prevent white-nose syndrome.

In the United States, the discovery and spread of white-nose syndrome (WNS) has drastically changed how bats and caves are managed. The U.S. National Park Service has been instrumental in the national response to WNS, as it manages extensive cave resources and has a close relationship with the public. However, managers lack information on visitor support for disease prevention measures designed to slow the spread of WNS and minimize human disturbance of vulnerable bat populations. This study utilized the Theory of Planned Behavior to determine how visitor attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral controls influenced their behavior regarding WNS preventive actions, including participation in educational programming on bats, wearing clothes or shoes in caves that have not been contaminated with the fungus that causes WNS, walking over decontamination mats, and complying with cave closures. During summer of 2019, data were collected using an on-site survey of 1365 visitors to eight U.S. national park units: Oregon Caves, Lava Beds, Carlsbad Caverns, El Malpais, Wind Cave, Jewel Cave, Mammoth Cave, and Cumberland Gap. Visitors were willing to participate in all preventative actions addressed in the survey (77.7%-96.7%). Visitors expressed that engaging in these actions was very desirable (36.0%-65.6%), and their decision to engage in these actions was most strongly influenced by park staff (39.2%-68.8%) or signage (35.5%-61.9%). Attitudes and subjective norms were positive predictors of behavioral intentions for all measures. Perceived behavioral control was not a direct predictor for behavioral intent, but its interaction with attitudes and subjective norms had a moderating influence on intention to comply with multiple WNS preventive actions. With the continued spread of WNS and emergence of other threats to bats, understanding visitor behavioral intent and underlying factors will facilitate successful implementation of preventive actions that are publicly supported and promote conservation of bat populations in U.S. national parks.

Down the Rabbit Hole: Domestic Rabbit Owners' Perceptions of Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus 2.

Rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus 2 (RHDV2) is a highly contagious pathogen that infects wild and domestic rabbits and hares (lagomorphs). Globally, RHDV2 has resulted in substantial economic losses for commercial rabbit trade and caused wild lagomorph population declines. Previous research on RHDV2 suggests that human-mediated movement of rabbits may contribute to the spread of RHDV2. We conducted the first survey of individuals who own or interact with domestic rabbits to identify their rabbit husbandry behaviors and knowledge of, and concerns about, RHDV2. In 2021, we surveyed 1807 rabbit owners, breeders, and rescue staff in the USA. Respondents had a high level of knowledge about RHDV2. Respondents believed RHDV2 posed a high risk to rabbit-related activities and were concerned about its economic and ecological impacts. Nearly half of respondents always kept their rabbits indoors, but 10.7% of respondents allowed their rabbits outside frequently on properties used by wild lagomorphs. Respondents with five rabbits or less were generally willing to vaccinate their rabbits, but respondents with larger herds argued that vaccines were cost prohibitive. Given respondents' concerns about RHDV2, communication about disease prevention should highlight the adverse ecological and economic consequences of RHDV2.

Behavioral responses of three lemur species to different food enrichment devices.

Environmental enrichment is a tool used to promote the welfare and well-being of captive animals by encouraging the display of species-specific behaviors and reducing the stress or boredom induced by captive environments. Lemurs are highly endangered, yet few studies have analyzed the behavioral impacts of enrichment on captive populations. We studied the impacts of two novel enrichment devices on three lemur species (ring-tailed lemurs [Lemur catta], red-ruffed lemurs [Varecia rubra], and Coquerel's sifaka [Propithecus coquereli]) to determine both the overall and species-specific impacts of enrichment on lemur behavior. We recorded lemur behavior using the continuous sampling method to obtain behavior duration and analyzed our results using ANOVA Repeated Measures. Results showed enrichment effectiveness differed for each species and that different enrichment devices had varying impacts on lemur behavior across all species. We attributed the differences in species-specific responses to the unique locomotor patterns and methods of diet acquisition of each species, and the variances in behavioral responses across all species to the characteristics of each device. Our study highlights the importance of species-specific enrichment and encourages further research in this field in order to maximize the positive effects of enrichment, which in turn has the potential to affect the overall well-being of captive populations.