scholarly journals Mortality in free-ranging Eurasian brown bears (Ursus arctos arctos) in Spain (1998-2018)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Balseiro ◽  
Luis José Royo ◽  
Elena Gayo ◽  
Ramón Balsera ◽  
Olga Alarcia ◽  
...  

Abstract Background This work summarizes the confirmed causes of death of twenty-five free-ranging Eurasian brown bears ( Ursus arctos arctos ) from the Cantabrian mountain range submitted for necropsy in Asturias and Castilla y León (northwestern Spain) from 1998 to 2018. Results Causes of death were classified based on (i) pathological findings and (ii) caused by “human intervention” or “non human intervention”. In four cases (16%) it was not possible to determine the cause of death due to the bad preservation of found remains or insufficient tissue availability. Based on pathological findings seven out of the 21 (33.3%) brown bears in which the cause of death could be determined died due to infectious diseases (clostridiosis n =4 or infectious canine hepatitis n =3), two (9.5%) due to exertional (degenerative) myopathy (one of those bears also showed clostridiosis) and one due to strychnine poisoning (4.8%), neoplasia (4.8%) or mushroom poisoning (4.8%). The remaining animals died due to traumatic lesions (including fights or infanticide), shooting or wire snare. Mortality data was also classified by deaths caused by “human intervention” or “non human intervention”. The death of one bear showing exertional myopathy after handling was not ascribed to any of the former classifications. Six out of the 20 (30%) brown bears died as a consequence of “human intervention” due to illegal hunting (wire snare hunting n =3 or shooting n =2) and, strychnine poisoning ( n =1). In contrast, fourteen (14/20, 70%) brown bears died by “non-human intervention”; nine of them (9/20, 45%) due to traumatic lesions (fights n =4, traumas n =3 or infanticide n =2), three (3/20, 15%) due to infectious canine hepatitis caused by canine adenovirus type 1 (CAdV-1) infection, one (1/20, 5%) due to cholangiocarcinoma and another one (5%) due to mushroom poisoning. Conclusions This study shows that the main causes of death in Eurasian brown bears are those caused by infectious diseases. In contrast to previous data on free-ranging bears for the first time infectious diseases appear as an important cause of death. These data are valuable and may help in the conservation and management of this recovering population.

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 1538
Author(s):  
Ana Balseiro ◽  
Luis J. Royo ◽  
Elena Gayo ◽  
Ramón Balsera ◽  
Olga Alarcia ◽  
...  

