A Behavioural Study of Free Ranging Ceylon Spotted Deer (Axis axis ceylonensis) in Trincomalee, Sri Lanka

Axis axis ceylonensis (Ceylon spotted deer) is a sub species endemic to Sri Lanka. Ecological observations in wild populations of this subspecies have been reported but there is no published research on its behaviour. We report here a behavioural study on a free ranging population of A. a. ceylonensis inhabiting a temple surroundings in Trincomalee, Sri Lanka. Behaviour was quantified by focal sampling on sex age groups in three time zones: 6:30 to 7:30, 12:30-13:30, and 17:00 to 18:00 hours. The deer were more active in the hour after dawn and an hour before dusk. The main activities were feeding and play, the latter common in juveniles. There was a preference to graze on grasses and browse on Ficus sp. leaves. Resting was highest in the afternoon across all groups. This bimodal activity pattern is similar to that of both wild Ceylon and Indian A. axis subspecies despite the absence of predators in the study area. The bimodal activity may be related to thermoregulatory functions while grazing in open grass areas.

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Probable peste des petitis ruminants in free-ranging Spotted Deer (Axis axis)

Zoos Print Journal ◽

10.11609/jott.zpj.18.9.1205 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 18 (9) ◽

pp. 1205-1205

Author(s):

K.S. Subramanian

Keyword(s):

Axis Axis ◽

Spotted Deer ◽

Free Ranging

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Cataract among elderly in Sri Lanka

10.1101/540518 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

A.A. Nilanga Nishad ◽

S.A. Hewage ◽

K. Arulmoly ◽

M.S. Amaratunge ◽

J de Silva ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sri Lanka ◽

Screening Programme ◽

National Level ◽

Age Groups ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Community Based ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Future Studies ◽

Factors Associated ◽

Younger Age

AbstractOut of 39 billion people who are blind around the world, 20 billion (51.3%) is due to cataract, which is preventable. This study intended to assess the prevalence and factors associated with cataract among elderly in a divisional secretariat area in Sri Lanka. This community based cross sectional study assessed randomly selected470 adults over 60 years of age. Diagnosis of cataract was made by a slit lamp examination by medical officers, and classified according to Oxford Lens Opacity Classification system (LOCS III). Majority was between 60-69 age groups and 71% was females. The prevalence of cataract was estimated to be 80.6% including operated eye and 73.6% excluding the operated eye, with a female preponderance in lower age categories. Commonest type of cataract was the nuclear type (n=422; 44.9%), with a majority in grade 2 (218; 23.2%). The prevalence of cataract surgery in the diseased population was as low as 7%. Cataract leading to blindness is very prevalent among adults over 60 years of age in the studied area. Females tend to develop the disease at an early age than males. These findings warrant screening programme for elderly at community level, targeting females at a younger age than males. Future studies are recommended to assess the coverage and barriers for cataract surgeries at national level, which would be immensely useful in planning and improving health services.

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Feline Foamy Virus is Highly Prevalent in Free-Ranging Puma concolor from Colorado, Florida and Southern California

Viruses ◽

10.3390/v11040359 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (4) ◽

pp. 359 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Sarah R. Kechejian ◽

Nick Dannemiller ◽

Simona Kraberger ◽

Carmen Ledesma-Feliciano ◽

Jennifer Malmberg ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Southern California ◽

Viral Infections ◽

Puma Concolor ◽

Foamy Virus ◽

Significant Risk ◽

Significant Risk Factor ◽

Domestic Cat ◽

Wild Populations ◽

High Prevalence ◽

Free Ranging

Feline foamy virus (FFV) is a retrovirus that has been detected in multiple feline species, including domestic cats (Felis catus) and pumas (Puma concolor). FFV results in persistent infection but is generally thought to be apathogenic. Sero-prevalence in domestic cat populations has been documented in several countries, but the extent of viral infections in nondomestic felids has not been reported. In this study, we screened sera from 348 individual pumas from Colorado, Southern California and Florida for FFV exposure by assessing sero-reactivity using an FFV anti-Gag ELISA. We documented a sero-prevalence of 78.6% across all sampled subpopulations, representing 69.1% in Southern California, 77.3% in Colorado, and 83.5% in Florida. Age was a significant risk factor for FFV infection when analyzing the combined populations. This high prevalence in geographically distinct populations reveals widespread exposure of puma to FFV and suggests efficient shedding and transmission in wild populations.

