Successful captive rearing of an Egyptian vulture at Kalba Bird of Prey Centre, UAE

Egyptian vultures (Neophron percnopterus) are endangered across their range, and ex-situ conservation efforts focus on establishing captive breeding programmes, with the ultimate goal of releasing captive-bred individuals into secure habitat. To date, this species has not been successfully bred in captivity in the Arabian peninsula. Moreover, efforts to reduce the risk of human imprinting by captive-reared birds of other species have typically included the use of hand puppets and excluding visual contact with humans. This report documents the first successful captive rearing of an Egyptian vulture in the United Arab Emirates, and describes the successful return of the chick to its parents without the use of hand puppets. By temporarily returning the chick to its parents during daylight from 11 days of age, it was possible to maintain normal parenting behaviours in the adult birds, this leading to the successful dual-imprinting of the chick. The chick is now included in a flight demonstration as part of a conservation education programme, and will be included in a regional captive breeding programme upon maturity

Integrating gut bacterial diversity and captive husbandry to optimize vulture conservation

Endangered species recovery plans often include captive breeding and reintroduction, but success remains rare. Critical for effective recovery is an assessment of captivity-induced changes in adaptive traits of reintroduction candidates. The gut microbiota is one such trait and is particularly important for scavengers exposed to carcass microbiomes. We investigated husbandry-associated differences in the gut microbiota of two Old World vulture species using 16S RNA gene amplicon sequencing. Increased abundance of Actinobacteria occurred when vultures were fed quail but not rat or chicken. Conversely, diet preparation (sanitization) had no effect, although bacterial diversity differed significantly between vulture species, likely reflective of evolved feeding ecologies. Whilst the relative lack of influence of a sanitized diet is encouraging, changes in bacterial abundance associated with the type of prey occurred, representing a dietary influence on host-microbiome condition warranting consideration in ex-situ species recovery plans. Incorporation of microbiome research in endangered species management, therefore, provides an opportunity to refine conservation practice

Reduction in livestock losses following placement of livestock guarding dogs and the impact of herd species and dog sex

Livestock guarding dogs have been placed on South African farms by the not-for-profit organisation, Cheetah Outreach Trust, since 2005, and have been proven to be an efficient form of non-lethal predator control against jackal, caracal, leopards, cheetahs and other predators found in South Africa. However, the impact that herd species (sheep, goat, cattle or mixed) or the sex of the dog may have on the observed reduction in livestock losses following placement of a livestock guarding dogs has not been investigated. To address this, the reduction in livestock losses following placement of an Anatolian livestock guarding dogs was measured in two South African provinces over a nine year period and data simultaneously collected on herd type and dog sex. Dogs comprised of 78 males and 49 females. Farms consisted of 68 sheep, 37 goats, 23 cattle, and two exotic game farms. Effectiveness was measured as the difference between farmer-reported livestock losses before and after the placement of a dog and was calculated as percentage change in stock loss after introduction of a livestock guarding dog according herd species and dog sex. This study determined the impact of herd type or dog sex on the difference between livestock loss before versus after livestock guarding dog s placement. This study indicates that the use of this breed of livestock guarding dog is an effective means of reducing perceived livestock losses due to predation, regardless of dog sex, and may be used with equal effectiveness with a range of herd species

Effect of diet type on serum and faecal concentration of S100/calgranulins in the captive cheetah

Gastrointestinal disease is omnipresent in captive cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus), in contrast to its freeranging populations. The current study aimed to evaluate the effect of diet type (meat-only whole prey) on gastrointestinal health in captive cheetahs by measuring faecal and serum concentrations of S100/calgranulins. This paper reports faecal S100A12 and calprotectin concentrations in 12 captive cheetahs fed supplemented beef versus whole rabbit for one month in a cross-over design. Also, serum S100A12 and calprotectin concentrations were determined in four cheetahs fed whole rabbit and six cheetahs fed supplemented beef, and these were compared to the faecal concentrations of the respective marker proteins. Both the immunoassay for canine calprotectin and canine S100A12 were precise and reproducible for use with serum samples and faecal extracts. Whereas the assay for S100A12 was linear and accurate, an inconsistent linearity of the canine calprotectin assay was observed and could be indicative of an insufficient cross-reactivity of the specific antibody used for this assay. Serum concentrations of S100A12 and calprotectin were not altered by diet type, and were not correlated with the respective concentrations in faeces. Numerically (P=0.241) greater calprotectin concentrations and greater (P=0.041) faecal S100A12 concentrations were detected in cheetahs fed supplemented beef compared with whole rabbit. These findings demonstrate that whole prey feeding may decrease intestinal inflammation in the captive cheetah. Consequently, the relation between diet type and intestinal inflammatory conditions in the captive cheetah warrants further investigation

Captivity-induced metabolic programming in an endangered felid: implications for species conservation

Reintroduction of captive-bred individuals into the wild is an important conservation activity. However, environmental conditions can influence developmental programming, potentially causing metabolic disorders in adults. These effects are investigated here for the first time in an endangered species. Using body weight and feed intake data for Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) (n=22), we compared the growth of captive versus wild born and/or reared individuals. Captive-born individuals gained weight as a function of calorie intake, unlike wild-born individuals. When compared with females reared in the wild, captive-reared females achieved a larger body size, without evidence of obesity. Captivity-associated changes to metabolic programming may compromise survival in the wild if an increased body size incurs a greater energy requirement. Large body size may also confer a competitive advantage over smaller, wild-born individuals, disrupting the social organisation of existing wild populations, and potentially inferring long term implications for the phenotypic composition of wild populations

