Several species of Costa Rican wildlife are suffering terrible injuries along the power lines and transformers in rural areas of the country.The most susceptible species of wildlife like monkeys, sloths, kinkajous, and squirrels are being electrocuted (and most of the time killed) because of this situation. 1 The increasing human development in rural areas and the continuous building of properties carry the need for electricity, but this has also brought the problem of poorly designed electric infrastructure. Arboreal mammals find their normal tree routes cut down so that the only way for them to cross is to get down to the ground and cross the street (where they can suffer

The San Cristóbal lava lizard, Microlophus bivittatus, is one of nine species of lava lizards endemic to the Galápagos Islands of Ecuador. No information presently exists about baseline health parameters for any of these species. We analysed blood samples drawn from 47 lizards (25 males and 22 females) captured at two locations on San Cristóbal Island. A portable blood analyser (iSTAT) was used to obtain near-immediate field results for total CO2, lactate, sodium, potassium, ionized calcium, glucose and haemoglobin. Standard laboratory haematology techniques were employed for differential white blood cell counts and haematocrit determination. Body temperature, heart rate and body measurements were also recorded. We found significant differences in haematocrit values between males and females. The values reported in this study provide baseline data that may be useful in detecting changes in health status among lava lizards affected by natural disturbances or anthropogenic threats. Our findings might also be helpful in future efforts to demonstrate associations between specific biochemical or haematological parameters and disease. Because there are several related species on different islands in the Galápagos archipelago, comparisons between populations and species will be of interest. Lay Summary:Haematology and biochemistry values of the San Cristóbal lava lizard Microlophus bivittatus, along with several other health parameters (morphometrics and temperature), are reported for the first time.

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Northern Tamandua Tamandua mexicana is one of the most common roadkill species encountered on Costa Rican highways.  Ten roadkill Northern Tamanduas were collected along different roads in Costa Rica and moved to a veterinary facility where appendicular radiologic studies were undertaken.  The number of fractures present in each individual varied from zero to five (mean=2.6), with only one animal sustaining no fractures at all.  Most fractures were present in the humerus (31%), followed by the ulna and ilium (both 19%), whilst the cranial portion of the body represented the highest number of fractures (61%).  These data can contribute, not only to establishing causes of animal-road-mortalities, but also to the future understanding and decision-making of clinical actions for animals injured on the roads.

Introduction: Wildlife hematological patterns are fundamental for health monitoring, and allows elucidating variations both within and between populations. Among these, hematological parameters are particularly valuable to evaluate the health status of neotropical primate species in the wild. Objective: To define hematological reference values for two species of monkeys in Costa Rica. Methods: During 2014, we collected blood samples from free-ranging mantled howler monkeys, Alouatta palliata (17 females, 18 males) and white-faced capuchin monkeys, Cebus imitator (5 females, 7 males) in seven localities of the Costa Rican Pacific coast. Results: For both species, the hematological values were higher in males, and howler monkey populations differed significantly except for platelets. Conclusions: These hematological values, which differ by sex and locality, will help evaluate the health status of these neotropical primate populations.