Gastrointestinal Parasites of Captive Asiatic Black Bear in Three Zoological Parks of Bangladesh

Abstract

Forty-two freshly defecated fecal samples from captive Asiatic Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus) were collected between May 2017 and April 2018 from Bangladesh National Zoo, Dhaka, Shaheed A.H.M. Central Park and Zoo, Rajshahi and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Safari Park, Gazipur. The collected samples were processed by Formol-ether concentration technique. Altogether nine different gastrointestinal (GI) parasites were observed and identified, which include one protozoan, Coccidia spp. (42.86%); four cestodes, Hymenolepis spp. (42.86%), Diphyllobothrium spp. (28.57%), Spirometra spp. (14.29%) and Taenia spp. (21.43%); and four nematodes Ascaris spp. (57.14%), Toxocara spp. (21.43%), Trichuris spp. (21.43%) and hookworms (35.71%). No trematode parasite was found during the study period. Dominance of helminth parasites (71.43%) over protozoan parasites was observed. The male bears were found more susceptible to parasitic infection than the females. The intensity of infection was found erratic in young and adult bears. The species diversity, animals feeding behavior and hygiene maintenance may be responsible for the high prevalence rate of gastrointestinal parasites in the present study.
 Bangladesh J. Zool. 48(1): 119-125, 2020

Survey on gastro-intestinal parasites of captive sun bears in Malaysia

“…Our data are supported by Partridge (1992) and Moran et al (1994), who reported that young and immature bears were more susceptible to infection than were adult bears. Similar findings were found in grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) in Montana and Wyoming (Worley et al 1976), black bear (U. americanus) cubs in Florida (Foster et al 2004), Asiatic black bears in zoological parks in Bangladesh (Liza et al 2020) Ancylostoma spp. has the highest prevalence of all parasites that infected the captive sun bears in Malaysia in our study.…”

“…Our data are supported by Partridge (1992) and Moran et al (1994), who reported that young and immature bears were more susceptible to infection than were adult bears. Similar findings were found in grizzly bears ( Ursus arctos ) in Montana and Wyoming (Worley et al 1976), black bear ( U. americanus ) cubs in Florida (Foster et al 2004), Asiatic black bears in zoological parks in Bangladesh (Liza et al 2020), and Eurasian brown bear ( U. arctos arctos ) in the East Carpathians Biosphere Reserve of Slovakia (Molnár et al 2020). On the other hand, studies on other mammals such as lions ( Panthera leo ; Sulehria et al 2014), white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus ; Grear et al 2006), African buffalo ( Syncerus caffer ; Jolles et al 2005), and wood bison ( Bison bison ; Joly and Messier 2004) reported more parasite prevalence in adults than juveniles possibly because these animals, like lions, are territorial and adult males protect their territory from invaders.…”

“…The higher prevalence of helminths in such studies could occur because of the particular climate conditions present in those study locations, which might support prolonged survival of infectious larvae in the host (Khatun et al 2014). In addition, species diversity, animal feeding behavior, and hygiene maintenance may be factors responsible for high levels of occurrence of gastrointestinal parasites in Asiatic black bears ( U. thibetanus ) reported by Liza et al (2020).…”