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The effects of non-consumptive wildlife tourism on free-ranging wildlife: a review

Pacific Conservation Biology ◽

10.1071/pc000183 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 6 (3) ◽

pp. 183 ◽

Cited By ~ 40

Author(s):

Ronda J. Green ◽

Karen Higginbottom

Keyword(s):

Wildlife Conservation ◽

Economic Incentives ◽

Research Literature ◽

Tourism Industry ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Positive Effects ◽

Wildlife Tourism ◽

Direct Injury ◽

Free Ranging ◽

Published Research

Tourism based on free-ranging animals is economically important, but there are no comprehensive studies on the overall balance of its negative and positive effects on wildlife. However, there is a growing body of information on which we can draw for minimizing negative effects and enhancing positive ones. Major categories of negative effects include: direct injury and death; disruption of activities or increase in stress levels; and loss or modification of habitat. About half the published research literature on negative effects involves relatively conspicuous avian species, and there is a need for further research on other taxa. Major categories of positive effects include financial and practical contributions by tourists and tourism operators, economic incentives for wildlife conservation (acting through local communities, the tourism industry and governments) and environmental education. There is far less information on positive than on negative effects, and research is required to examine this quantitatively. However, the evidence suggests there is considerable unrealized potential for wildlife tourism to provide substantial conservation benefits.

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Wild Ecology of Spotted Deer (Axis axis)

Academic Voices A Multidisciplinary Journal ◽

10.3126/av.v6i0.20103 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 6 ◽

pp. 21-23

Author(s):

Pramod Kumar Kushwaha

Keyword(s):

Protected Areas ◽

Deciduous Forest ◽

Rugged Terrain ◽

Axis Axis ◽

Spotted Deer ◽

Dry Conditions ◽

Dry Deciduous Forest ◽

Siwalik Hills

Chital occur in Nepal throughout the Terai lowland and adjoining Siwalik hills up to an altitude of 1200 meters. It is widely distributed and abundant in Terai protected areas of Nepal. Chital is generally found in densest and dry deciduous forest. The species display a number of preferences which influence its distribution. Four factors are limited for Chital: nee for water, need for shelter, avoidance of high rugged terrain, and the preference for grass as forage. Chital drink water at least once a day and usually twice a day during summer, which under dry conditions would tend to localize the animals around the waterhole.Academic Voices Vol.6 2016: 21-23

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Direct and indirect causal effects of heterozygosity on fitness-related traits in Alpine ibex

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.2014.1873 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 282 (1798) ◽

pp. 20141873 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Alice Brambilla ◽

Iris Biebach ◽

Bruno Bassano ◽

Giuseppe Bogliani ◽

Achaz von Hardenberg

Keyword(s):

Path Analysis ◽

Body Mass ◽

Causal Effects ◽

Parasite Resistance ◽

Wild Populations ◽

Capra Ibex ◽

Alpine Ibex ◽

Horn Growth ◽

Nematode Eggs ◽

Free Ranging

Heterozygosity–fitness correlations (HFCs) are a useful tool to investigate the effects of inbreeding in wild populations, but are not informative in distinguishing between direct and indirect effects of heterozygosity on fitness-related traits. We tested HFCs in male Alpine ibex ( Capra ibex ) in a free-ranging population (which suffered a severe bottleneck at the end of the eighteenth century) and used confirmatory path analysis to disentangle the causal relationships between heterozygosity and fitness-related traits. We tested HFCs in 149 male individuals born between 1985 and 2009. We found that standardized multi-locus heterozygosity (MLH), calculated from 37 microsatellite loci, was related to body mass and horn growth, which are known to be important fitness-related traits, and to faecal egg counts (FECs) of nematode eggs, a proxy of parasite resistance. Then, using confirmatory path analysis, we were able to show that the effect of MLH on horn growth was not direct but mediated by body mass and FEC. HFCs do not necessarily imply direct genetic effects on fitness-related traits, which instead can be mediated by other traits in complex and unexpected ways.

