Prevalence of mortality in mammals: A retrospective study from wildlife rescue center of Nepal

Abstract

AbstractTo assess threats to the population of native mammals and their survival, we performed a retrospective study utilizing a rescue and rehabilitation database from Nepal. Based on a total number of 1013 cases involving six taxonomic families of mammals admitted over five years, the outcome (mortality and survivability) differed significantly among six taxa (χ2[df = 5, N = 1013] = 65.08, p < .001). The mortality rate was highest in Felidae (74%), followed by Herpestidae (69%), Viverridae (62%), Bovidae (50%), Cervidae (50%), and Cercopithecidae (38%). The outcome also differed significantly among the causes of admission (χ2[df = 9, N = 1013] = 241.48, p < .001). The prevalence of mortality was highest in the cases of gunshot and poisoning, followed by collision with a vehicle, diseases/infection, entanglement/trapped, injured by dogs/cats, abandoned/orphaned, injured by humans, unknown causes, and domestic/captivity issues. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed the significant influence of taxonomic family, age group, and cause of admission on the likelihood of mortality of the rescued mammals. The odds ratio of mortality was higher for carnivore taxa, and juveniles were more likely to succumb to death than adults. Our study provides important information associated with the mortality of rescued mammals, thereby assisting in the development and formulation of strategies for threat mitigation and an efficient rehabilitation process.