scholarly journals First detection of herpesvirus and mycoplasma in free-ranging Hermann’s tortoises (Testudo hermanni), and in potential pet vectors

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
J-M Ballouard ◽  
X Bonnet ◽  
J Jourdan ◽  
A Martinez-Silvestre ◽  
S Gagno ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Impact ◽  
Upper Respiratory Tract ◽  
Pet Trade ◽  
Testudo Graeca ◽  
Mycoplasma Agassizii ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Testudo Hermanni ◽  
Natural Settings ◽  
Free Ranging

AbstractTwo types of pathogens cause highly contagious upper respiratory tract diseases (URTD) in Chelonians: testudinid herpesviruses (TeHV) and a mycoplasma (Mycoplasma agassizii). In captivity, these infections are frequent and can provoke outbreaks. Pet trade generates international flow of tortoises, often without sanitary checking; individuals intentionally or accidentally released in the wild may spread pathogens. A better understanding of the transmission of infectious agents from captivity to wild tortoises is needed. Many exotic individuals have been introduced in populations of the endangered western Hermann’s tortoise (Testudo hermanni hermanni), notably spur-thighed tortoises (Testudo graeca). We assessed the presence of TeHV and mycoplasma in native western Hermann’s tortoises and in potential pet vectors in south-eastern France. Using a large sample (N=572 tortoises), this study revealed the worrying presence of herpesvirus in 7 free-ranging individuals (3 sub-populations). Additionally, Mycoplasma agassizii was detected in 15 of the 18 populations sampled with a frequency ranging from 2.5 to 25%. Exotic spur-thighed tortoises showed high frequency of Mycoplasma infection in captivity (18%) and in individuals (50%) found in native Hermann’s tortoise sub-populations, suggesting that this species could be a significant vector. The paucity of information of TeHV on European tortoise’ URTD in natural settings, especially in combination with mycoplasma, prompts for further studies. Indeed, sick tortoises remain concealed and may not be easily detected in the field. Our results indicate that both the prevalence and health impact of URTD are high should be scrutinized in the field.

scholarly journals Microhabitat preference of the critically endangered golden mantella frog in Madagascar

2019 ◽  
pp. 207-213
Author(s):  
Wayne Edwards
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Models ◽  
Environmental Variables ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Critically Endangered ◽  
Microhabitat Use ◽  
Tree Roots ◽  
Pet Trade ◽  
Breeding Sites ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
In The Wild

The golden mantella (Mantella aurantiaca) is a critically endangered (CR) frog, endemic to the eastern rainforestsof Madagascar. Although the species is very popular in the pet trade and widely bred in captivity, its specific habitat requirements in the wild are poorly understood. Ten forested sites in the Moramanga district of Madagascar were surveyed for microhabitat and environmental variables, and the presence or absence of golden mantellas in quadrats positioned along transects in the vicinity of breeding sites. Mixed models were used to determine which variables best explained microhabitat use by golden mantellas. Sites where golden mantellas were found tended to have surface temperatures of 20-23 ˚C, UVI units at about 2.9, about 30 % canopy cover, and around 30 % herbaceous cover. Within sites, golden mantellas preferred microhabitats that had 70 % leaf litter coverage and relatively low numbers of tree roots. This information can be used to improve the identification and management of habitats in the wild, as well as to refine captive husbandry needs.

scholarly journals Reproductive behaviour in free-ranging crested porcupine Hystrix cristata L., 1758

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca Coppola ◽  
Antonio Felicioli
Keyword(s):  
Parental Care ◽  
Reproductive Behaviour ◽  
Duration Of Copulation ◽  
Contact Behaviour ◽  
Reproduction Biology ◽  
The Family ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Crested Porcupine ◽  
Free Ranging

