The use and appreciation of botanical gardens as urban green spaces in South Africa

There are few formal studies on the contribution of botanical gardens as urban green spaces, particularly within developing countries. Therefore, this paper reports on an assessment of the use and appreciation of botanical gardens as urban green spaces in South Africa. Users and staff were surveyed in six national botanical gardens. The gardens provided numerous benefits in terms of conservation, education and recreation. However, the people using the gardens were not demographically representative of the general population of the surrounding city or town. Generally, most of the visitors were middle- to old-aged, well-educated professionals with medium to high incomes. Most were white and English was their home language. There was an even gender representation. Most visited only a few times per year. The majority of users visited the gardens for recreation and psychological reasons rather than educational ones. However, the staff of each garden placed emphasis on education in the gardens and amongst surrounding schools. Most visitors appreciated the conservation dimensions of botanical gardens, and felt that there was insufficient public green space in their town or city. Understanding how people perceive and use the botanical gardens of South Africa is important to inform future research and strategies regarding the conservation of urban green space within a developing country.     

Conditions for in vitro haemolytic activity by Corynebacterium ovis exotoxin.

A substance, concluded to be Corynebacterium ovis exotoxin on the basis of properties shared, was found to have haemolytic activity below pH 6 and red cell adhesion activity at neutral or slightly alkaline pH. An acidified, solid blood agar medium was used to demonstrate the extent of haemolysis that could be obtained at optimal pH and its inhibition by immune serum. Culture in a liquid medium giving rise to a suitably acidic pH allowed titration for haemolytic activity by the exotoxin and use of supernatant in a haemolysis-inhibition test to detect antitoxin.     

Responses of broilers to dietary zinc concentrations and sources in relation to environmental implications

1. Since high concentrations of zinc are associated with reduced crop yields, environmental concerns are emerging regarding zinc accumulation in areas where poultry production is prevalent. This study investigates growth performance and zinc utilisation during the life cycle of broilers when diets were supplemented with various concentrations of zinc from two different sources. 2. A total of 740 Cobb 500 1-d-old male broiler chicks was randomly distributed into 88 battery cages. Excreta were collected over a 48-h period on d 10, 17, 24, 31, 38, and 45 to measure zinc excretion on a dry matter basis. 3. During the 45-d experimental period, broilers were given a maize-soybean meal basal diet (30 mg/kg zinc) supplemented with 0, 20, 40, and 80 mg/kg of zinc from zinc sulphate, Availa Zn amino acid complex, or an equal combination of zinc sulphate and Availa Zn amino acid complex. 4. Progressive additions of zinc to the basal diet significantly increased body weight gain of broilers, but did not affect feed conversion or mortality. Optimum body weight gain was achieved at 80 mg/kg supplemental zinc, which exceeds the NRC recommendations of 40 mg/kg. 5. During each excreta collection period, increased supplemental zinc concentrations significantly increased zinc excretion. However, the zinc source did not influence zinc utilisation. 6. As compared with zinc sulphate supplementation, the cumulative zinc excretion data indicate that adding zinc to the basal diet in the form of Availa Zn amino acid complex decreased zinc excretion.     

Effect of epididymitis on semen quality of rams

To better document the detrimental effect of ram epididymitis (RE) in large range flocks, a study was conducted to determine the correlation of palpable RE lesions and semen quality. Presence of leukocytes in the semen of rams affected with RE also was evaluated and found to correlate positively with RE lesions and inversely with semen quality. Rams with palpable RE lesions usually produced semen of reduced quality; however, some affected rams did produce good quality semen. The mean scrotal circumference varied significantly when rams were analyzed by breed, but not when grouped by RE status or classified by semen quality.     

Qualitative Measures of Wildlife Value Orientations with a Diverse Population in New York City

This article reports on the development and implementation of a qualitative methodology to measure wildlife value orientations (WVOs) in a focus group setting, with the ultimate goal of developing a technique to help with cross-cultural assessments of WVOs. Information provided by such assessments can assist conservation organizations in understanding and meeting the needs of an increasingly diverse population. The technique was administered to Latino and Chinese-American audiences in New York City. Focus group participants were shown a series of photographs depicting wildlife and human–wildlife interactions, and asked to individually evaluate each photograph and discuss their reactions. Results revealed this methodology to be effective in eliciting WVOs. Four WVO types recognized from previous literature were identified across the groups based on participant comments. This article concludes with suggestions on how to improve this methodology for future use and adapt it for applications in other settings.     

Non-specific agglutination of Corynebacterium ovis by precolostral and young lamb sera.

An agglutination reaction, relatively coarse compared to that obtained with immune sera, was observed when Corynebacterium ovis cells were incubated with lamb sera collected before and after ingesting colostrum. The reaction did not appear to involve immunoglobulin since it was not affected by treatment of precolostral lamb serum with rivanol, mercaptoethanol or rabbit antisheep serum. IgM was detected in only three of 10 precolostral samples with agglutinating activity and immunofluorescence studies showed that it was not specific for C ovis. In view of the non-specific clumping factor, tests which detect antitoxin would be preferable for immune surveys in young lambs.     

Commercial diet recommendations and follow-up for a large breed puppy with an intrahepatic portosystemic shunt

A 6-month-old, intact male Great Dane dog fed a veterinary therapeutic liver diet was evaluated after diagnosis of an intrahepatic portosystemic shunt and hind limb angular limb deformity to determine appropriateness of diet. Evaluation of the current diet revealed it to be inadequate to meet the nutrient requirements of a large breed puppy. The dog clinically improved following a change in diet. There was no longer any angular limb deformity and no reported neurological signs. This report highlights the importance of appropriate feeding management during growth and demonstrates that although veterinary therapeutic diets may appear to be an appropriate choice initially, they may not be ideal for growing puppies as a long-term feeding option.Key clinical message:An individual approach is key for nutritional management of complicated canine veterinary medical cases and includes consideration of the patient’s life stage requirements when modifying nutrient intake to manage clinical disease.