Male-to-female aggression in cage-housed common pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) during the breeding season was not related to male plasma testosterone level

1. The aim of this study was to investigate if male-to-female aggression of common pheasants in the course of the breeding season was related to the concentration of plasma testosterone and/or other biochemical plasma indicators in male pheasants housed in breeding cages. The influence of season on the concentration of testosterone and biochemical indicators was also investigated.

2. Males were divided into non-aggressive and aggressive groups during the breeding season based on ethological evaluation. At the beginning, in the middle and at the end of the breeding season, a blood sample was taken from all males on the same day and the concentration of selected biochemical indicators and the total circulating testosterone in the plasma were determined.

3. Male-to-female aggression during the breeding season of pheasants was not influenced by the total plasma testosterone of males.

4. The concentration of total plasma testosterone in males decreased gradually during the breeding season.

5. Male-to-female aggression of pheasants did not have a significant effect on any of the assessed biochemical indicators.

6. The influence of the breeding season affected the activities of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase as well as the concentrations of glucose, magnesium, potassium and chloride in the blood plasma of cage-housed male pheasants.     

Validating the effectiveness of alternative euthanasia techniques using penetrating captive bolt guns in mature swine (Sus scrofa domesticus)

Euthanasia of mature swine is challenging. Temporal and behind-the-ear locations are two sites that have been identified as alternatives to the more commonly used frontal placement. In stage one, the effectiveness of two penetrating captive bolt gun styles (cylinder or pistol) was evaluated using frontal, temporal, and behind-the-ear placement in anesthetized mature swine (n = 36; weight: 267 ± 41 kg). For stage one, when evaluating treatment efficacy by sex, the cylinder-style equipment was 100% effective in achieving death when applied to all cranial locations (frontal, temporal, and behind-the-ear) for sows; however, the pistol-style equipment was only 100% effective when applied at the behind-the-ear location for sows. For boars, the cylinder-style equipment was 100% effective when applied to the frontal and behind-the-ear location, but the pistol-style equipment was not effective for any cranial location in boars. Therefore, the pistol–frontal, pistol–temporal, pistol–behind-the-ear, and cylinder–temporal were not included for boars, and pistol–frontal and pistol–temporal were not included for sows in stage two. In stage two, commercial, mixed-breed, mature swine (n = 42; weight: 292 +/− 56 kg) were randomly assigned to one of four treatments based on the inclusion criteria described in stage one. A three-point traumatic brain injury (TBI) score (0 = normal; 1 = some abnormalities; 2 = grossly abnormal, unrecognizable) was used to evaluate six neuroanatomical structures (cerebral cortex, cerebellum, hypothalamus, thalamus, pons, and brain stem), and the presence of hemorrhage was also noted. All treatments were 100% effective in stage two. A significant interaction between gun style and placement was determined on predicting total TBI as the cylinder style produced a higher total TBI score compared with the pistol type of the magnitude of +2.8 (P < 0.01). The cylinder style tended to produce a greater TBI score than the pistol in the temporal location (+1.2; P = 0.08). No difference was noted for TBI score behind-the-ear between the cylinder- and pistol-style gun (P > 0.05). TBI tended to be less in boars compared with sows (−0.6; P = 0.08). Hemorrhage was observed in frontal, parietal, occipital, and temporal lobes. This study demonstrated that the cylinder-style captive bolt gun more effectively resulted in brain trauma and death compared with a pistol-style gun and the behind-the-ear and temporal placement showed promise as an alternative placement site for euthanizing mature pigs on-farm.     

扎龙保护区圈养亚成体丹顶鹤越冬期行为的研究

为了解扎龙保护区圈养群体亚成体丹顶鹤越冬期越冬行为策略,于2014年11月至2015年3月采用目标取样法和瞬时记录法对圈养2013年和2014年亚成体丹顶鹤进行研究。结果表明,圈养亚成体丹顶鹤越冬期主要以取食行为为主(34.14%),其次为站立行为(15.77%);双因素方差分析显示,温度对越冬期各行为均有显著影响,年龄仅对玩耍行为有显著影响,Pearson相关性分析,温度与取食和游走行为显著正相关,与站立和静栖显著负相关,年龄与玩耍行为显著正相关。表明圈养亚成体丹顶鹤越冬期温度升高时取食和运动,温度降低时站立和静栖,2岁龄亚成体丹顶鹤相较于1岁龄更喜欢玩耍。     

不同饲养方式对固始鸡蛋品质的影响研究

对固始鸡笼养和放牧饲养条件下蛋品质研究结果表明:笼养和放养对蛋重和蛋壳厚影响显著(P<0.05),对蛋黄重、蛋壳重、蛋黄含量占全蛋比例、蛋白和蛋黄的粗脂肪含量、蛋白和蛋黄的粗蛋白含量等指标的影响均不显著。     

