Sep 10, 2022 09:00:00

Noise is seriously harming animals, how can the negative effects be suppressed?

In human society, noise has become a problem in various places such as urban areas, along railway tracks, and near airports, and it is known that it

has anadverse effect on people's health . However, it is not well known that noise also causes serious damage to animals, so Fay Clark, a life science researcher at Anglia Ruskin University , and others explained noise damage to animals. I'm here.

Frontiers | From Soundwave to Soundscape: A Guide to Acoustic Research in Captive Animal Environments
https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2022.889117

Noise pollution is hurting animals – and we don't even know how much
https://theconversation.com/noise-pollution-is-hurting-animals-and-we-dont-even-know-how-much-186408

Human noise is ubiquitous: construction sites, busy roads, planes, and trains, but most attempts to control it are aimed at protecting humans, and a few at animals. However, Clark argues that noise has a significant impact on animals such as livestock and pets that live in close contact with humans.

When considering noise for humans, it is common to measure the noise level by expressing the loudness of the sound in dB (decibels) , but the noise damage for animals cannot be measured by decibels alone.The audible range of humans is said to be in the range of 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz, but bats and dolphins communicate at high frequencies that humans cannot perceive, and elephants emit ultra-low frequencies of 10 to 40 Hz and stay far away It is said that he is communicating with the individual. Also, some spiders can sense sound vibrations with their leg hairs, so even sounds that humans cannot sense can be noises for animals.

``It's difficult to determine an animal's sensitivity to noise, but the most important thing is not whether the frequency is high or low, but whether the ambient noise is within the animal's audible range,'' Clark said.

In studies of noise in animals, a

study with rats confirmed that noise caused permanent hearing damage, and that people with and without analgesics behave differently in response to noise. It has also been suggested that the painful effects of In addition, research results have been reported that livestock during transportation experience high levels of noise (vibration) that cannot be heard.

Furthermore, even in wild animals that are not confined to laboratories or cages, human-generated noise can lead to chronic stress and infertility, causing changes in migration routes and habitats. Studies have shown that even in underwater fish, extreme noise damages the swimbladder , affecting hearing and buoyancy.

In addition, research results have been reported that although mice exposed to noise temporarily increased learning and memory, learning and memory decreased significantly as the exposure period increased. Studies on humans have shown a relationship between noise and dementia, and it is possible that noise may reduce cognitive ability in mice as well.

If your pet or livestock is stressed by noise, synthetic pheromones and toys can be used to calm them down, but ``prevention is better than cure,'' Clark said. argues that should be implemented.

For example, when raising animals indoors, it is better to pay close attention to noisy cleaning and gardening work and check how the surrounding environment of the animal reflects sound. Fireworks and thunder can also have a negative impact on animals, so prepare pillows, blankets, or other sound-absorbing materials, and if the animal is frightened, wrap its body or cage in these. may also be valid.

“Better regulations are needed to protect animals from construction work and noisy events,” Clark said. can suffer,' he said.