A retrospective study of the success of medical and surgical treatment of wild Australian raptors

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the results of medical and surgical regimens utilised to treat injured and diseased wild Australian raptors presented at our practice, and to determine if the time, effort and cost of treating the birds was justified in terms of the outcomes achieved. PROCEDURE: All the practice's clinical records relating to the examination and treatment of wild raptors were reviewed for the period April 1994 to December 1998. The species of birds, the aetiology of their injuries or diseases, the treatment protocols and the outcomes of those treatments were correlated and tabulated for evaluation. RESULTS: Fifteen Australian species of raptor were examined and treated. Complete records were available for 104 birds of prey, 73 being Accipitriformes and 31 Strigiformes. The poorest prognosis was for birds involved in motor vehicle impacts, while birds suffering malnutrition or starvation had higher survival rates. The overall rate of survival was 50%. CONCLUSION: Based on the severity of diseases and injuries at the time of presentation, the survival rate was considered acceptable. Veterinary involvement in the treatment of the wild raptors was necessary for the maintenance of the birds' welfare, and to determine appropriate treatments. Intangible benefits included increased practice staff satisfaction, and improving the veterinary professions' public image by providing pro bono treatment for Australian wildlife.     

NORMAL XERORADIOGRAPHIC AND RADIOGRAPHIC ANATOMY OF THE GREAT HORNED OWL (BUBO VIRGINIANUS), WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE BARN OWL (TYTO ALBA)

The purpose of this study was to provide a reference for xeroradiographic and conventional radiographic anatomy of the great horned owl ( Bubo virginianus ) as a representative of the avian Order Strigiformes. The head, body, wing, and pelvic limb of three adult birds were radiographed using xeroradiographic and conventional radiographic techniques. Twelve xeroradiographs and their corresponding conventional radiographs were selected, and the xeroradiographs labeled to illustrate normal anatomy. Selected views of the barn owl ( Tyto alba ) were included to illustrate significant differences between this and other species of owls.     

猛禽非损伤性取样的性别分子鉴定方法

利用性染色体上CHD基因的P2/P8和2550F/2718R两对引物及微卫星位点(NVHfp102),对多种猛禽通过非损伤性取样进行性别分子鉴定研究。结果显示:2550F/2718R引物适用于隼形目脱落的有羽根羽毛和无羽根的不完整羽毛,拔取标本的羽毛可以进行鉴定尝试,适用于鸮形目脱落的有羽根羽毛,脱落的无羽根不完整羽毛和拔取标本的羽毛不必进行鉴定尝试;利用P2/P8引物进行非变性聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳性别鉴定适用于猛禽脱落的无羽根不完整羽毛和拔取的标本羽毛;微卫星位点(NVHfp102)适用于隼科鸟类各种样本。     

Mandibular cheek tooth eruption and development in Hereford cross Friesian steers as a means of age determination

Summary

The development of the mandibular cheek teeth was examined, both visually and by radiograph, in a group of 76 Hereford cross Friesian steers, of which all but one were slaughtered at the same weight ‐ 464 kg (1020 lb).

The age of the youngest animal was 1 year 0.3 months whereas the slaughter ages of the others ranged from I year 3 months to I year 8 months. The first molar was fully erupted and crown and root formation complete in all but the youngest steer. In the other five cheek teeth there were one or more siginificant differences between the mean ages of tooth development stages as assessed by radiograph. Cattle of 1 year 3 months could not be absolutely distinguished from those of 1 year 8 months by intra‐oral second molar eruption. Examination of stages of development seen radiographically gave a maximum age range of 4 months before differentiation. In this study, development bf the first two molars was in advance of the three permanent premolars and in these latter teeth the second premolar was the most developed.     

High levels of habitat loss and fragmentation limit reproductive success by reducing home range size and provisioning rates of Northern saw-whet owls

Studies of the effects of habitat fragmentation have been heavily biased toward population and community questions, with less attention on the effects of habitat loss and fragmentation on individual behaviour and reproduction. We studied the effects of habitat amount and configuration on the foraging behaviour, provisioning rates and physiological condition of breeding male northern saw-whet owls (Aegolius acadicus) nesting in the fragmented aspen parkland of central Alberta, Canada. We then examined the relationship between provisioning behaviour and both reproductive success, and juvenile physiological condition. Males nesting in areas with little forest cover and large inter-patch distances spent more time perching, maintained smaller home ranges, and provisioned their nests less frequently. However, home range size and provisioning rates levelled off in landscapes with moderate to high forest cover. Male owls breeding in areas with low forest cover, and those raising large broods, also exhibited higher levels of chronic stress, as measured by heterophil/lymphocyte (H/L) ratios. Predictably, males that provisioned the nest less often fledged fewer young, which, in turn, exhibited higher variation in physiological condition. These results suggest that low levels of habitat loss and fragmentation may be beneficial to saw-whet owls, potentially by increasing prey abundance. However, high levels of habitat loss and fragmentation appeared to reduce the foraging efficiency of male saw-whet owls, increase their levels of physiological stress, and reduce their reproductive success. Increasing habitat loss and fragmentation may ultimately decrease population sizes of saw whet owls in this area and other species that are similarly affected by changes to in habitat composition or configuration.