Abstract
The study was carried out to assess the faecal cortisol concentration in wild pigs entering the agricultural fields around the forest and in domestic pigs comprising of desi pigs and cross bred pigs, in order to arrive at the baseline values pointing to stress factors. The adjoining areas of Mudumalai wildlife region, Sathyamangalam wildlife region and Anamalai wildlife region of Tamil Nadu, India were included in this study programme. The documentation of the quantifiable meteorological factors in the identified conflict areas was done. The mean faecal cortisol concentration in the case of wild pigs that entered in the agricultural fields adjoining the Mudumalai wildlife region, Sathyamangalam and Anamalai region were found using ELISA (Enzyme Linked Immuno Sorbent Assay). The mean faecal cortisol concentration of desi pigs as well as cross bred pigs was also documented to be used as primary and secondary control values. The occurrences of conflict were also classified as low, medium and high based on the intensity. Suitable management related measures were recommended pertaining to the findings observed in this study like increased mean faecal cortisol concentration in wild pigs, comparative wild pig- human conflicts pertaining to the variations in the meteorological factors of the areas were studied. The findings demonstrated that fecal glucocorticoid assays provide an index of physiological stress in wild pigs and may prove useful in addressing conservation and conflict issues.
Highlights
On exposure to a stressful event, the adrenal cortex releases glucocorticoids into circulation, and their concentrations in the blood increase as part of the stress response
The findings demonstrated that fecal glucocorticoid assays provide an index of physiological stress in wild pigs and may prove useful in addressing conservation and conflict issues
The faecal samples of wild pigs obtained from adjoining areas of Mudumalai, Sathyamangalam and Anaimalai wildlife regions were processed and subsequently subjected to estimation of cortisol concentration by using the Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) kit (DSI-EIA- STEROID-CORTISOL EHE-151)
Summary
On exposure to a stressful event, the adrenal cortex releases glucocorticoids into circulation, and their concentrations in the blood increase as part of the stress response. Because glucocorticoids - either cortisol or corticosterone (glucocorticoid metabolites) are released during stressful situations, they can serve as an index of the stress response, and the development of noninvasive techniques to measure glucocorticoid metabolites in feces or urine has received increasing attention in field research. Such a technique has the advantage of keeping subjects undisturbed during collection of samples that helps in fixing baseline values [2]. Glucocorticoid metabolites are always excreted in feces, but the amount of different glucocorticoid metabolites varies according to species [5]
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