中国野生动物驯养与繁殖法律制度的缺陷与完善

野生动物驯养繁殖在世界野生动物资源保护中具有重要作用，有关野生动物驯养繁殖的法律制度也成为各国野生动物资源保护立法的主要内容。本文针对目前中国野生动物驯养繁殖的立法现状与存在问题，提出完善中国野生动物驯养繁殖的国内法对策，以推进中国野生动物资源保护立法的发展。     

Effect of feeding different levels of wheat roti on nutrient utilization and blood metabolite profile in semi‐captive Asian elephants (Elephas maximus)

This experiment was conducted to study the effect of different levels of wheat roti (WR) on nutrient utilization and blood metabolites in Asian elephants fed roughages ad libitum. Nine (3 M, 6 F) Asian elephants (14–52 years of age, 1909–3968 kg BW) were used in an experiment based on replicated Latin square design. Animals in each group (n = 3) were assigned to one of the three dietary treatments in a manner that animals in all the three groups were exposed to all the three treatments in three different periods. Each feeding trial comprised 30 days (25 days of adaptation and 5 days collection period). The amount of WR fed to the elephants was 0.18, 0.12 and 0.06% of BW in groups I, II and III, respectively. They were allowed to forage in the nearby forests for 6 h/day and to bathe for 2 h/day. The animals had ad libitum access to cut Rohini (Mallotus philippensis) trees in their night shelter. Intake and apparent digestibility of dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), gross energy (GE), Ca, P, Fe, Cu and Zn were measured. Feed consumption was not significantly different among the groups. Significant (p < 0.01) decrease in digestibility of DM and GE and blood glucose concentration was observed with decreased level of WR in the diet. Feeding of WR at 0.06% of BW supplied adequate amount of DE, CP, Ca, P, Fe, Cu and Zn to meet requirement for adult maintenance. Feeding of WR in excess of 0.06% of BW supplied DE in excess of requirement, increased blood glucose concentration which may cause obesity and other associated health problems. It was concluded that the amount of WR should be restricted to 0.06% of BW in the diet of captive Asian elephants.     

Study on activity pattern and incidence of stereotypic behavior in captive tigers

The present study examined daytime behavior patterns of 19 captive tigers (Panthera tigris tigris) housed in Nandankanan Zoological Park, Odisha, India. Behavioral observations of 1254 hours were analyzed for target behaviors using instantaneous sampling and 1-minute sample periods. We found that these captive tigers spent about 23% of the daytime exhibiting stereotypic behavior, that is, pacing, with a biphasic peak at 10:00 to 11:00 am and 16:00 to 17:00 pm. The incidence of stereotypic pacing behavior appears high, warranting further investigation of the cause of this stereotypic behavior and whether an effect of behavioral enrichment is required for a better understanding of welfare implications on the animals.     

Multidrug-Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolates From Captive Reptiles

Pseudomonas aeruginosa represents an opportunistic pathogen for animals and humans that is often associated with high disease morbidity and, at times, mortality. Captive reptiles have been shown to be reservoirs of P. aeruginosa strains that can be sources of exposure to humans that come in contact with these animals. In this study, the prevalence of P. aeruginosa among subclinical captive reptile species and the antimicrobial sensitivity of bacterial isolates were investigated. Sixty-five oral swabs were collected from captive reptiles belonging to 15 different species in which no overt signs of disease were evident. From this group of animals, 46 (70.8%) isolates were identified as P. aeruginosa. All of the P. aeruginosa strains were shown to have a wide range of antibiotic resistance. At present, there is a paucity of data regarding the prevalence of P. aeruginosa in various reptile species; therefore, continued scientific investigations are indicated to determine the significance of P. aeruginosa infection as it relates to captive reptile species.     

野生动物人工繁育对种群保护影响机制探究

野生动物及其产品在世界范围内广泛交易,由此引发的偷猎一直是物种保护的主要威胁。现有的干预措施和执法不能完全规避由此造成的物种濒危和灭绝,有专家提出人工繁育可以减轻野生种群压力。基于本文研究发现,只有符合以下条件和标准,野生动物人工养殖才能有益于物种保护:1）合法产品成为替代品且消费者对野生动物没有偏好;2）满足大部分需求且需求不会增加;3）合法产品更具成本效益,以打击黑市价格;4）野生动物养殖不依赖野生种群进行补给;5）没有非法产品混入合法商业贸易。很多野生动物难以满足以上全部条件和标准,因此人工养殖和贸易可能对物种保护产生相反效果。然而,对于某些能够全面满足以上条件的物种,人工繁育可视为种群保护的有力工具。对于这些物种,未来的研究应侧重于合法产品对市场动态的影响、有效执法以及能够区分人工繁殖和野生捕获物种的取证等方面。     

Surface Breaking Behaviour in a Population of Captive Rays Raja: The Expression of a Need to Forage?

Observations were made of the surface breaking behaviour of a population of captive rays Raja. The behaviour was found to have a temporal link with a scheduled feeding event, and to be most common in animals assumed to be hungry. It is suggested that the behaviour is appetitive and is a method of foraging appropriate to the captive situation. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.