This work summarizes the mortality cases of twenty-five free-ranging Eurasian wild brown bears (Ursus arctos arctos) from the Cantabrian mountain range submitted for necropsy in Asturias and Castilla y León (northwestern Spain) from 1998 to 2018. Mortality cases were classified both caused by (i) “non-human intervention” or “human intervention” causes and based on (ii) “non-infectious” or “infectious” etiology. In four cases (16%) it was not possible to determine the cause of death due to the inadequate preservation of collected specimens or insufficient tissue availability. Based on “non-human intervention” or “human intervention” causes, fourteen of the 21 (66.7%) brown bears died as a consequence of “non-human intervention” due to traumatic lesions (fights, unknown traumas or infanticide), infectious canine hepatitis, neoplasia or mushroom poisoning. In contrast, seven (33.3%) brown bears died by “human intervention” due to illegal hunting (shooting or snare), handling (during transit in an attempt to reintroduce a bear back into the wild) or strychnine poisoning. Based on “non-infectious” or “infectious” etiology, twelve of the 21 (57.1%) brown bears died due to “non-infectious” causes, namely traumatic lesions such as shooting, snare, fighting or infanticide, handling, strychnine poisoning, mushroom poisoning or neoplasia. The remaining nine (42.9%) animals died due to “infectious” diseases which included gangrenous myositis, infectious canine hepatitis or septicemia. In six of those cases traumatic lesions caused by non-human or human activities were complicated with bacterial infection (clostridiosis and septicemia) which finally caused the death of those animals. Additionally, exertional myopathy was observed in the handled animal and in one bear found in a snare. In a free-ranging population of Eurasian brown bear from the Cantabrian mountain range, main causes of death are attributed to non-human related traumatic lesions and infectious diseases (primary developed such as infectious canine hepatitis or secondary developed such as clostridiosis or septicemia) which is in contrast to previously reported data for other bear populations. These data are valuable and may help in the conservation and management of this recovering population.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Balseiro ◽  
Luis José Royo ◽  
Elena Gayo ◽  
Ramón Balsera ◽  
Olga Alarcia ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: This work summarizes the mortality cases of twenty-five free-ranging Eurasian wild brown bears (Ursus arctos arctos) from the Cantabrian mountain range submitted for necropsy in Asturias and Castilla y León (northwestern Spain) from “1998 to 2018”. Results: Causes of death were classified both based on (i) infectious or non infectious etiology and (ii) caused by “human intervention” or “natural causes”. In four cases (16%) it was not possible to determine the cause of death due to the inadequate preservation of collected specimens or insufficient tissue availability. Some bears died from a combination of human activities or natural trauma and secondary bacterial infection (i.e. clostridiosis). Based on infectious or non infectious etiology nine out of the 21 (42.9%) brown bears in which the cause of death could be determined died due to infectious diseases, namely gangrenous myositis, infectious canine hepatitis or septicemia. The remaining twelve (57.1%) animals died due to non infectious causes, which included handling, traumatic lesions such as shooting, snare, fighting or infanticide, strychnine poisoning, mushroom poisoning or neoplasia. Exertional myopathy was additionally observed in the handled animal and in one bear found in a snare. Mortality data was also stratified by deaths caused by “human intervention” or “natural causes”. Seven out of the 21 (33.3%) brown bears died as a consequence of “human intervention” due to illegal hunting (shooting or snare), handling or strychnine poisoning. In contrast, fourteen (66.7%) brown bears died by “natural causes” due to traumatic lesions (fights, traumas, or infanticide), infectious canine hepatitis, neoplasia or mushroom poisoning. In four cases traumatic lesions were complicated with clostridiosis which finally caused the death of those animals. Two additional bears showed septicemia and gangrenous myositis secondary to fighting. Another two animals developed exertional myopathy.Conclusions: In a non-hunted population of Eurasian brown bear from the Cantabrian mountain range, main cause of death is attributed to “natural causes” mostly due to traumatic lesions and infectious diseases (primary or secondary developed) which is in contrast to previously reported data for other bear populations. These data are valuable and may help in the conservation and management of this recovering population.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Balseiro ◽  
Luis José Royo ◽  
Elena Gayo ◽  
Ramón Balsera ◽  
Olga Alarcia ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: This work summarizes the mortality cases of twenty-five free-ranging Eurasian wild brown bears (Ursus arctos arctos) from the Cantabrian mountain range submitted for necropsy in Asturias and Castilla y León (northwestern Spain) from ' 1998 to 2018'. Results: Causes of death were classified both caused by (i) "human intervention" or "natural causes" and based on (ii) "infectious" or "non-infectious" etiology. In four cases (16%) it was not possible to determine the cause of death due to the inadequate preservation of collected specimens or insufficient tissue availability. Based on "human intervention" or "natural causes", seven out of the 21 (33.3%) brown bears in which the cause of death could be determined died as a consequence of "human intervention" due to illegal hunting (shooting or snare), handling or strychnine poisoning. In contrast, fourteen (66.7%) brown bears died by "natural causes" due to traumatic lesions (fights, unknown traumas or infanticide), infectious canine hepatitis, neoplasia, or mushroom poisoning. Based on "infectious" or "non-infectious" etiology nine out of the 21 (42.9%) brown bears died due to "infectious diseases", namely gangrenous myositis, infectious canine hepatitis or septicemia. The remaining twelve (57.1%) animals died due to "non-infectious" causes, which included handling, traumatic lesions such as shooting, snare, fighting or infanticide, strychnine poisoning, mushroom poisoning or neoplasia. In six of those cases traumatic lesions caused by human activities or by natural causes were complicated with bacterial infection (clostridiosis and septicemia) which finally caused the death of those animals. Additionally, exertional myopathy was observed in the handled animal and in one bear found in a snare. Conclusions: In a non-hunted population of Eurasian brown bear from the Cantabrian mountain range, main cause of death is attributed to “natural causes” mostly due to traumatic lesions and infectious diseases (primary developed such as infectious canine hepatitis or secondary developed such as clostridiosis or septicemia) which is in contrast to previously reported data for other bear populations.These data are valuable and may help in the conservation and management of this recovering population.