AbstractPrevious data on crested porcupine reproduction biology were mostly collected in captivity or semi-captivity due to its elusive, burrowing and mainly nocturnal habits. Between 2017 and 2019 the reproductive behaviour (i.e., intrapair mounting and copulation, birth and parental care) of free-ranging crested porcupine was documented and described. Nightly rhythms of single and multiple mounting occurred throughout the year while only two copulation events were recorded. Three months after both copulation events, the birth of porcupettes (porcupine < 5 kg) was recorded. A stochastic phase characterized by an articulate courtship with distinct behavioural patterns always preceded each mounting event. After the stochastic phase, the presenting of the female evoked by Nose-Quill contact behaviour, occurred in 83.8% (n = 182) of mounting events, while in 16.1% (n = 35) a spontaneous presenting of the female occurred. The average duration of copulation lasted 24 s (SD = 7 s) with 17 thrusting (SD = 5.5 thrusting). Births of porcupettes occurred throughout the year from 1 to 3 times per pair per year and the litter size observed ranged from 1 to 2 porcupettes. The first emerging of porcupettes from burrow occurred at 10–15 days after birth. Parents and sub-adults of the family actively perform parental care and the permanence of sub-adults within the family (i.e., from birth to dispersal) resulted to be at least 1 year. This investigation provides new useful insights on porcupine reproductive behaviour in the wild. Such new knowledge may be useful to the management of porcupines in wild, semiwild and captive condition as well as to delineate the key habitat desiderata of this rodent.

An International Online Survey on Public Attitudes Towards the Keeping of Whales and Dolphins in Captivity

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 133-142
Author(s):  
Whitney Naylor ◽  
E. C. M. Parsons
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Public Attitudes ◽  
Theme Park ◽  
Theme Parks ◽  
Whale Watching ◽  
The Us ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Free Ranging

In 2015, an international online survey was conducted to investigate public attitudes on keeping cetaceans in captivity (N = 858). Respondents were significantly (p < 0.001) more likely to be opposed to displaying dolphins and whales in marine theme parks and aquariums (opposed to captive display: 54.4%; support captive display: 45.5%). Only 5% of respondents from the US stated they "strongly support" (with 33.3% "support") keeping dolphins and whales in marine theme parks and aquariums, while 21% of participants from India did so (43.4% "support"). Participants that support cetaceans in captivity were significantly more likely to believe cetacean conservation is not important. Six times as many respondents (or 86%) preferred to view cetaceans in the wild via whale watching (61% preferring boat based, 25% land based) versus in captivity. Respondents from the US were less likely to prefer watching cetaceans in a marine theme park (9%) than those from India (26%). Almost 80% of respondents objected to capturing free-ranging dolphins and whales for display in zoos and aquariums. Only 19% of respondents indicated approval for dolphins performing shows involving tricks for human enjoyment, while 85% supported keeping dolphins in captivity when they are sick or injured. Eighty percent supported captive research that benefited conservation of free-ranging populations, dropping to 60% when the research supported the development of captive husbandry methods. Seventy percent of participants were opposed to keeping cetaceans in concrete tanks, versus 53% who were opposed to sea pen enclosures as well. Respondents who believed dolphin and whale conservation was not important were significantly more likely to oppose keeping captive dolphins for research benefiting conservation in the wild. Moreover, respondents who felt dolphin and whale conservation was only "slightly important" were significantly more like to support keeping captive cetaceans for entertainment purposes.

scholarly journals A preliminary assessment of bacteria in “ranched” ball pythons (Python regius), Togo, West Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 39 ◽  
pp. 73-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neil D'Cruze ◽  
Jodie Bates ◽  
Délagnon Assou ◽  
Delphine Ronfot ◽  
Emma Coulthard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
West Africa ◽  
Disease Surveillance ◽  
Pathogenic Bacteria ◽  
Horizontal Transmission ◽  
Commercial Activity ◽  
Python Regius ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
Potential Reservoir ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Free Ranging

