How cheetahs stay fit and healthy

Date: March 23, 2017

Source: Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V. (FVB)

Cheetahs are categorized as vulnerable species, partly because they have been considered to be prone to diseases due to their supposed weak immune system. However, they are hardly ever sick in the wild. A research team from the German Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) recently discovered that cheetahs have developed a very efficient innate "first line of defense" immunity to compensate potential deficiencies in other components of their immune system. The scientists have published their results in the open access journal Scientific Reports of the Nature Publishing Group.

Cheetahs have a relatively low genetic variability which means that, within a population, the individuals have a similar genetic makeup. This is also true for the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), a genome region that regulates the so-called "adaptive" immune system and is typically highly variable in animal species. The adaptive immune system provides a rapid and specific defense against pathogens, if they have been encountered previously. A low MHC variability should therefore result in a weak adaptive immune system and thus a high vulnerability to diseases. This is often the case in species with low MHC variability, but there are some exceptions, the cheetah indeed being one of them. "During our long-term study that begun in 2002, we investigated more than 300 free-ranging cheetahs that live on farmland in Namibia. We did not encounter any cheetah with symptoms of acute infections, nor did we detect lesions in the examined dead animals," explains Bettina Wachter, head of the cheetah research project.

How can cheetahs cope so well with pathogens despite their supposedly weak adaptive immunity? The immune system is divided into three components:(1) the constitutive innate immune system, which provides a rapid first line of defense against intruders, (2) the induced innate immune system such as the local and systemic inflammatory response, which enhances recovery and decreases pathogen growth, and (3) the adaptive immune system.

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Checking the health of captive rhinos

Date: February 24, 2016

Source: University of Veterinary Medicine -- Vienna

White rhinoceroses are among the largest rhinoceroses in the world. Their natural habitat is southern Africa. Due to the great demand for their horn, the animals are poached intensely and threatened with extinction. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) therefore placed the southern white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium s. simum) on the red list of endangered animals. In zoos, southern white rhinoceroses are considered easy to keep. The reproductive success of captive animals has not been so good, however.

The wild animal experts Annika Posautz, Felix Knauer and Chris Walzer from the Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology at Vetmeduni Vienna investigated, among other things, how the housing conditions of southern white rhinoceroses differed in zoos across Europe and which health problems were most common. “We wanted to find out what sorts of problems exist in European zoos and what could be improved. With the exception of the reproductive tract, little is known in the scientific literature about the health of captive rhinos. The animal management also differs from zoo to zoo,” explains Posautz, the study’s first author.

Of 70 zoos contacted, 45 responded to the online survey. One zoo from Israel also took part in the study. The collected data reflect a total of 159 rhinoceroses.

Most common health problems with skin, digestive tract and reproductive organs

The survey showed that dermatological, gastrointestinal and reproductive cases accounted for most of the health problems among the animals. The dermal cases often involved wounds resulting from aggressive interactions with other animals. Colic and enteritis were among the most common gastrointestinal problems reported for white rhinoceroses.

Read on ...

Social status has impact on overall health of mammals

Date:

March 12, 2015

Source:

Michigan State University

Summary:

High social status has its privileges -- when it comes to aging -- even in wild animals. In a first-of-its-kind study involving a wild species, researchers have shown that social and ecological factors affect animal health. The results focused on spotted hyenas in Kenya.

Continued ...

Dolphin 'breathalyzer' could help diagnose animal and ocean health

Date:

October 15, 2014

Source:

American Chemical Society

Summary:

Alcohol consumption isn't the only thing a breath analysis can reveal. Scientists have been studying its possible use for diagnosing a wide range of conditions in humans -- and now in the beloved bottlenose dolphin. One team describes a new instrument that can analyze the metabolites in breath from dolphins, which have been dying in alarming numbers along the Atlantic coast this year.

Continued ...

Eating Fewer Calories May Help Monkeys Live Longer

By Agata Blaszczak-Boxe, Staff Writer | April 01, 2014 12:07pm ET

Eating a calorie-restricted diet may increase longevity and improve health in rhesus monkeys, a new study suggests.

The average life span of the animals in captivity is about 26 years, but more than half of themonkeys in the study on calorie-restricted diets lived to at least age 30. The study also found that the animals not on calorie-restricted diets had nearly triple the risk of age-related disease, compared with those in the calorie-restricted group.

The results suggests that calorie restriction could improve longevity and health in other primates, including humans, the researchers said.

Continued

Fishery observers face bribes, harassment, threats, intimidation, and even injury or death

WWF and the Association of Professional Observers call for measures against IUU fishing

September 2013. WWF and the Association of Professional Observers (APO) are calling on the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC), for urgent measures to protect the health, safety, and welfare as well as promote the professionalism of at-sea observers assigned to fishing vessels as a way to reduce illegal, unregulated, and unreported (IUU) fishing. Member states of the WCPFC, including Japan, China, the European Union and the United States, will meet in Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia, to discuss problems related to IUU fishing and conserving and managing tuna in the region.

Both organizations expressed concerns over anticipated declines in funding for the observer programme and observer support and asked the WCPFC and associated scientific and management support agencies to improve operational standards to ensure robust observer programmes.

"If we want to prevent IUU fishing and secure the sustainability of our fisheries for future generations, our fisheries observer programmes must be well-organised and sufficiently resourced. Fisheries management agencies simply cannot conduct adequate assessments of the fish stocks without reliable scientific data provided by observers," said Alfred Cook, tuna manager for WWF. "Moreover, the fisheries observers must be well-compensated as well as adequately protected to do their jobs well," he added.