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Pasteurellosis in a herd of Spotted Deer (Axis axis)

Zoos Print Journal ◽

10.11609/jott.zpj.1002.1453 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 19 (4) ◽

pp. 1453-1453

Author(s):

Chintu Ravishankar ◽

P.X. Antony ◽

K.G. Biju ◽

G. Krishnan Nair ◽

M. Mini ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Axis Axis ◽

Spotted Deer

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Profil Darah Rusa Totol (Axis axis) Betina Sehat di Pusat Inovasi Agroteknologi (PIAT), Universitas Gadjah Mada

Jurnal Sain Veteriner ◽

10.22146/jsv.28204 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 38 (1) ◽

pp. 7

Author(s):

Dhirgo Adji ◽

Dian Astuti

Keyword(s):

Blood Cells ◽

Mean Corpuscular Volume ◽

Jugular Vein ◽

White Blood Cells ◽

Corpuscular Volume ◽

Experimental Animals ◽

Axis Axis ◽

Spotted Deer ◽

Edta Tube ◽

Blood Profiles

Center for Agrotechnology Innovation, Gadjah Mada University (PIAT), one of the place for development and breeding ground of spotted deer in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The study of blood profiles was intended to allow veterinarian to understand the normal profile of the spotted deer. Fifteen healthy spotted deer belonging to PIAT were used as experimental animals. The deer were drawn its blood through the jugular vein without the use of anaesthesia. Blood was then accommodated in an EDTA tube, centrifuged at 2500 RPM and analyzed using a Mindray BC-2800 haematology analyzer machine. Based on the results of the study of the blood it were known that Haemoglobine (Hb) was: 11.5 ± 1.703 g/dl, Red blood cells (RBC) was: 9.3 ± 3.580 106/ml, Packed cell volume (PCV) was: 30.8 ± 6.035 %, Mean corpuscular Volume (MCV) was: 36.8 ± 11.102 fl, Mean corpuscular haemoglobine (MCH) was: 15.0 ± 7.313 pg, Mean corpuscular haemoglobine concentration (MCHC) was: 40.0 ± 14.657 g/dl, White blood cells (WBC) was: 6.4 ± 3.096 103/ml , Neutrophils was: 43.4 ± 21.646, % Basophils was: 0.2 ± 0.168 %, eosinophils was: 0.4 ± 0.447 %, lymphocytes was: 53.4 ± 21.546 % and monocytes was: 2.6 ± 2.394 %. From all of the datas it indicated that blood profiles of PIAT’s spotted deers are different from similar spotted deer blood profiles in India.

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A digital collection of rare and endangered lemurs and other primates from the Duke Lemur Center

10.1101/688739 ◽

2019 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Gabriel S. Yapuncich ◽

Addison D. Kemp ◽

Darbi M. Griffith ◽

Justin T. Gladman ◽

Erin Ehmke ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Scientific Data ◽

Wild Populations ◽

Digital Repository ◽

Life History Data ◽

3D Data ◽

Rare And Endangered ◽

Digital Collection ◽

Duke University ◽

Free Ranging ◽

Endangered Animals

AbstractScientific study of lemurs, a group of primates found only on Madagascar, is crucial for understanding primate evolution. Unfortunately, lemurs are among the most endangered animals in the world, so there is a strong impetus to maximize as much scientific data as possible from available physical specimens. MicroCT scanning efforts at Duke University have resulted in scans of more than 100 strepsirrhine cadavers representing 18 species from the Duke Lemur Center. Scans include specimen overviews and focused, high-resolution selections of complex anatomical regions (e.g., cranium, hands, feet). Scans have been uploaded to MorphoSource, an online digital repository for 3D data. As captive (but free ranging) individuals, these specimens have a wealth of associated information that is largely unavailable for wild populations, including detailed life history data. This digital collection maximizes the information obtained from rare and endangered animals without degradation of the original specimens.

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