1993 ◽  
Vol 2 (6) ◽  
pp. 399-403 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. TABERLET ◽  
H. MATTOCK ◽  
C. DUBOIS-PAGANON ◽  
J. BOUVET

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Boyer ◽  
Laura Cussonneau ◽  
Charlotte Brun ◽  
Christiane Deval ◽  
Jean-Paul Pais de Barros ◽  
...  

Abstract In small hibernators, global downregulation of the endocannabinoid system (ECS), which is involved in modulating neuronal signaling, feeding behavior, energy metabolism, and circannual rhythms, has been reported to possibly drive physiological adaptation to the hibernating state. We hypothesized that specific changes should occur in hibernating brown bears ( Ursus arctos ) due to specific features, including hibernation during half the year at only mild hypothermia while remaining physically inactive without drinking or eating, and the absence of arousal episodes although bears remain sensitive to external disturbances. We explored circulating lipids and the ECS in plasma and metabolically active tissues (muscle and adipose tissue), in free-ranging subadult Scandinavian brown bears when both active and hibernating. In winter bear serum, in addition to a 2-fold increase in total fatty acid concentration, we found significant changes in relative proportions of circulating fatty acids, such as a 2-fold increase in docosahexaenoic acid and a decrease in arachidonic acid. In adipose and muscle tissues of hibernating bears, we found lower concentrations of both two major ligands for endocannabinoid receptors, 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) and anandamide (AEA). Gene expression was reduced for enzymes that synthesize endocannabinoid compounds, whereas an increase was observed for catabolic enzymes. Reduction in ECS tone may promote mobilization of fat stores and favor carbohydrate metabolism in skeletal muscle of hibernating bears. Additionally, high circulating of the endocannabinoid-like compound N-oleoylethanolamide (OEA) in winter could favor lipolysis and fatty acid oxidation in peripheral tissues. We also speculated on a role of OEA in the maintenance of torpor (reduction in locomotion), while promoting the capacity of bears to sense stimuli from the environment.


Stanovnistvo ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-106
Author(s):  
Ivan Marinkovic

