Monitoring of Cortisol Levels in Hog Deer with Varying Environment Exposure

Abstract

Hog deer (Axis porcinus) is one of the least studied animal species in Pakistan. It belongs to Order Artiodactyla and the family Cervidae. IUCN classified Axis porcinus as an endangered species in 2008. The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of varying environmental exposure, genders, and seasonal changes on captive hog deer (A. porcinus) at Lahore Zoo, Safari Zoo, and Jallo Park in Lahore, Pakistan. Non-invasive techniques were used to monitor stress levels in hog deer. For sample collection, four definite months belonging to two seasons’ winter and summer were considered. A total of 48 urine and faecal samples were collected from both male and female hog deer. Seasonal fluctuations have been found to have a significant impact on faecal and urinary cortisol levels. Higher cortisol levels were found in both male and female hog deer in the summer season at all three visited sites. Fluctuations in environmental exposure at three research sites had a significant impact on faecal and urinary cortisol levels. Higher levels of cortisol were found in both male and female hog deer at Jallo park and Lahore Zoo, as compared to Safari Zoo. It was concluded that lower cortisol levels at Safari Zoo might be due to better environmental conditions and more flexible enclosure size and interaction of various species of deer. Temperature affected hog deer cortisol levels in summer, as higher levels were measured in summer compared to winter. In addition, sex did not predict any stress levels in hog deer. It has been suggested that a large enclosure size can control levels of cortisol in hog deer.