Captive reptiles are routinely identified as reservoirs of pathogenic bacteria and reports of reptile-associated infections relating to some species are well documented (e.g., salmonellosis). Currently, relatively little is known about the epidemiology and bacteria of ball pythons. We carried out a survey of ball python farms in Togo, West Africa to assess the presence of any potentially pathogenic bacterial taxa that have been identified in recent scientific literature relating to this species. The presence of bacteria belonging to the genera Acinetobacter, Bacteroides, Citrobacter, Enterobacter, Lysobacter, Proteus, Pseudomonas, Staphylococcus, and Tsukamurella in oral and cloacal samples taken from five individual ball pythons is of potential concern for horizontal transmission given that pathogenic species belonging to these genera have been previously documented. The presence of bacteria belonging to the genera Clostridium, Escherichia, Moraxella, and Stenotrophomonas in the oral and rectal samples taken from five mice used to feed ball pythons suggests that they represent a potential reservoir of infection for wild caught ball pythons and their progeny. Furthermore, possible sources of environmental contamination include other captive amphibians, birds, reptiles and mammals, as well as free ranging birds and small mammals. Additional surveillance of ball pythons in the wild and in captivity at python farms in West Africa will shed light on whether or not this type of commercial activity is increasing pathogen exposure and lowering barriers to transmission. Meanwhile, as a precautionary measure, it is recommended that python farms should immediately establish biosecurity and disease surveillance practices to minimize potential horizontal and vertical bacterial transfer.

scholarly journals Higher social tolerance in wild versus captive common marmosets: the role of interdependence

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco Edvaldo de Oliveira Terceiro ◽  
Maria de Fátima Arruda ◽  
Carel P. van Schaik ◽  
Arrilton Araújo ◽  
Judith Maria Burkart
Keyword(s):  
Common Marmoset ◽  
Social Tolerance ◽  
Common Marmosets ◽  
Group Competition ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Effect Of Food ◽  
Multiple Levels ◽  
Free Ranging

AbstractSocial tolerance in a group reflects the balance between within-group competition and interdependence: whereas increased competition leads to a reduction in social tolerance, increased interdependence increases it. Captivity reduces both feeding competition and interdependence and can therefore affect social tolerance. In independently breeding primates, social tolerance has been shown to be higher in captivity, indicating a strong effect of food abundance. It is not known, however, how social tolerance in cooperative breeders, with their much higher interdependence, responds to captivity. Here, we therefore compared social tolerance between free-ranging and captive groups in the cooperatively breeding common marmoset and found higher social tolerance (measured as proximity near food, co-feeding, and food sharing) in the wild. Most likely, social tolerance in the wild is higher because interdependence is particularly high in the wild, especially because infant care is more costly there than in captivity. These results indicate that the high social tolerance of these cooperative breeders in captivity is not an artefact, and that captive data may even have underestimated it. They may also imply that the cooperative breeding and foraging of our hominin ancestors, which relied on strong interdependence at multiple levels, was associated with high social tolerance.

scholarly journals On the modulation and maintenance of hibernation in captive dwarf lemurs

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina B. Blanco ◽  
Lydia K. Greene ◽  
Robert Schopler ◽  
Cathy V. Williams ◽  
Danielle Lynch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Restriction ◽  
Metabolic Disorders ◽  
Biological Rhythms ◽  
Food Ingestion ◽  
Ambient Temperatures ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Cheirogaleus Medius ◽  
Save Energy ◽  
Metabolic Strategies

AbstractIn nature, photoperiod signals environmental seasonality and is a strong selective “zeitgeber” that synchronizes biological rhythms. For animals facing seasonal environmental challenges and energetic bottlenecks, daily torpor and hibernation are two metabolic strategies that can save energy. In the wild, the dwarf lemurs of Madagascar are obligate hibernators, hibernating between 3 and 7 months a year. In captivity, however, dwarf lemurs generally express torpor for periods far shorter than the hibernation season in Madagascar. We investigated whether fat-tailed dwarf lemurs (Cheirogaleus medius) housed at the Duke Lemur Center (DLC) could hibernate, by subjecting 8 individuals to husbandry conditions more in accord with those in Madagascar, including alternating photoperiods, low ambient temperatures, and food restriction. All dwarf lemurs displayed daily and multiday torpor bouts, including bouts lasting ~ 11 days. Ambient temperature was the greatest predictor of torpor bout duration, and food ingestion and night length also played a role. Unlike their wild counterparts, who rarely leave their hibernacula and do not feed during hibernation, DLC dwarf lemurs sporadically moved and ate. While demonstrating that captive dwarf lemurs are physiologically capable of hibernation, we argue that facilitating their hibernation serves both husbandry and research goals: first, it enables lemurs to express the biphasic phenotypes (fattening and fat depletion) that are characteristic of their wild conspecifics; second, by “renaturalizing” dwarf lemurs in captivity, they will emerge a better model for understanding both metabolic extremes in primates generally and metabolic disorders in humans specifically.

