A non-invasive heart rate measurement system using laser Doppler blood flowmetry with husbandry training of the masked palm civet (Parguma larvata)

Husbandry training (HT) is done to facilitate healthcare, treatment or animal research with zoo animals. At the Omuta City Zoo, HT of masked palm civets (Parguma larvata) is used to aid the taking of blood samples. With HT the burden on the animal can be remarkably reduced without the use of anesthesia. However, it is necessary to devise a blood sampling method using HT that reduces stress on the animals as much as possible. To devise such a stress-reducing method, quantitative assessments related to stress are needed. As heart rate increases with stress, we attempted to devise a non-invasive method for measuring heart rate. The attachment of sensors not only stresses the animal but also requires much effort from keepers. Therefore, a laser Doppler blood flowmeter (LDF) was embedded in the HT board, and an LDF and an algorithm to eliminate body motion artifacts were used in measurement attempts. As a result, a clear pulse wave was detected in some sections, and heart rate was calculated from the pulse wave.