Management Of Endangered Species Research Articles

THE PARASITES OF GIANT PANDAS: INDIVIDUAL-BASED MEASUREMENT IN WILD ANIMALS

There is a growing recognition of parasites as a significant factor in the successful conservation of endangered species. Determining parasite infection and load in free-ranging populations traditionally is done via necropsy or coproscopy. For studies of wild animals, fecal sample collection can result in bias because the individual identity of animals is unknown and multiple samples may be collected from the same individual, yet treated as unrelated samples. We studied parasite load in wild giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) across six mountain ranges in China. Genetic identification was used to determine the exact number of individuals sampled. The parasite fauna consisted of five species, dominated by Baylisascaris shroederi. The pattern of statistical difference between mountains was artificially inflated when animal identity was not included in the model. Our results suggest that caution should be exercised in inferring patterns from comparative parasitologic studies when samples cannot be attributed to specific individuals. Using noninvasive genetic sampling to avoid such bias should form a standard tool in the management of endangered species and their parasites.

Trust Mediates Conservation-Related Behaviors

In this article we explore the influence that a perceived connection between a natural resource management agency and individual citizens has upon conservation-related behaviors on public lands, offering an extension of psychology's examination of environmental behaviors. Our emphasis is upon perceived value similarity and resulting trust between citizens and the USDA Forest Service, defined through the salient values similarity model. On the basis of a retrospective analysis of four studies examining public views on threatened and endangered species management on forest lands, we explore the hypothesis that trust will influence public engagement in conservation-related behaviors. We offer evidence suggesting that trust influences perceptions of messages the USDA Forest Service provides regarding risks to habitat, perception of recommended approaches to addressing environmental risk, acceptance of management actions to reduce environmental risks, and engagement of publics in conservation efforts. Findings show that trust is associated with a range of attitudes and behaviors related to conservation, all suggestive of forms of engagement in conservation. We conclude that the relationship between individuals and natural resource management agencies is an underexplored area of inquiry in conservation-related research, one that merits attention given the demonstrated value of trust. Conservation-related organizations, natural resource management agencies, and related entities can benefit from the findings by ensuring that their efforts address trust building and trust maintenance as a part of their ongoing interactions with publics and endeavors to foster conservation-related behaviors.

The cascading effects of elephant presence/absence on arthropods and an Afrotropical thrush in Arabuko‐Sokoke Forest, Kenya

AbstractAlthough studies have explored how habitat structure and disturbance affect arthropod communities, few have explicitly tested the effects of both structure and disturbance level across trophic levels and phyla. We present here the results of a study conducted in the Arabuko‐Sokoke Forest (ASF) of coastal Kenya, in which abundance of arthropods and one of their avian predators, the East Coast Akalat Sheppardia gunning sokokensis was compared in relatively undisturbed habitat (outside elephant roaming areas) and in disturbed habitat (inside elephant roaming areas). Vegetation structure in both areas was measured using several metrics, including leaf litter depth, understory vegetation density, animal disturbance and fallen log counts. Leaf litter and coleopteran abundance were higher outside the elephant roaming areas, whereas understory visibility, animal disturbance and dipteran diversity were much higher inside the elephant areas. Species composition of several arthropod taxa (e.g. Hymenoptera, Coleoptera, Diptera, Hemiptera and Araneae) was also influenced by degree of disturbance, whereas akalat abundance was inversely related to understory visibility. Our results suggest that differences in species sensitivity to habitat disturbance and vegetation structure across trophic levels should be incorporated into the management and conservation of rare and endangered species.

