Animal Welfare in Conservation Breeding: Applications and Challenges

Animal welfare and conservation breeding have overlapping and compatible goals that are occasionally divergent. Efforts to improve enclosures, provide enriching experiences, and address behavioral and physical needs further the causes of animal welfare in all zoo settings. However, by mitigating stress, increasing behavioral competence, and enhancing reproduction, health, and survival, conservation breeding programs must also focus on preparing animals for release into the wild. Therefore, conservation breeding facilities must strike a balance of promoting high welfare, while minimizing the effects of captivity to increase population sustainability. As part of the Hawaii Endangered Bird Conservation Program, San Diego Zoo Global operates two captive breeding facilities that house a number of endangered Hawaiian bird species. At our facilities we aim to increase captive animal welfare through husbandry, nutrition, behavior-based enrichment, and integrated veterinary practices. These efforts help foster a captive environment that promotes the development of species-typical behaviors. By using the “Opportunities to Thrive” guiding principles, we outline an outcome-based welfare strategy, and detail some of the related management inputs, such as transitioning to parental rearing, and conducting veterinary exams remotely. Throughout we highlight our evidence-based approach for evaluating our practices, by monitoring welfare and the effectiveness of our inputs. Additionally we focus on some of the unique challenges associated with improving welfare in conservation breeding facilitates and outline concrete future steps for improving and evaluating welfare outcomes that also meet conservation goals

Protein Electrophoresis and Haptoglobin Values for Captive Bongo (Tragelaphus eurycerus)

Serum samples collected from 37 clinically normal bongo ( Tragelaphus eurycerus ) and 13 abnormal bongo were tested using assays for acute-phase proteins (APPs) and by protein electrophoresis. Abnormal bongo samples ( n = 27) had significantly higher levels of fibrinogen (FIB) ( p < 0.001) and trending but not significantly increased haptoglobin (HP) ( p = 0.07) vs. samples from normal bongo ( n = 37). There were no significant differences in values for total white blood cell counts or for any of the fractions determined by protein electrophoresis. Clinically normal female bongo ( n = 19) had significantly lower levels of FIB than normal males ( n = 18) ( p = 0.014), and this observation was also made with samples from the clinically abnormal group ( p = 0.004). Many weak to moderate significant correlations were observed with increasing age, including increased globulins, FIB, and HP and decreased albumin-to-globulin (A/G) ratio and albumin. In clinical cases reviewed in this study, mild HP changes categorized this reactant as a minor APP, which contrasts with the major APP classification of HP in the related species of the cow. The preliminary data indicate that the quantitation of these APPs may offer value in assessing inflammation in this species, but additional studies are needed

Ecological relationships of black-footed cats (Felis nigripes) and sympatric canids in South Africa

The black-footed cat (Fells nigripes) is sympatric with several species of larger carnivores, although it is not known how this species partitions resources with potential competitors. From 2006 to 2008, we captured, radio-collared, and monitored 3 adult black-footed cats on Benfontein Game Farm in South Africa. We investigated their spatial, habitat, temporal, and dietary overlap with Cape foxes (Vulpes chama), bat-eared foxes (Otocyon megalotis), and black-backed jackals (Canis mesomelas) that were monitored during a concurrent study. Annual home range sizes of black-footed cats were 7.1 km(2) for the adult female, and 15.6 and 21.3 km(2) for the two adult males. Home ranges overlapped completely with the canid species, whereas core areas overlapped the most with jackals (79%), compared to Cape foxes (28%) and bat-eared foxes (21%). Within home ranges, black-footed cats selected habitats in proportion to availability, similar to Cape foxes, but in contrast to jackals and bat-eared foxes. Black-footed cats were primarily nocturnal, and their activity patterns significantly differed from jackals (P < 0.001), marginally differed from bat-eared foxes (P = 0.082), but did not differ from Cape foxes (P = 0.717). Dietary overlap of black-footed cats was high with Cape foxes (R-0 = 0.83), compared to jackals (R-0 = 0.42) and bat-eared foxes (R-0 = 0.12). Two black-footed cats were killed by predation, at least one of which appeared to be by jackals. We conclude that black-footed cats coexisted with jackals by using burrows during the day, and by partitioning activity and diets, but not space. In contrast, black-footed cats appeared to coexist with Cape foxes by partitioning space, but not habitats, activity, or diets. Black-footed cats exhibited relatively low amounts of overlap with bat-eared foxes across resources. Our results show that black-footed cats partitioned resources differently among the sympatric canids, which ultimately facilitated coexistence with these larger carnivores. (C) 2014 Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Saugetierkunde. Published by Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved

Genetic Diversity and Population Structure of Two Endangered Neotropical Parrots Inform In Situ and Ex Situ Conservation Strategies

A key aspect in the conservation of endangered populations is understanding patterns of genetic variation and structure, which can provide managers with critical information to support evidence-based status assessments and management strategies. This is especially important for species with small wild and larger captive populations, as found in many endangered parrots. We used genotypic data to assess genetic variation and structure in wild and captive populations of two endangered parrots, the blue-throated macaw, Ara glaucogularis, of Bolivia, and the thick-billed parrot, Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha, of Mexico. In the blue-throated macaw, we found evidence of weak genetic differentiation between wild northern and southern subpopulations, and between wild and captive populations. In the thick-billed parrot we found no signal of differentiation between the Madera and Tutuaca breeding colonies or between wild and captive populations. Similar levels of genetic diversity were detected in the wild and captive populations of both species, with private alleles detected in captivity in both, and in the wild in the thick-billed parrot. We found genetic signatures of a bottleneck in the northern blue-throated macaw subpopulation, but no such signal was identified in any other subpopulation of either species. Our results suggest both species could potentially benefit from reintroduction of genetic variation found in captivity, and emphasize the need for genetic management of captive populations.Science, Irving K. Barber Faculty of (Okanagan)Non UBCBiology, Department of (Okanagan)ReviewedFacult