A Case Study: Fecal Corticosteroid and Behavior as Indicators of Welfare During Relocation of an Asian Elephant
This study was a preliminary investigation of an enzyme immunoassay for measuring fecal glucocorticoid metabolites in a male Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) by investigating changes in behavior and cortisol metabolite excretion associated with a putative stressful event. The study collected fecal samples for 10 days prior to, and 10 days after, 24-hr transport and relocation […]
Serum testosterone in captive male rhinoceros: Effects of season, age, stress, and sociosexual environment
All rhinoceros species are in some degree of endangerment. Understanding the reproductive physiology of rhinoceros species will help in management decisions with both free-ranging and captive populations. In mammalian species studied, testosterone plays a key role in spermatogenesis and libido. Testosterone concentrations, depending on the species, may vary according to age, season, social status, stress […]
Hormones as indicators of stress
Animal welfare is of increasing importance and absence of chronic stress is one of its prerequisites. During stress, various endocrine responses are involved to improve the fitness of the individual. The front-line hormones to overcome stressful situations are the glucocorticoids and catecholamines. These hormones are determined as a parameter of adrenal activity and thus of […]
Bacteriologic and Nutritional Evaluation of a Commercial Raw Meat Diet as Part of a Raw Meat Safety Program
This study evaluated selected bacteriologic and nutritional components of a commercially prepared ground raw horsemeat diet as part of a raw meat safety program. Six lots of meat were analyzed in triplicate. Frozen meat samples were thawed for 44 hr at 5°C. Meat samples were tested at three times during thawing (t = 0, 24, 44 hr) […]
Assessment of the reproductive physiology of the potto (Perodicticus potto) through fecal hormone metabolite analyses and trans-abdominal ultrasonography
Potto (Perodicticus potto) reproductive biology has been minimally studied. Noninvasive endocrinology and ultrasonography are proven tools for reproductive assessment in other primates. In this study, we used fecal hormone metabolite analysis to monitor one adult male potto and four females at different life stages. Validated testosterone (T), estrone conjugate (EC), and progesterone (P4) enzyme immunoassays […]
Diagnosis of pregnancy in Southern Lechwes (Kobus Leche) using a bovine assay for pregnancy-associated glycoprotein
Version:1.0 StartHTML:0000000206 EndHTML:0000004229 StartFragment:0000002452 EndFragment:0000004193 SourceURL:file://localhost/Volumes/NO%20NAME/000/Article%20PAG%20cobes%20final%202.1%20BL-CP-TR.doc Pregnancy diagnosis is an important part in reproduction management of wild ruminants involved in free-ranging and captive programs. The pregnancy-associated glycoproteins (PAGs) are a polymorphic family of placenta-expressed proteins, and released into maternal blood circulation where they can be assayed. These tests have been developed and validated in domestic […]