Fermentation of animal components in strict carnivores: a comparative study with cheetah fecal inoculum

The natural diet of felids contains highly digestible animal tissues but also fractions resistant to small intestinal digestion, which enter the large intestine where they may be fermented by the resident microbial population. Little information exists on the microbial degradability of animal tissues in the large intestine of felids consuming a natural diet. This study aimed to rank animal substrates in their microbial degradability by means of an in vitro study using captive cheetahs fed a strict carnivorous diet as fecal donors. Fresh cheetah fecal samples were collected, pooled, and incubated with various raw animal substrates (chicken cartilage, collagen, glucosamine-chondroitin, glucosamine, rabbit bone, rabbit hair, and rabbit skin; 4 replicates per substrate) for cumulative gas production measurement in a batch culture technique. Negative (cellulose) and positive (casein and fructo-oligosaccharides; FOS) controls were incorporated in the study. Additionally, after 72 h of incubation, short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), including branched-chain fatty acids (BCFA), and ammonia concentrations were determined for each substrate. Glucosamine and glucosamine-chondroitin yielded the greatest OM cumulative gas volume (OMCV) among animal substrates (P < 0.05), whereas total SCFA production was greatest for collagen (P < 0.05). Collagen induced an acetate production comparable to FOS and a markedly high acetate-to-propionate ratio (8.41:1) compared to all other substrates (1.67:1 to 2.97:1)

Evaluation of the use of psychometric scales in human-wildlife interaction research to determine attitudes and tolerance towards wildlife

Studies evaluating human‐wildlife interactions (HWI) in a conservation context often include psychometric scales to measure attitudes and tolerance towards wildlife. However, data quality is at risk when such scales are used without appropriate validation or reliability testing, potentially leading to erroneous interpretation or application of findings. Two online databases (ProQuest Psych Info and Web of Science), were used to identify published HWI studies including attitude and tolerance which we subsequently analyzed to; (1) determine the methods used to measure attitudes or tolerance toward predators and other wildlife; (2) determine the proportion of these methods utilizing psychometric scales; and (3) evaluate the rigor with which the scales were used by examining whether the psychometric properties of validity and reliability were reported. For the decade spanning 2007–2017, 114 published studies were identified; 94 (82%) used questionnaires and many of these (53; 56%) utilized a psychometric scale. Most scales (39; 74%) had at least one test of reliability reported, but reliance on a single test was notable, contrary to recommended practice. A smaller majority (35; 66%) reported a test of validity but this was primarily restricted to structural validity rather than more comprehensive testing. Encouragingly, HWI‐investigators are increasingly utilizing the necessary psychometric tools for designing and analyzing questionnaire data, but the failure to assess the validity or reliability of psychometric scales used in over one third of published HWI attitude research warrants attention. Incorporation of more robust application of psychometric scales is advocated in order to advance understanding of stakeholder attitudes as they relate to HWI

Redefining human-animal relationships: an evaluation of methods to allow their empirical measurement in zoos

Scientific studies of human-animal interactions (HAIs) and how these develop into human-animal relationships (HARs) now represent some of the most significant contributions to animal welfare science. However, due to the current definition of HAR, studies have only been able to measure HAIs and infer its impact on HARs and animal welfare. Here we redefine HARs as a series of repeated HAIs between two individuals known to each other, the nature of which is influenced by their historical HAIs and considerations to the content, quality and the pattern of the interactions is also vital. With a new definition, it is now feasible to empirically measure HARs, however first it is important to evaluate current methods utilised in animal industries to allow standardisation across HAR research in zoos. Here we review the current methods that have been used to assess HAIs in animals, and determines their overall suitability for measuring HARs and their use in a zoo environment. Literature searches were conducted using the search terms “human-animal” AND “interaction”, “human-animal” AND “relationship”, “human-animal” AND bond”. Subsequently, “zoo”, “companion”, “agriculture”, “laboratory” and “wild” were added to each combination yielding five potential methods to evaluate. These methods were assessed according to a panel of indicators including reliability, robustness, practical application and feasibility for use in a zoo environment. Results indicated that the methods utilising ‘latency’, ‘qualitative behaviour assessment’ and the ‘voluntary approach test’ were potentially viable to assess HARs in a zoo environment, and could subsequently contribute to the assessment of welfare implications of these HARs for the animals involved. These methods now require empirical testing and comparisons within a zoo environment

The ecological effects of livestock guarding dogs (LGDs) on target and non-target wildlife

Livestock guarding dogs (LGDs) are used across the world to reduce livestock depredation by free-ranging predatory wildlife. In doing so, they reduce the need for lethal predator control and are considered beneficial for conservation. However, LGDs might be perceived as predators by wildlife and induce a multitude of both positive and negative ecological effects. We conducted a literature review to evaluate the ecological effects of LGDs and found 56 publications reporting LGDs interacting with or affecting wildlife. Featuring in 77% of the publications, LGDs were widely reported to chase and kill wildlife, leading to species43 specific behavioural responses. A total of 80 species were affected by LGDs; 11 of which are listed as Near Threatened or higher on the IUCN Red List. Of the affected species, 78% were non-target species, suggesting that any benefits arising from the use of LGDs likely occur simultaneously with unintended ecological effects. However, the frequency of LGD-wildlife interactions and the magnitude of any resulting ecological effects have rarely been quantified. More empirical studies are therefore needed to determine the net ecological outcome of LGD use, thus ensuring that negative outcomes are minimised while benefiting both farmers and wildlife