scholarly journals Previously unknown behavior in parasitic cuckoo females: male-like vocalization during migratory activity

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Swetlana G. Meshcheryagina ◽  
Alexey Opaev
Keyword(s):  
Vocal Communication ◽  
Harmonic Spectrum ◽  
Common Cuckoo ◽  
Neck Extension ◽  
Migratory Activity ◽  
Call Production ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Combined Features ◽  
Female Call

Abstract Background In the last decade, enigmatic male-like cuckoo calls have been reported several times in East Asia. These calls exhibited a combination of vocal traits of both Oriental Cuckoo (Cuculus optatus) and Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) advertising calls, and some authors therefore suggested that the enigmatic calls were produced by either Common × Oriental Cuckoo male hybrids or Common Cuckoo males having a gene mutation. However, the exact identity of calling birds are still unknown. Methods We recorded previously unknown male-like calls from three captive Oriental Cuckoo females, and compared these calls with enigmatic vocalizations recorded in the wild as well as with advertising vocalizations of Common and Oriental Cuckoo males. To achieve this, we measured calls automatically. Besides, we video-recorded captive female emitting male-like calls, and compared these recordings with the YouTube recordings of calling males of both Common and Oriental Cuckoos to get insight into the mechanism of call production. Results The analysis showed that female male-like calls recorded in captivity were similar to enigmatic calls recorded in the wild. Therefore, Oriental Cuckoo females might produce the latter calls. Two features of these female calls appeared to be unusual among birds. First, females produced male-like calls at the time of spring and autumn migratory activity and on migration in the wild. Because of this, functional significance of this call remained puzzling. Secondly, the male-like female call unexpectedly combined features of both closed-mouth (closed beak and simultaneous inflation of the ‘throat sac’) and open-mouth (prominent harmonic spectrum and the maximum neck extension observed at the beginning of a sound) vocal behaviors. Conclusions The Cuculus vocalizations outside the reproductive season remain poorly understood. Here, we found for the first time that Oriental Cuckoo females can produce male-like calls in that time. Because of its rarity, this call might be an atavism. Indeed, female male-like vocalizations are still known in non-parasitic tropical and apparently more basal cuckoos only. Therefore, our findings may shed light on the evolution of vocal communication in avian brood parasites.

scholarly journals Reintroduction of the Golden Conure (Guaruba guarouba) in Northern Brazil: Establishing a Population in a Protected Area

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 198
Author(s):  
Marcelo Rodrigues Vilarta ◽  
William Wittkoff ◽  
Crisomar Lobato ◽  
Rubens de Aquino Oliveira ◽  
Nívia Gláucia Pinto Pereira ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Power Lines ◽  
Food Supplementation ◽  
Territorial Disputes ◽  
Amazon Forest ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
Viable Population ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Northern Brazil ◽  
Native Foods

Brazil has the highest number of parrots in the world and the greatest number of threatened species. The Golden Conure is endemic to the Brazilian Amazon forest and it is currently considered as threatened by extinction, although it is fairly common in captivity. Here we report the first reintroduction of this species. The birds were released in an urban park in Belem, capital of Para State, where the species was extinct more than a century ago. Birds were trained to recognize and consume local food and to avoid predators. After the soft-release, with food supplementation and using nest boxes, we recorded breeding activity in the wild. The main challenges before the release were the territorial disputes within the aviary and the predation by boa snakes. During the post-release monitoring the difficulties were the fast dispersion of some individuals and the dangers posed by anthropic elements such as power lines that caused some fatalities. Released birds were very successful at finding and consuming native foods, evading predators, and one pair reproduced successfully. Monitoring continues and further releases are programmed to establish an ecologically viable population.

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