Hematological and Serum Biochemistry Values in Free-Ranging Crested Porcupine

Reproductive behaviour in free-ranging crested porcupine Hystrix cristata L., 1758

Previous data on crested porcupine reproduction biology were mostly collected in captivity or semi-captivity due to its elusive, burrowing and mainly nocturnal habits. Between 2017 and 2019 the reproductive behaviour (i.e., intrapair mounting and copulation, birth and parental care) of free-ranging crested porcupine was documented and described. Nightly rhythms of single and multiple mounting occurred throughout the year while only two copulation events were recorded. Three months after both copulation events, the birth of porcupettes (porcupine < 5 kg) was recorded. A stochastic phase characterized by an articulate courtship with distinct behavioural patterns always preceded each mounting event. After the stochastic phase, the presenting of the female evoked by Nose-Quill contact behaviour, occurred in 83.8% (n = 182) of mounting events, while in 16.1% (n = 35) a spontaneous presenting of the female occurred. The average duration of copulation lasted 24 s (SD = 7 s) with 17 thrusting (SD = 5.5 thrusting). Births of porcupettes occurred throughout the year from 1 to 3 times per pair per year and the litter size observed ranged from 1 to 2 porcupettes. The first emerging of porcupettes from burrow occurred at 10–15 days after birth. Parents and sub-adults of the family actively perform parental care and the permanence of sub-adults within the family (i.e., from birth to dispersal) resulted to be at least 1 year. This investigation provides new useful insights on porcupine reproductive behaviour in the wild. Such new knowledge may be useful to the management of porcupines in wild, semiwild and captive condition as well as to delineate the key habitat desiderata of this rodent.

Preliminary investigation on enzymatic activity in saliva of Hystrix cristata L., 1758

Mammal's saliva contains a variety of electrolytes and proteins. They carry out an important role in the digestion process, in the antibacterial and antiviral activity, in lubrication and maintenance of oral general health status. It may also contain several enzymes according to dietary habits and general wellness. Sialochemistry is a valid alternative to the haematochemical analysis for the evaluation of animal health and nutritional status. At present, very little knowledge is available on health status and pathology of crested porcupine (Hystrix cristata) and no data are yet available on salivary enzymes. Between 2018 and 2020, a preliminary investigation of enzymatic activity on saliva samples was carried out from captured porcupines. In crested porcupine saliva, enzymatic activity of trypsin, chymotrypsin, N-Aminopeptidase, amylase, lignin peroxidise, cellulase and chitinase were recorded. Superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione S-transferase and alkaline phosphatase activity was also detected. The superoxide dismutase activity resulted higher (3.13 SD 3.58 U/mg proteins) than those of catalase (130.80 SD 110.65 mU/mg proteins) and glutathione S-transferase (20.21 SD 16.62 mM/mg proteins). Alkaline phosphatase activity resulted lower (5.91 SD 6.12 mU/mg proteins) than acidic phosphatase (19.00 SD 16.16 U/mg proteins) with the highest values of saliva alkaline phosphatases recorded in young individuals. These preliminary data bring new knowledge on crested porcupine saliva enzymes and may provide a useful tool for further investigation on the adaptive response of crested porcupine to different environmental condition and diet. Additional investigation concerning a possible alternative use of saliva enzymes as indicator of health and nutritional status of this rodent are desirable.

Blood Profiling of Captive and Semi-Wild False Gharial in Peninsular Malaysia

Simple Summary

Ill or injured wildlife species are been rescued, treated and or rehabilitated usually at the wildlife rescued centers, zoos clinic facilities and or wildlife conservation centers. The false gharial also known as Malayan gharial is a crocodile species native to Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo and Indonesia with extirpation in Singapore, Vietnam and Thailand. The false gharial is facing a threat of extinction due to habitat destruction and hunting Policies were implemented to conserve this species through the establishment of Ex-Situ Conservation centers, as such to maintain the health and welfare status of this species while in captivity, understanding its normal Haematology and serum biochemistry values becomes necessary to save the false gharial from extinction.

Abstract

The involvement of veterinary medicine in wildlife research has played an important role in understanding the health status of various wildlife species. Health status is a very important aspect of species conservation. However, it requires a widely employed knowledge of veterinary clinical pathology, as a diagnostic tool in diagnosing the various disease conditions of wildlife species. Notwithstanding, a gap exists in the literature about the clinical pathology of the false gharial, due to the lack of normal reference values for hematological and serum biochemical analysis. The present study investigated the normal blood profile of 10 healthy false gharials, from two different zoos, and wildlife conservation centers located in three different states of Peninsular Malaysia. Blood samples were collected from the lateral caudal vein and divided into a vacutainer without anticoagulant for biochemical analysis, and a lithium heparin vacutainer (containing sodium heparin) for hematological studies. The results of the study indicated that the false gharial has a smaller erythrocyte dimension compared to other crocodilian species. At the same time the study revealed that the false gharial in a natural captive pond showed more leukocytes than false gharial kept in zoos, hence, habitat and environmental factors significantly affect hematological values. The biochemistry values also showed differences between the false gharial in different environmental conditions. Total protein, albumin (Alb), globulin (Glob), and Alb: Glob ratio were higher in false gharials kept in wildlife conservation centers than in false gharials kept in zoos. The values obtained in this study provide baseline data of hematological and serum biochemical values of the false gharial for future research and routine clinical diagnosis.