Empowering Animals Through Technology: Enhancing Animal Agency in the Sound Environment

Abstract

As we learn more about how cognition, behaviour, health and welfare of animals can be impacted by sound, understanding how sound environments affect different species has become a topic of high importance. Many managed care environments for animals manipulate sound environments by presenting music, biologically relevant natural sounds or even low-level noise, in an attempt to improve animal welfare outcomes. However, there is very limited evidence about how these sound environments -and the acoustic variables within them -might improve or degrade conditions for most animals. Studies tend to view the sound environment as something 'beyond the control' of the animal, or as a variable that must be manipulated by humans while observing its impacts, often treating all animals in a population as equivalent. Moreover, specifics relating to the nature of the acoustic intervention are frequently lacking, such as the intensity of the audio and for what duration it is to be played, as well as fundamental information regarding frequencies, timbre, and quality of playback. This in-person workshop will explore how innovative technologies can be designed to give animals some control over their sound environment for both research and tentatively, for managed scenarios. Participants will discuss advancements in acoustic technologies, its applications in different animal settings, animal-specific interface design, and practical methods for implementing and evaluating these solutions. The workshop will feature several case studies and discussions to deepen understanding and encourage collaborative solutions.The outputs of this workshop will include designs for technological apparatus, evaluations or experiments that allow animals to control their sound environment. Such designs can then be the foundation for grant applications that fund their development, testing and/or implementation.