Effects of habitat fragmentation on population structure and long‐distance gene flow in an endangered marsupial: the woylie

A deep understanding of population structures and of the relationships among populations is fundamental to guarantee adequate management of endangered species. We used a molecular approach (12 microsatellite loci and mitochondrial DNA) to investigate these aspects in the woylie or brush-tailed bettong Bettongia penicillata ogilbyi. Four distinct indigenous populations were identified in this study (i.e. Dryandra woodland and Tutanning nature reserve in the wheatbelt region and two discrete populations in the Upper Warren in the south-west forests of Western Australia). Additionally, previously undisclosed modern and historical connections between these units became evident, such as the historical connection between populations at 150 km distance (Dryandra and Upper Warren) and the contemporary gene flow between the two populations in Upper Warren (up to 60 km). Genetic attributes of the four populations were analysed and the evidence of unique genetic material in each of these populations indicated that conservation effort should aim towards the preservation of all these units. Additionally, the lower genetic diversity of the woylie population in Tutanning nature reserve prompted the need for the investigation of factors that are limiting the demographic growth of this population. This study enhances not only our knowledge about the ecology of woylies but also the genetic consequences of habitat fragmentation and reiterates the strength and pertinence of molecular techniques in similar investigations.

Quantitative predictions for patch occupancy of capercaillie in fragmented habitats

A major conclusion of studying metapopulation biology is that species conservation should favor regional rather than local population persistence. Regional persistence is tightly linked to size, spatial configuration and quality of habitat patches. Hence it is important for the management of endangered species that priority patches can be identified. We developed a predictive model of patch occupancy by capercaillie, a threatened grouse species, based on a single snapshot of data. We used logistic regression to predict patch occupancy as a function of patch size, isolation, connectivity, relative altitude, and biogeographical area. The probability of a patch being occupied increased with patch size and increasing altitude, and decreased with increasing distance to the next occupied patch. Patch size was the most important predictor although occupied patches varied considerably in size. Our model only uses data on the number, size and spatial configuration of habitat patches. It is a useful tool to designate priority areas for conservation, i.e. large core patches with high resilience in habitat quality, smaller island-patches that still have high probability of being inhabited or becoming recolonised, and patches functioning as ‘‘stepping stones’’. If capercaillie is to be preserved, habitat suitability needs to be maintained in a functional network of patches that account for size and inter-patch distance thresholds as found in this study. We suggest that similar area-isolation relationships are valid for almost any region within the distribution range of capercaillie. The thresholds for occupancy are however likely to depend on characteristics of the respective landscape. The outcome of our study emphasises the need for future investigations that explore the relationship between patch occupancy, matrix quality and its resistance to dispersing individuals.

The Challenge of Threatened and Endangered Species Management in Coastal Areas

A substantial proportion of U.S. federally listed species inhabit a small fraction of the nation's land mass, the coastal zone. Historically, management in this region has been conflict-ridden among diverse parties interested in natural resource extraction, land use, and conservation. This tension persists today, albeit in a more contemporary form: public access demand versus ecosystem conservation. The focus of this study is the influence of this tension on local-level management of federally threatened and endangered species. We surveyed managers of 43 locations of ecological importance for a threatened shorebird, the Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus). Reflecting the federal mandate to accommodate both public access and ecosystem conservation, we detected a shift in mission from sole-purpose initiatives (e.g., public access or ecosystem conservation) to a multiple-use mission (i.e., resource-based recreation). Public access and ecosystem conservation were the primary management goals at surveyed sites, 97 and 93%, respectively. Accessible public recreation is common at most locations; however, active management for listed species is rare. Ultimately, local land managers are accountable for managing coastal sites for dual use, thus the tension; however, coastal management activities have yet to resolve the conflict between concurrent management of public access and ecological requirements of listed species.

Keeping the lead: How to strengthen shark conservation and management policies in Canada

Internationally, shark conservation is now being recognized as a major environmental challenge, but management efforts to halt the overexploitation of sharks have lagged behind. This review examines the state of knowledge for shark species in Canadian waters and analyzes the role of existing management and legislation in ensuring shark conservation. Despite Canada’s early leadership, the present management framework reveals major shortcomings with regard to legal protection, bycatch and finning regulations. These problems are not unique to Canada but illustrate broader issues pertaining to the global management of endangered fish species. To strengthen the conservation and management of sharks, this paper recommends a set of key policies and management priorities, which exemplify proper precautionary management of endangered shark species in Canada and could serve as a blueprint for improving conservation efforts internationally. A structured approach for grading progress in shark conservation efforts against best practices is also presented and could be used as a goalpost elsewhere.

