Abstract
A survey of prevalence and intensity of gastro-intestinal parasites of carnivores in three university zoological gardens in South-West Nigeria was conducted. Faecal samples collected were analysed with flotation technique using a saturated solution of zinc sulfate as the floating solution, McMaster Egg Counting Technique and Petri Dish-Filter Paper Slant technique for larval recovery. Faecal examination revealed an overall infection prevalence of 49.1%. The prevalence in University of Ibadan (UI) zoo was 23.7%, 54.8% in Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) and 69.2% in University of Ilorin (UniIlorin) zoos. The gastrointestinal helminths identified include Ancylostoma sp., Ascaris sp., Baylisascaris sp., Toxascaris sp., Toxocara sp., Strongyloides sp. and Entamoeba sp. was the only protozoa encountered. Ascaris sp., had the highest prevalence of 22.6%, followed by Ancylostoma sp. with a rate of 20.8%. Baylisascaris sp., and Strongyloides sp. both had a prevalence rate of 13.2% each, while Entamoeba sp. yielded the lowest prevalence (3.8%). Regular monitoring of parasitic diseases and the use of selective treatments would be effective for the control of the gastrointestinal helminths for the wellbeing of animals, safety of zoo keepers and tourists in the zoo. Key words: Carnivores, gastrointestinal parasites, zoological gardens, South-West Nigeria.
Highlights
A zoological garden is a form of ex situ conservation, which primarily involves keeping wild animals alive outside their natural environment for aesthetic, educational, research and recreational purposes (Varadharajan and Pythal, 1999).Nigeria is blessed with abundant wildlife species which need to be properly managed on a sustainable basis to prevent depletion (Opara et al, 2010), the need to adopt strict management of these resources.Repopulation of endangered species and conservation of wild animals in wildlife parks and zoological gardens are management strategies (Ajibade et al, 2010)
This study aims to establish the profile of gastrointestinal parasites in carnivores in three zoos in Nigeria
There was no significant difference in the intensity of Ancylostoma sp (100.0 ± 0.50) and Baylisascaris sp (83.0 ± 0.33) discovered in UI
Summary
A zoological garden is a form of ex situ conservation, which primarily involves keeping wild animals alive outside their natural environment for aesthetic, educational, research and recreational purposes (Varadharajan and Pythal, 1999). Repopulation of endangered species and conservation of wild animals in wildlife parks and zoological gardens are management strategies (Ajibade et al, 2010). Parasites play a major role in the lives of animals, with effects ranging from negative impacts on host population size to the evolution of host behaviours to combat parasites.
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