Fisheries observers play a critical role in ensuring the sustainability of fisheries resources through the extensive information they collect on the harvest of fish stocks globally, including impacts on marine habitat and sensitive bycatch species. They also perform an extremely important monitoring function that helps deter and prosecute IUU fishing.

Continued

Big horned rhinoceros beetles are healthiest

The size of a male rhinoceros beetle's horn is a genuine indicator of its health, according to researchers.

The horns vary in size from small bumps to two-thirds of the insect's body length and are used in fights.

Investigating the variation, US scientists found cells in the horn are more sensitive to "nutrition signals" than cells in other parts of the body.

They suggest their findings could explain the evolution of super-sized body parts in the natural world.

The study, led by Dr Douglas Emlen from the University of Montana, US, is published in the journal Science.

Although scientists have long assumed that exaggerated body parts accurately represent the ability of a male to survive and reproduce, the link has not been proven.

To understand the relationship, Dr Emlen and colleagues compared the beetle's horn with other body parts including the wings and genitalia.

They found that the horn's cells were much more sensitive to "nutrition signals": fluctuations in insulin due to diet quality and resistance to illness.

This discovery explained the differences in horn sizes between high and low quality males but it also offered an explanation of how the horns grow to such impressive sizes.

Dr Emlen explained that these insulin pathways are also known to regulate tissue growth and body size. Therefore if a body part contains cells that are more sensitive to these signals it will grow to reflect the health of the beetle.

Continued:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/18955652

Animal protection statute threatened, says veterinarian

February 20, 2011

Veterinarian Yesenia Fernández Santos spoke out in favor of the newest animal welfare law Friday, saying it was a far reaching legislation which only needs to be understood better.

However, she said an animal registry is necessary to protect people and animals from the threat of rabies. The registry has been an unpopular measure which also must be explained before it can be effective, she said.

Law 154 — known as the Law for the Welfare and Protection of Animals — signed by Gov. Aníbal Acevedo Vilá in August 2008, is considered the best animal protection law to date.

Fernández testified in a public hearing of the Senate Natural and Environmental Resources Committee which was considering eliminating the 2008 law and integrating it into yet another proposed law.

Senate Bill 1811, introduced by Sen. Melinda Romero, would eliminate Law 154 and two earlier ones. The bill would create the Welfare Code for Animal, Wildlife and Flora and supersede the laws of Regional Animal Refuge (Law 36 of 1984), the New Wildlife Law (Law 241 of 1999) as well as Law 154.

Fernández said that Law 154 should not be included in Bill 1811, because a law of such length would become diluted within the measure, she said at the hearing presided by Sen. Ramón Díaz Hernández substituting Chairwoman Luz M. Santiago González.

“The deficiencies of that statute have nothing to do with the content of the law, but rather with the limited knowledge of the law, on the part of the general public, the police as well as prosecutors and judges.”

The law covers a number of issues relating to domestic animals, including classing many actions of mistreatment, abuse or abandonment as felonies, with harsh penalties.

Despite her endorsement of Law 154, she suggested in her testimony that the government mount an anti-rabies campaign in the same way they did for dengue and flu.

“Since rabies is a deadly illness and endemic in our country, the veterinarians have been advocating an animal registry for years,” said Fernández. “I am happy to know that this piece of legislature is considering this action. However, I should mention that the way the animal registry has been developed, the people see it as just another tax and not a solution to the problem of rampant animal overpopulation. If we want to change that mentality, we must educate the people about rabies and its implications, as much for the sake of our health as for that of the animals.”

She noted that since the bill provides for the free registry of farm animals, it would be wise to begin with mandatory rabies vaccination for dogs, cats, cows and horses, which are the link between humans and our “principal carrier of rabies, the mongoose.”

The Health Department has long endorsed the need for mandatory rabies vaccines, but have consistently shown figures which indicate that only one or two cases of rabies have among humans have ever been reported in Puerto Rico.

http://www.prdailysun.com/news/Animal-protection-statute-threatened-says-veterinarian

Frog ripped open by lawnmower stitched back together

Amphibian given emergency operation in Australia
Thursday, May 14, 2009

A tree frog ripped apart by a lawnmower has been stitched back together after undergoing life-saving surgery in Australia.

The unfortunate amphibian was given emergency anaesthetic and operated on by doctors in the Northern Territory.

More: Top 10 fantastic frogs

According to Ark Animal Hospital vet Stephen Cutter the green tree frog had its back sliced open by the mower's blades.

"It was a pretty horrific injury," he told the Northern Territory News.

"It basically took the top layer of the skin off and did some internal injuries."

"But from day one she fought to live. It's very lucky to be alive."

The frog, nicknamed Victoria after Victa lawnmowers, had to be put to sleep before the 30-minute operation.

"Frogs are very delicate and sensitive to chemicals and toxins," Cutter said.

"The obvious one is Dettol - it is good for cleaning human wounds but for a frog or cane toad it kills them.

"So we had to be really careful when using any products on her, especially when cleaning out the wound. Frogs have reasonably loose skin so we just pulled it together and sewed it up."

The charity has operated on several frogs, including one that was hit by a car.

More photos at: http://www.metro.co.uk/news/world/article.html?Frog_ripped_open_by_lawnmower_stitched_back_together&in_article_id=662128&in_page_id=64

Owner guilty of overfeeding dog

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

A man was found guilty today of failing to ensure the welfare of an animal after his dog was found to be dangerously overweight.

Taz, a five-year-old border collie, was taken into the care of Brighton and Hove City Council after his owner, Ronald West, ignored repeated orders to improve his diet.

At 88lb (40kg), the animal was twice its ideal weight of 44lb (20kg), Brighton Magistrates' Court heard.

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html?Owner_guilty_of_overfeeding_dog&in_article_id=660221&in_page_id=34