The return of the white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) to northern Germany: Modelling the past to predict the future

Linking age-specific vital rates to population growth through demographic matrix models can enhance our understanding of crucial population processes, vital in a conservation context. The white-tailed eagle ( Haliaeetus albicilla ) population in the Federal State of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, has been monitored since re-colonisation in 1947 and provides a well-documented example of a recovery. We test how demographic models capture growth trajectories of a recovering population and how applicable they are in guiding population management of endangered species. From 1947 to 1974, the population was stable but the growth rate predicted by an age-structured matrix model was −6.1% per annum. The small but stable population must have been maintained by immigration. From 1975 to 2008, observed and predicted population growths were very similar (6.7% and 4% per annum respectively). Elasticity and life-stage simulation analyses identified adult and pre-breeding survival as key vital rate elements. While the prospective analyses identified survival as the key vital rate influencing population growth, the increasing reproduction rate allowed the recovery to take place; thus caution is needed when prospective modelling makes management recommendations. Nevertheless, conservation efforts should address key mortality factors such as lead poisoning and collision with wind turbines. A logistic model predicted a maximum carrying capacity of 255 pairs for the Federal State, but using the highest currently observed density (1.4 pairs per 100 km 2 ) and differences in habitat suitability, a more likely carrying capacity was estimated at 122 pairs. Under both scenarios, current population growth should slow soon.

Medicinal plants from Sundarbans used for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases: A pragmatic randomized ethnobotanical survey in Khulna division of Bangladesh

Khulna division of Bangladesh has cool and salubrious climate that favor the growth of diversity of medicinal plants. For the reason that in the south-western part of Bangladesh, in the districts of Khulna, Satkhira and Bagerhat lays the Sundarbans, the beautiful forest. About 33 medicinal plants being used by Khulna division as folk medicines have been identified and documented along with their curative properties for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Use of medicinal plants and cultural ethics are closely linked among the Khulna division and they possessed high conservative and descended through generations. They keep outmost secrecy of the curative properties of the plants in the form of oral and traditional ethics which help in the conservative management of rare and endangered medicinal plant species of the Khulna division. Most of the medicinal plants are herbs followed by shrubs and a few trees available at different seasons of the year. Plant specimens as pointed out by the traditional healers were collected and identified at the Bangladesh National Herbarium. These plant species (with family name given in parenthesis) included Siegesbeckia orientalis (Asteraceae), Terminalia catappa (Combretaceae), Typhonium giganteum (Araceae), Punica granatum (Lythraceae), Bacopa monnieri (Scrophulariaceae), Nymphaea nouchali (Nymphaeaceae), Adiantum capillus-veneris (Pteridaceae), Carica papaya (Caricaceae), Portulaca oleracea (Portulacaceae), Dipterocarpus turbinatus (Dipterocarpaceae), Terminalia belerica (Combretaceae), Rosa damascene (Rosaceae), Cycas rumphii (Cycadaceae), Polygonum minus (Polygonaceae), Terminalia arjuna (Combretaceae), Enydra fluctuans (Asteraceae), Sida cordifolia (Malvaceae), Euphorbia antiquorum (Euphorbiaceae), Nerium indicum (Apocynaceae), Aegle marmelos (Rutaceae), Heritiera fomes (Sterculiaceae), Passiflora coccinea (Passifloraceae), Lepidagathis hyalina (Acanthaceae), Putranjiva roxburghii (Putranjivaceae), Nigella sativa (Ranunculaceae), Corchorus capsularis (Tiliaceae), Setaria italica (Graminaceae), Citrullus vulgaris (Cucurbitaceae), Cicer arietinum (Leguminosae), Mangifera indica (Anacardiaceae), Swertia chirata (Gentianaceae), Zingiber officinale (Zingiberaceae), and Phyllanthus niruri (Euphorbiaceae). These medicinal plants can be sources of further scientific studies towards discovery of newer and more effective drugs. Project support received in part by the Peoples Integrated Alliance and Biogene Life Care.

