Effects of reproduction and environmental factors on body temperature and activity patterns of wolverines

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Comparison of two non-invasive arterial blood pressure monitoring techniques in brown bears (Ursus arctos)

Monitoring arterial blood pressure (BP), represents a more accurate evaluation of hemodynamics than heart rate alone and is essential for preventing and treating infra- and post-operative complications in wildlife chemical immobilization.The objectives of the study were to test the correlation between standard oscillometry and Korotkoffs technique in anesthetized free-ranging brown bears in Croatia and Scandinavia and to assess the blood pressure in both locations.Five bears were snared and darted with xylazine and ketamine in Croatia, and 20 bears were darted from a helicopter with medetomidine and tiletamine-zolazepam in Scandinavia. Blood pressure was simultaneously measured with both techniques every 5 minutes. Correlation between techniques, trends of BP variation, and the factors of the capture which likely influenced BP were assessed.Successful measurements of BP were achieved in 93% of all attempts with the Korotkoffs technique but in only 29% of all attempts with oscillometry. The latter method mostly provided lower values of BP compared to Korotkoffs technique in yearlings. Most bears showed a decreasing trend in systolic and mean BP over time, consistent between the two techniques. All bears were hypertensive: the auscultatory technique detected moderate to severe systolic hypertension in 25% and 84% of bears in Croatia and in Scandinavia, respectively, with significantly higher BP in subadults and adults compared to yearlings. Only Korotkoffs method resulted in a reliable and effective tool for BP assessment in brown bears. The anesthetic protocols used in the present study in association with the capture methods produced hypertension in all animals

Haematological and biochemical reference intervals for free-ranging brown bears (Ursus arctos) in Sweden

Background: Establishment of haematological and biochemical reference intervals is important to assess health of animals on individual and population level. Reference intervals for 13 haematological and 34 biochemical variables were established based on 88 apparently healthy free-ranging brown bears (39 males and 49 females) in Sweden. The animals were chemically immobilised by darting from a helicopter with a combination of medetomidine, tiletamine and zolazepam in April and May 2006-2012 in the county of Dalarna, Sweden. Venous blood samples were collected during anaesthesia for radio collaring and marking for ecological studies. For each of the variables, the reference interval was described based on the 95% confidence interval, and differences due to host characteristics sex and age were included if detected. To our knowledge, this is the first report of reference intervals for free-ranging brown bears in Sweden.Results: The following variables were not affected by host characteristics: red blood cell, white blood cell, monocyte and platelet count, alanine transaminase, amylase, bilirubin, free fatty acids, glucose, calcium, chloride, potassium, and cortisol. Age differences were seen for the majority of the haematological variables, whereas sex influenced only mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration, aspartate aminotransferase, lipase, lactate dehydrogenase, beta-globulin, bile acids, triglycerides and sodium.Conclusions: The biochemical and haematological reference intervals provided and the differences due to host factors age and gender can be useful for evaluation of health status in free-ranging European brown bears

Heart rate during hyperphagia differs between two bear species

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Biochemical and hematologic reference values for free-ranging, chemically immobilized wild norwegian reindeer (rangifer tarandus tarandus) during early winter

This article is published in Journal of Wildlife Diseases 49(2), 2013, pp. 221–228Hematologic and serum biochemistry values were evaluated in free-ranging, wild Norwegian reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) as part of a reintroduction program in southwestern Norway in November 1995 and 1996. Animals were immobilized with medetomidine-ketamine by dart from a helicopter. Blood was drawn for serum chemistry from 31 adults (nine males and 22 females) and for hematology from 29 adults (eight males and 21 females). Significant differences (P,0.05) were found between male and female results for alkaline phosphatase, selenium, and zinc. Although there was a significant difference between male and female gamma-globulin values and the total albumin:globulin ratio, the overall values are much lower than those reported for other Rangifer species. Sexual differences should be interpreted with caution due to the low number of males compared to females. References ranges are presented combining male and female results for hematology and serum chemistry and separately for males and females for serum electrophoresis. No correlation was found between induction time and aspartate transaminase, creatine kinase, glucose, cortisol, or total protein. Blood values were generally similar to those published for semidomestic reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) and free-ranging caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou), but the effect of capture drugs, stress, season, and sample size should be considered with interpretation. This paper provides the first report of baseline hematologic and serum biochemistry reference ranges for freeranging, wild Norwegian reindeer during early winter

Assessment of the LeadCare® Plus for Use on Scandinavian Brown Bears (Ursus arctos)

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Hematology and serum chemistry reference ranges of free-ranging moose (Alces Alces) in Norway

This article is also available here: http://www.jwildlifedis.org/Baseline reference ranges of serum chemistry and hematology data can be important indicators for the status of both individuals or populations of wild animals that are affected by emerging pathogens, toxicants, or other causes of disease. Frequently, reference ranges for these values are not available for wildlife species or subspecies. We present hematologic and serum chemistry reference ranges for moose (Alces alces) adults, yearlings, and calves in Norway sampled from 1992–2000. Additionally, we demonstrated that both induction time and chase time were correlated with initial rectal temperature, although they were not significantly correlated with cortisol, aspartate aminotransferase, glucose, or creatine kinase. Overall, the reference ranges given here are similar to those given for American moose, with a few differences that can be attributed to environment, testing methodology, or subspecies or species status. This is the first report, to our knowledge, of reference ranges for moose in Norway

Evaluation of Three Medetomidine-Based Anesthetic Protocols in Free-Ranging Wild Boars (Sus scrofa)

Three medetomidine-based drug protocols were compared by evaluating time courses, reliability and physiological effects in wild boars. A total of 21 cage-trapped wild boars (Sus scrofa) were immobilized using one of the following drug combinations; MTZ: medetomidine (0.2 mg/kg) + tiletamine-zolazepam (2.0 mg/kg), MK: medetomidine (0.15 mg/kg) + ketamine (5 mg/kg), and MKB: medetomidine (0.1 mg/kg) + ketamine (5.0 mg/kg) + butorphanol (0.2 mg/kg). Induction time, recovery time, and physiological variables were recorded and arterial blood gas analysis measured twice, before and after 15 min of oxygen supplementation (0.5-1.0 L/min). For reversal, 4 mg of atipamezole per mg of medetomidine was administered intramuscularly. The boars recovered in the cage and were released once ataxia resolved. The MK group had significantly longer recovery times (mean 164 min +/- 79 SD) compared to the other groups. MKB elicited longer and incomplete induction compared to the other groups (mean induction time 20 min +/- 10 SD), decreasing the efficiency of the capture and increasing the risk of hyperthermia. Both ketamine-based protocols required additional ketamine intramuscularly to prolong the anesthesia after 20-40 min from induction. Agreement between the pulse oximeter and the blood gas analyzer was low, with the pulse oximeter underestimating the real values of arterial oxyhemoglobin saturation, particularly at higher readings. Mild acute respiratory acidosis (PaCO2 45-60 mmHg) and mild to moderate hypoxemia (PaO2 69-80 mmHg) occurred in most boars, regardless of the treatment group but especially in the MKB group. The acid-base status improved and hypoxemia resolved in all boars during oxygen supplementation, with the PaO2 rising above the physiological reference range (81.6-107.7 mmHg) in many individuals. MK and MKB induced safe and reliable immobilization of wild boars for at least 20 min. Supplemental oxygen delivery is recommended in order to prevent hypoxemia in wild boars immobilized with the protocols used in the present study. Long and ataxic recoveries occurred in most animals, regardless of the protocol, but especially in the MKB group