The structure of the leading causes of death in Serbia has considerably changed in the last half century. Diseases which presented the main threat to the population a few decades ago are now at the level of a statistical error. On the one side are causes which drastically changed their share in total mortality in this time interval, while others have shown stability and persistence among the basic causes of death. Acute infectious diseases "have been replaced" with chronic noninfectious diseases, due to the improvement of general and health conditions. One of the consequences of such changes is increased life expectancy and a larger share of older population which resulted in cardiovascular diseases and tumors to dominate more and more in total mortality. Convergent trends in the structure of the leading causes of death in Serbia from the middle of the 20th century are the reasons why there are considerably fewer diseases and causes with a significant rate in total population mortality at the beginning of the 21st century. During the 1950s, there were five groups of diseases and causes which participated individually with more than 10% of population mortality (infectious diseases, heart and circulatory diseases, respiratory diseases, some perinatal conditions and undefined states) while at the beginning of the new century there were only two such groups (cardiovascular diseases and tumors). Identical trends exist in all European countries, as well as in the rest of the developed world. The leading causes of death in Serbia are cardiovascular diseases. An average of somewhat over 57.000 people died annually in the period from 2007 - 2009, which represents 55.5% of total population mortality. Women are more numerous among the deceased and this difference is increasing due to population feminization. The most frequent cause of death in Serbia, after heart and circulatory diseases, are tumors, which caused 21,415 deaths in 2009. Neoplasms are responsible for one fifth of all deaths. Their number has doubled in three decades, from 9,107 in 1975 to about 20,000 at the beginning of the 21st century, whereby tumors have become the fastest growing cause of death. Least changes in absolute number of deaths in the last half century were marked among violent deaths. Observed by gender, men are in average three times more numerous among violent deaths than women. In the middle of the 20th century in Serbia, one third of the deaths caused by violence were younger than 25 and as many as one half were younger than 35 years old. Only one tenth (11%) of total number of violent deaths were from the age group of 65 or older. At the end of the first decade of the 21st century (2009), the share of population younger than 25 in the total number of violent deaths was decreased four times (and amounted to 8%). At the same time, the rate of those older than 65 or more quadrupled (amounted to 39%).


2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Randi Græsli ◽  
Åsa Fahlman ◽  
Alina L Evans ◽  
Mads Frost Bertelsen ◽  
Jon Martin Arnemo ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-38
Author(s):  
Kristina Kristina ◽  
Lamria Pangaribuan ◽  
Hendrik Hendrik

AbstractDeath can be caused by a number of diseases such as infectious diseases, disease not causing injury. Thepattern of death and cause of death is one indicator used to assess health programs. Objective: to findout the images of the causes and causes of death in 2011 in Bekasi Regency. Methods: Articles are thesubsequent analysis of the study of the Health Control Model Based on Death Registrations and Causesof Death in 12 Districts / Cities in Indonesia. The method is an analysis of national agriculture in 2011.Population: all death events in Bekasi Regency. Samples: deaths of residents of Bekasi Regency who diedin 2011. Instruments used: 1) AV1 Questionnaire, to collect information on perinatal deaths, namely fetal/ infant mortality with a womb age of more than 22 weeks until the age of 6 days and advanced neonataldeaths, 7 days old infants up to 27 days. 2). The AV2 questionnaire, collected information on death,aged 28 days and five years, 5 years. 3) AV3 Questionnaire, collect the 5-year death report above andthe Death Cause Information Form (FKPK). Results: The number of deaths obtained in 2011 was 5,011deaths. As many as 82.7% of deaths were at home and 15.6% were hospitalized. Most deaths were in men(56.1%) compared to women (43.9%). The cause of death due to adolescents is not higher (61.4%) thanother causes. Space deaths increase sharply in the group 65 years and above. The cause of stroke wasdeath in Bekasi Regency in 2011. Conclusion: The main causes of the age group IUFD + 0-6 days werepremature. Diarrhea is the leading cause of death in the age group 29 months -4 years. TB is the leadingcause of death in women and number two in men aged 15-44 years. Stroke is the leading cause of deathin the age group 55-64 years, 65 years and over and in men aged 45-54 years. Keywords: death, stroke, cause of death, primary AbstrakKematian dapat disebabkan beberapa hal seperti penyakit menular, penyakit tidak menular maupun karenakecelakaan. Pola kematian dan penyebab kematian merupakan salah satu indikator yang digunakanuntuk menilai program kesehatan.Tujuan:mengetahui gambaran kematian dan penyebab kematian utamatahun 2011 di Kabupaten Bekasi. Metode:Artikel ini merupakan hasil analisis lanjut dari studi ModelPengendalian Kesehatan Berbasis Registrasi Kematian dan Penyebab Kematian di 12 Kabupaten/Kotadi Indonesia. Metode studi merupakan analisis regresi kematian tahun 2011. Populasi: semua kejadiankematian di Kabupaten Bekasi. Sampel: kematian penduduk Kabupaten Bekasi yang meninggal tahun2011. Instrumen yang digunakan: 1) Kuesioner AV1, untuk mengumpulkan informasi kematian perinatalyaitu kematian janin/bayi dengan umur kandungan lebih dari 22 minggu sampai dengan umur 6 hari dankematian neonatal lanjut, bayi berumur 7 hari sampai dengan 27 hari. 2). Kuesioner AV2, mengumpulkaninformasi kematian bayi berumur 28 hari sampai dibawah 5 tahun. 3) Kuesioner AV3, mengumpulkaninformasi kematian berusia 5 tahun keatas dan Formulir Keterangan Penyebab Kematian (FKPK). Hasil:Jumlah kematian yang didapatkan pada tahun 2011 adalah 5.011 kematian. Sebanyak 82,7% kematianterjadi di rumah dan 15,6% di rumah sakit. Kematian paling banyak pada laki-laki (56,1%) dibandingperempuan (43,9%). Penyebab kematian akibat penyakit tidak menular lebih tinggi (61,4%) dibandingkanpenyebab lain. Angka kematian meningkat tajam pada kelompok 65 tahun ke atas. Penyakit strokepenyebab kematian utamadi Kabupaten Bekasi tahun 2011. Kesimpulan: Penyebab kematian utama padakelompok umur IUFD +0-6 hari adalah karena prematur. Diare merupakan penyebab kematian utamapada kelompok umur 29 bulan-4 tahun. TBC merupakan penyebab kematian utama pada perempuandan nomor dua pada laki-laki umur 15-44 tahun. Stroke adalah penyebab kematian utama pada kelompokumur 55-64 tahun, 65 tahun ke atas dan pada laki-laki kelompok umur 45-54 tahun. Kata kunci: kematian, stroke, penyebab kematian, utama  


PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e9982
Author(s):  
Yuri Shirane ◽  
Fumihiko Mori ◽  
Masami Yamanaka ◽  
Masanao Nakanishi ◽  
Tsuyoshi Ishinazaka ◽  
...  

Body condition is an important determinant of health, and its evaluation has practical applications for the conservation and management of mammals. We developed a noninvasive method that uses photographs to assess the body condition of free-ranging brown bears (Ursus arctos) in the Shiretoko Peninsula, Hokkaido, Japan. First, we weighed and measured 476 bears captured during 1998–2017 and calculated their body condition index (BCI) based on residuals from the regression of body mass against body length. BCI showed seasonal changes and was lower in spring and summer than in autumn. The torso height:body length ratio was strongly correlated with BCI, which suggests that it can be used as an indicator of body condition. Second, we examined the precision of photograph-based measurements using an identifiable bear in the Rusha area, a special wildlife protection area on the peninsula. A total of 220 lateral photographs of this bear were taken September 24–26, 2017, and classified according to bear posture. The torso height:body/torso length ratio was calculated with four measurement methods and compared among bear postures in the photographs. The results showed torso height:horizontal torso length (TH:HTL) to be the indicator that could be applied to photographs of the most diverse postures, and its coefficient of variation for measurements was <5%. In addition, when analyzing photographs of this bear taken from June to October during 2016–2018, TH:HTL was significantly higher in autumn than in spring/summer, which indicates that this ratio reflects seasonal changes in body condition in wild bears. Third, we calculated BCI from actual measurements of seven females captured in the Rusha area and TH:HTL from photographs of the same individuals. We found a significant positive relationship between TH:HTL and BCI, which suggests that the body condition of brown bears can be estimated with high accuracy based on photographs. Our simple and accurate method is useful for monitoring bear body condition repeatedly over the years and contributes to further investigation of the relationships among body condition, food habits, and reproductive success.


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