Viability of mountain caribou in British Columbia, Canada: Effects of habitat change and population density

Population viability analyses (PVA) are frequently employed to develop recovery plans and inform management of endangered species. Translating results from PVA into meaningful management recommendations often depends on an understanding of how population parameters change with environmental conditions as well as population density. The decline of mountain caribou ( Rangifer tarandus caribou) in British Columbia, Canada, is believed to be caused by apparent competition with alternative prey species following changes to the forest age structure from timber harvest and wildfire. In addition, populations have been shown to decline at faster rates at low population density. To evaluate the potential effects of habitat change and population density on population persistence, we used stochastic projection models for 10 distinct populations varying in initial size from <10 to approximately 150 females. In an initial model, we used estimates of vital rates based on information sampled from >350 radiocollared caribou between 1984 and 2004. We then compared the results of the initial model to a set of models that evaluated the effects of habitat conditions and population density via their expected relationships to female adult survival. Assuming that vital rates remain constant over a 200-year time frame, only three populations have high probabilities (>0.95) of extinction. When models incorporate the declines in adult female survival know to occur with increasing proportions of young forest and declining population densities, all 10 populations are predicted to decline to extinction within <200 years. Based on our results, we suggest that PVA models that fail to incorporate the effects of changes in vital rates with habitat and population density may lead to overly optimistic assessments of the probability of population persistence in endangered species.

Recent Captive‐Breeding Proposals and the Return of the Ark Concept to Global Species Conservation

Captive breeding for reintroduction is a much discussed tool in the management of endangered species. Although a number of high-profile case studies illustrate the critical role captive breeding can play in preventing species extinction (e.g., Stanley Price 1989; Kleiman & Rylands 2002; Cade & Burnham 2003), the available historical evidence indicates most reintroduction attempts failed (Griffith et al. 1989; Wolf et al. 1996). Over the past decade, the number of reintroduction programs and the body of scientific literature documenting these efforts has increased dramatically (Seddon et al. 2007), but the role of captive breeding remains controversial (e.g., Jule et al. 2008) despite well-documented successes. In its simplest form, the role of captive breeding and reintroduction in conservation is analogous to Noah’s ark. Species threatened with extinction are maintained in captivity, as if aboard an ark escaping the flood, until those factors threatening their existence are removed and they can be returned to the wild. This analogy has been widely used in the popular and scientific literature (Durrell 1976; Soule et al. 1986; Balmford et al. 1995). Here I focus on the extent to which the importance of captive breeding and reintroduction as a conservation strategy is reflected in planning and policy, particularly by the world’s zoos and aquaria. I tracked policy and opinion in the zoo and conservation biology literature and found a general decline in emphasis on captive breeding since the early 1990s until the recent recommendations for large-scale captive breeding pertaining to hundreds of species from certain taxonomic groups. It is worth considering whether these new proposals are open to the same criticisms as their predecessors and whether they

