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McKee RK, Buhlmann KA, Moore CT, Allender MC, Stacy NI, Tuberville TD. Island of misfit tortoises: waif gopher tortoise health assessment following translocation. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 10:coac051. [PMID: 37501911 PMCID: PMC9328764 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coac051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Revised: 06/23/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
Translocation, the intentional movement of animals from one location to another, is a common management practice for the gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus). Although the inadvertent spread of pathogens is a concern with any translocation effort, waif tortoises-individuals that have been collected illegally, injured and rehabilitated or have unknown origins-are generally excluded from translocation efforts due to heightened concerns of introducing pathogens and subsequent disease to naïve populations. However, repurposing these long-lived animals for species recovery is desirable when feasible, and introducing waif tortoises may bolster small populations facing extirpation. The objective of this study was to assess the health of waif tortoises experimentally released at an isolated preserve in Aiken County, SC, USA. Our assessments included visual examination, screening for 14 pathogens using conventional or quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and haematological evaluation. Of the 143 individuals assessed in 2017 and 2018, most individuals (76%; n = 109 of 143) had no overt clinical evidence of disease and, when observed, clinical findings were mild. In both years, we detected two known tortoise pathogens, Mycoplasma agassizii and Mycoplasma testudineum, at a prevalence of 10.2-13.9% and 0.0-0.8%, respectively. Additionally, we found emydid Mycoplasma, a bacterium commonly found in box turtles (Terrapene spp.), in a single tortoise that showed no clinical evidence of infection. The presence of nasal discharge was an important, but imperfect, predictor of Mycoplasma spp. infection in translocated tortoises. Hemogram data were comparable with wild populations. Our study is the first comprehensive effort to assess pathogen prevalence and hemogram data of waif gopher tortoises following translocation. Although caution is warranted and pathogen screening necessary, waif tortoises may be an important resource for establishing or augmenting isolated populations when potential health risks can be managed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca K McKee
- Corresponding author: Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Mailing: P.O. Box 110430, 110 Newins-Ziegler Hall, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA. Tel: 828-226-0926.
| | - Kurt A Buhlmann
- Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, PO Drawer E, Aiken, SC 29802, USA
| | - Clinton T Moore
- U.S. Geological Survey, Georgia Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, 180 E Green Street, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Matthew C Allender
- Wildlife Epidemiology Lab, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois, 2001 S. Lincoln Ave., Urbana, IL 61802, USA
| | - Nicole I Stacy
- Department of Comparative, Diagnostic, and Population Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, 2015 SW 16th Ave, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Tracey D Tuberville
- Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, PO Drawer E, Aiken, SC 29802, USA
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