All three of these techniques are useful for detecting trends. Direct monitoring of blood pressure should be considered if accurate blood pressure measurement is required.

No abstract

In this investigation a body-condition index (BCI) was developed for polar bears (Ursus maritimus), black bears (Ursus americanus), and grizzly bears (Ursus arctos), based on residuals from the regression of total body mass against a linear measure of size, straight-line body length (SLBL). Transformation of mass–length data from 1198 polar bears, 595 black bears, and 126 grizzly bears to natural logarithms resulted in a linear relationship between mass and length. However, the relationship in polar bears differed from that in black and grizzly bears. SLBL had a close positive relationship with skeletal (bone) mass in polar bears (n = 31) and black bears (n = 33), validating the use of SLBL as an accurate index of body size. There was no correlation between SLBL and BCI for polar bears (r = 0.005, p = 0.87, n = 1198) or for black bears and grizzly bears (r = 0.04, p = 0.30, n = 721), indicating that the BCI was independent of body size. The BCI had a close positive relationship with true body condition, measured as the standardized residual of the combined mass of fat and skeletal muscle against SLBL, in polar and black bears that were dissected to determine individual tissue masses. The BCI also had a close positive relationship with the standardized residual of fat mass against SLBL. Estimation of BCI values for polar bears, or for black bears and grizzly bears, is facilitated by prediction equations that require measurement of total body mass and SLBL for individual animals.

The physiologic effects of two methods of capture, chemical immobilization of free-ranging (FR) bears by remote injection from a helicopter and physical restraint (PR) by leg-hold snare prior to chemical immobilization, were compared in 46 grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) handled during 90 captures between 1999 and 2001. Induction dosages and times were greater for FR bears than PR bears, a finding consistent with depletion of, or decreased sensitivity to, catecholamines. Free-ranging bears also had higher rectal temperatures 15 min following immobilization and temperatures throughout handling that correlated positively with induction time. Physically restrained bears had higher white blood cell counts, with more neutrophils and fewer lymphocytes and eosinophils, than did FR bears. This white blood cell profile was consistent with a stress leukogram, possibly affected by elevated levels of serum cortisol. Serum concentrations of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and creatine kinase were higher in PR bears that suggested muscle injury. Serum concentrations of sodium and chloride also were higher in PR bears and attributed to reduced body water volume through water deprivation and increased insensible water loss. Overall, different methods of capture resulted in different patterns of physiologic disturbance. Reducing pursuit and drug induction times should help to minimize increase in body temperature and alteration of acid-base balance in bears immobilized by remote injection. Minimizing restraint time and ensuring snare-anchoring cables are short should help to minimize loss of body water and prevent serious muscle injury in bears captured by leg-hold snare.

Eighty-nine steer and bull calves (210 +/- 20 d of age) were randomly assigned to a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of treatments to study the effect of sham or band castration (CAST) with or without pain medication (MED) on performance, behavior, cortisol, and Escherichia coli shedding. Steers (serving as controls; C) were previously castrated at 34 +/- 10 d of age, whereas bulls (B) remained intact until band application on d 20 of the experiment. One-half of the calves in each group received pain medication (M; xylazine epidural and intravenous flunixin meglumine) or saline (NM) solutions at 0.5 h before castration. Feed intake, ADG, and feeding behavior were measured over a 3-wk period before (used as covariates) and a 6-wk period after castration. Fecal and saliva samples were collected from 32 calves for E. coli enumeration at -7 (covariate), 2, 5, and 7 d, and for cortisol concentration at -0.5 (covariate), 0, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 24, 48, 168, and 336 h relative to castration, respectively. Lying behavior was measured in the home pen and step length at exit from the chute. There were no significant CAST x MED interactions on growth rate or feed intake. Overall ADG was less in B compared with C (P < 0.001), but feed intake was less during wk 4 only (P = 0.01). On average, M had less intake (P = 0.02) and eating rate (P = 0.04) than NM calves. The BM had less fecal E. coli counts than CM (P = 0.05) and castrated and nonmedicated calves (P = 0.08). Salivary cortisol was less in BM compared with the rest of treatments at 1 and 2 h after banding (P