Feline leukemia virus and the Iberian lynx

Small population size, low genetic diversity and the presence of reservoirs have been identified as major risk factors for disease-induced extinction (Castro & Bolker, 2005), and, unfortunately, the Iberian lynx currently suffers from all three factors. With only c. 200 Iberian lynxes remaining in the wild in two secluded high-density nuclei, the risk of devastating stochastic events, such as disease outbreaks, is high. In addition, genetic diversity in the Iberian lynx has been shown to be low, especially within the Donana population (Johnson et al., 2004). This low genetic diversity has been linked to the loss of immune capacity. Moreover, part of the distribution area of the Iberian lynx is composed of periurban lands where the occurrence of domestic carnivores, which can act as reservoirs of disease, is not uncommon. These factors combined were thought to be crucial to the outbreak of feline leukemia virus (FeLV) in the species in 2007. All commentators agree that disease is a major concern in the conservation of endangered species. Human activity often underlies the emergence of wildlife diseases, and thus intervention decisions are usually difficult to make. When FeLV was first identified in two dead Iberian lynxes in early 2007, a major crisis was unleashed. Conservation institutions presented different views, however, as highlighted by Alexander (2009), one of the strengths of the FeLV control program for the Iberian lynx was a partnership approach. All opinions and suggestions were discussed and considered by the expert commission, and the final conclusions derived from agreements reached by the commission. Cleaveland (2009) mentions that ‘wildlife managers must be prepared for the appearance of new diseases’ and Acevedo-Whitehouse and Alexander stress the unpredictability of disease occurrence. Because quick decision making is crucial to successful management of disease outbreak, conservation authorities must be ready to initiate dialogue with all relevant institutions to promptly establish guidelines and define the necessary actions to be taken. Alexander emphasizes the importance of long-term monitoring to detect disease outbreaks as soon as they occur. The monitoring program for the Iberian lynx population is essential for the development of conservation measures; the species has been monitored for more than 20 years inside Donana National Park, and the whole population has been under an intense monitoring program since 2002. Undoubtedly, the FeLV outbreak suffered by the Iberian lynx in 2007 would not have been detected without the monitoring program in place. Some individuals were radio-tagged as part of a research study in the National Park carried out by the Donana Biological Station, and others were radiotagged as part of a routine monitoring program. Without radio-collars it would not have been possible to locate dead animals and it is likely that some unmarked animals that disappeared in the same period died from FeLV. AcevedoWhitehouse (2009) highlights the importance of conducting disease risk assessments to determine the potential risk that pathogens represent in a given population of an endangered species. A sanitary monitoring program has been carried out on the Iberian lynx population since 2004, which facilitated the prompt detection of FeLV-positive individuals (Meli et al., 2009). Given this scenario, and taking into account the unpredictability of the occurrence of disease, long-term monitoring, including sanitary monitoring, seems to be essential for the management of many endangered species. Evaluation of the success of each branch of the FeLV control program is required. As mentioned by AcevedoWhitehouse and Cleaveland, the disease could have been self-limiting and such a dynamic could have helped the program to contain the outbreak. Thus, mathematical models seem to be the only tool to evaluate the program and make conclusions for the future. The comparison of morbidity and mortality of vaccinated and non-vaccinated individuals suggested by Cleaveland is planned, although it is not clear that the population size and the monitoring intensity allow such an approach. It is now 2 years since the FeLV outbreak took place in Donana, and no further positive cases have been found in the Iberian lynx population. Both active and passive surveillance are being carried out. Acevedo-Whitehouse stresses

Viral threats and vaccination: disease management of endangered species

In summary, the case study presented by provides valuable information for conservation managers about the dangers of infectious diseases and also the potential strategies for managing these threats. There is no doubt that wildlife diseases will continue to appear in endangered populations and we need to be well prepared to respond to these threats. Well-designed interventions that can be monitored and evaluated will do much to help build confidence that interventions to control wildlife disease threats are feasible and can be effective.

Successful intervention in a disease outbreak in the endangered Iberian lynx: what can we learn?

