Parasite commonality at Swamp Deer (Mammalia: Artiodactyla: Cervidae: Rucervus duvaucelii duvaucelii) and livestock interface

Abstract

Interactions between wildlife and livestock have increased over time with increased anthropogenic pressure on limited available natural habitats. These interactions have resulted in sharing of pathogens between the species resulting in impacting the wild animals’ fitness and reproduction and further influencing their abundance and diversity. The spatial overlap between Swamp Deer and livestock was studied at Jhilmil Jheel Conservation Reserve (JJCR), Uttarakhand and Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary (KWLS), Uttar Pradesh in India, having different levels of interaction with livestock. The prevalence, load and commonality of gastro-intestinal parasites in the species was studied through coprological examination. Parasitic ova of Strongyle sp., Trichostrongylus sp., Fasciola sp., and Moniezia sp. Amphistomes were encountered in swamp deer and livestock from both the sites. The parasitic species richness and prevalence however, varied between JJCR and KWLS. The study recorded significant differences between the parasitic load in Swamp Deer with the eggs per gram of 487.5±46.30 at JJCR and 363.64±49.97 at KWLS at varying levels of livestock interactions.