The term habituation is often used in wildlife rehabilitation and refers to an animal becoming accustomed to humans. For instance, a bird no longer fears humans and associates them with food due to being raised in an environment where humans regularly provided nourishment.
Before the term "habituation" was introduced, the scientific community employed a variety of terms such as acclimatization, accommodation, negative adaptation, and stimulatory inactivation (Rankin et al., 2009). However, habituation became the preferred term as it is exclusively associated with the behavioural phenomena.
In Richard Thompson's article, "Habituation: A History," nine distinct characteristics of habituation are outlined.
Repeated exposure to a stimulus results in an adaptive response, whereby the animal becomes accustomed to the stimulus (Rankin et al., 2009).
Spontaneous recovery, describes the phenomenon where a long-term pause from the stimulus allows the habituated behaviour to diminish, and the response to the stimulus re-emerges (Rankin et al., 2009).
The continuous cycle of exposure and pausing, which accelerates the habituation process (Rankin et al., 2009).
Increase in stimulus activity expedites the habituation process, allowing the animal to adapt without experiencing a relaxation or stress response threshold (Rankin et al., 2009).
Subtle stimulus yields better habituation results, as a strong stimulus can trigger natural reflexes, leading to an increased fight-or-flight response rather than adaptation.
The further the animal has progressesed in habituation, the more challenging the recovery process becomes (Rankin et al., 2009).
Once the animal becomes accustomed to one behaviour, it can generalize this habituation to similar stimuli. For instance, light and tone habituation were found to be intersectional and generalized (Rankin et al., 2009).
Characteristic eight is used to measure whether a species is habituated. Once habituation is determined, decreasing the intensity and frequency of the stimulus can initiate dis-habituation (Rankin et al., 2009).
Discussion that dis-habituation does not revert behaviour to its original state but rather adds an additional stage to the thought process (Rankin et al., 2009). Essentially, the animal becomes dis-habituated to the habituated behaviour, creating a new directional pathway instead of erasing the old one.
Figure 1. A Richardson's ground squirrel being examined by the veterinary technician and veterinarian.
Habituation poses a significant risk as it can diminish an animal's survival instincts. Repeated exposure to certain activities can lead to decreased brain alertness. The brain adapts by reducing its cautiousness to repeated activity to mitigate the constant stress taken on the body. Unfortunately, habituation does not reduce the actual danger but rather relaxes the animal's response to it. This is particularly problematic in a rehabilitation clinic setting, where patients can become habituated to humans. The fear of humans must remain intact in these animals upon release, as humans are natural predators and this fear is vital for their survival and harmony within the environment.
At Calgary Wildlife we employ various strategies to combat habituation. These include lowering our voices while around the animals, covering cages with sheets and towels, and placing mirrors in the enclosures with them. Mirrors are added as a form of enrichment for the animal, as well as ensuring their welfare hasn't been compromised. For predator species like hawks and owls, we always subject them to live prey testing before release to ensure they are still able to hunt as they did prior to admission.
By implementing these practices, we reduce the risk of habituation and ensure the successful rehabilitation and release of our patients, preserving their natural instincts and behaviours for their return to the wild.
References
Rankin, C. H., Abrams, T., Barry, R. J., Bhatnagar, S., Clayton, D. F., Colombo, J., ... & Thompson, R. F. (2009). Habituation revisited: an updated and revised description of the behavioral characteristics of habituation. Neurobiology of learning and memory, 92(2), 135-138.
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