Global biodiversity is increasingly under threat and species loss has prompted the argument that our natural world is experiencing a sixth major extinction event (PimmB Woodroffe, 2000; Treves & Karanth, 2003; Whitman et al., 2004). Parasites are increasingly linked to population impacts in wild felid and canid species (Pedersen et al., 2007). Many predator species exist in small and fragmented populations, vulnerable to stochastic events and other ongoing sources of population loss, which can drive them locally, if not globally, extinct. The Iberian lynx is a key example of an imperiled predator and is currently the most endangered felid in the world (Nowell & Jackson, 1996; Baillie, Hilton-Taylor & Stuart, 2004). This species may lose the survival battle without intense and continued conservation intervention. In their paper, Lopez et al. (2009) provide an excellent example of endangered species management, which demonstrates the importance of long-term population monitoring programs and the effectiveness of careful intervention design. Through their monitoring program, the authors identify the emergence of feline leukemia virus (FeLV) in the core population of Iberian lynx on the Iberian Peninsula. This pathogen is commonly found in domestic cats, which are considered the primary host (Arjona et al., 2007). While previous low-level FeLV exposure had been identified in the Iberian lynx population before the 2007 outbreak (Luaces et al., 2008; Meli et al., 2009), no associated mortality or other impacts had been identified. Then, inexplicably, FeLV emergence in 2007 causes an outbreak with mortality levels that threaten the survival of the species. Viral sequence from the 2007 outbreak is distinct from previous infections in the population but consistent with transmission from locally infected cats (Meli et al., 2009). In response to the outbreak, a FeLV control program is undertaken by the authors and other partners, which utilizes a test, removal and vaccination approach in Iberian lynx coupled with reduction of the sympatric feral cat population. It is successful and FeLVassociated mortality in the Iberian lynx ceases. What can we learn from the approach taken by Lopez and colleagues? Firstly, intervention for the Iberian lynx disease outbreak is designed and implemented through a partnership approach between many national stakeholders, project participants and experts. Often in wildlife management crises, consultation and inclusiveness of stakeholders is avoided in order to streamline processes and expedite action. But this can backfire when partner agencies and stakeholders are required in downstream management activities. This paper serves as a reminder that wildlife management is better implemented inclusively rather than exclusively. Secondly, this study demonstrates the dynamic and unpredictable nature of pathogen invasion outcomes in a population. In this case, FeLV invasion in the population was not identified as an important problem but this changed dramatically in the 2007 outbreak. This highlights the danger of defining the threat level of a pathogen for a species. It is becoming clearer that pathogen behavior can vary widely between species, and within and between populations over space and time. A number of factors influence pathogen invasion outcomes as they operate and interact at the level of the host, pathogen and/or the environment, which can influence host susceptibility and/or pathogen virulence and change the nature of an outbreak in a susceptible host population (Hudson et al., 2002). Thus, as in forensic sciences, we are reminded to be cautious with ‘pathogen profiling’ or reliance on expected behavior of a pathogen, as seen here in the divergent nature of FeLV invasion in Iberian lynx or for example, distemper outbreaks in African wild dogs in Botswana (Alexander et al., 1996; Alexander et al., 2008)

Generalized estimating equations and generalized linear mixed‐effects models for modelling resource selection

Summary Accurate resource selection functions (RSFs) are important for managing animal populations. Developing RSFs using data from GPS telemetry can be problematic due to serial autocorrelation, but modern analytical techniques can help to compensate for this correlation. We used telemetry locations from 18 woodland caribou Rangifer tarandus caribou in Saskatchewan, Canada, to compare marginal (population‐specific) generalized estimating equations (GEEs), and conditional (subject‐specific) generalized linear mixed‐effects models (GLMMs), for developing resource selection functions at two spatial scales. We evaluated the use of empirical standard errors, which are robust to misspecification of the correlation structure. We compared these approaches with destructive sampling. Statistical significance was strongly influenced by the use of empirical vs. model‐based standard errors, and marginal (GEE) and conditional (GLMM) results differed. Destructive sampling reduced apparent habitat selection. k‐fold cross‐validation results differed for GEE and GLMM, as it must be applied differently for each model. Synthesis and applications. Due to their different interpretations, marginal models (e.g. generalized estimating equations, GEEs) may be better for landscape and population management, while conditional models (e.g. generalized linear mixed‐effects models, GLMMs) may be better for management of endangered species and individuals. Destructive sampling may lead to inaccurate resource selection functions (RSFs), but GEEs and GLMMs can be used for developing RSFs when used with empirical standard errors.

Using Structured Decision Making to Help Implement a Precautionary Approach to Endangered Species Management

Endangered species protection is a significant risk management concern throughout North America. An extensive conceptual literature emphasizes the role to be played by precautionary approaches. Risk managers, typically working in concert with concerned stakeholders, frequently cite the concept as key to their efforts to prevent extinctions. Little has been done, however, to evaluate the multidimensional impacts of precautionary frameworks or to assist in the examination of competing precautionary risk management options as part of an applied risk management decision framework. In this article we describe how decision-aiding techniques can assist in the creation and analysis of alternative precautionary strategies, using the example of a multistakeholder committee charged with protection of endangered Cultus Lake salmon on the Canadian west coast. Although managers were required to adopt a precautionary approach, little attention had been given to how quantitative analyses could be used to help define the concept or to how a precautionary approach might be implemented in the face of difficult economic, social, and biological tradeoffs. We briefly review key steps in a structured decision-making (SDM) process and discuss how this approach was implemented to help bound the management problem, define objectives and performance measures, develop management alternatives, and evaluate their consequences. We highlight the role of strategy tables, employed to help participants identify, alternative management options. We close by noting areas of agreement and disagreement among participants and discuss the implications of decision-focused processes for other precautionary resource management efforts.

Germany/Australia Index of Sperm Sex Sortability in Elephants and Rhinoceros

Flow cytometric sexing of spermatozoa followed by application in artificial insemination or in vitro fertilization provides a unique opportunity to predetermine the sex of offspring and might enhance the conservation management of endangered species in captivity such as the elephant and rhinoceros. To obtain an indication of the sortability of spermatozoa from these species, the relative DNA differences between X and Y chromosome bearing spermatozoa (fresh, frozen thawed, epididymal) from three rhinoceros species [white (Ceratotherium simum), black (Diceros bicornis), Indian (Rhinoceros unicornis)] and both elephant species, the Asian and the African elephant (Elephas maximus, Loxodonta Africana), were determined through separation of spermatozoa into X and Y chromosome bearing populations, using a modified high speed flow cytometer. The head profile areas of spermatozoa from all five species were measured using light microscopy. By multiplying the relative DNA differences and the head profile areas, the sperm sorting indices were calculated to be 47, 48 and 51 for white, black and Indian rhinoceros respectively. The calculated sorting index for the Asian elephant was 66. In the African elephant, we determined the highest sorting index of 76. These results indicate the practicability of flow cytometric sex sorting of spermatozoa from the tested rhinoceros species and both elephant species. The lower sorting indices in rhinos indicate that sex sorting of spermatozoa from the rhinoceros will be more challenging than in elephants.

New perspectives on managing wildlife diseases

New perspectives on managing wildlife diseases

From a Howling Wilderness to Howling Safaris: Science, Policy and Red Wolves in the American South

This article details the complex natural and cultural history of red wolf (Canis rufus) restoration in the American South. The decisions and methods utilized in the red wolf’s recovery after 1960 were unprecedented and creative but not geographically limited. The federal red wolf recovery experiment highlights the debate over what constitutes a species in a dynamic world, and the practical challenges and unexpected results in endangered species management in peopled landscapes. This wildlife restoration story illustrates not only the “hands-on” management role humans played, and continue to play, but also reveals cultural assumptions about what constitutes a “wild” wolf and about the necessity of wilderness. The red wolf recovery project provides constructive lessons for future species restoration involving flora and fauna on public and private land, and demonstrates human and animal engagement in the making of nature and culture.

Determination of normal values of some blood serum enzymes in Acipenser stellatus Pallas

Hematological studies on fishes have assumed greater significance due to the increasing emphasis on pisciculture and greater awareness of the pollution of natural water resources. Such studies have generally been used as an effective and sensitive index to monitor physiological and pathological changes in fishes, especially in the management of endangered species. This study was undertaken to establish a reference range for six important blood serum enzymes. Serum samples of 40 Acipenser stellatus (20 female and 20 male) were analyzed, and serum enzyme values were determined. The reference ranges for the total samples and also for each sex were determined. The activities of measured enzymes in serum were: aspartate aminotransferase (AST) 265.60 +/- 56.55 IU/l, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) 5.65 +/- 1.18 IU/l, acid phosphatase (ACP) 15.63 +/- 2.59 IU/l, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) 2007.15 +/- 521.97 IU/l, creatine kinase (CK) 6,596.05 +/- 1,807.19 IU/l, and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) 69.05 +/- 13.04 IU/l. There were significant differences between male and female fish in terms of AST and CK activity (P < 0.05). These may be related to the season of sampling and changing physiological cycles during spawning during which period the sexual hormones and stress are more obvious. However, there were no differences in the activity of ALP, ACP, LDH, and ALT between sexes. The correlations between measured enzymes were also determined.