Social Dynamics and the Cortisol Response to Immobilization Stress of the African Wild Dog,Lycaon pictus

Villiers, Marienne S. de; Jaarsveld, A. S. van; Meltzer, D.G.A.; Richardson, P. R. K.

doi:10.1006/hbeh.1997.1314

Cited by 37 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Most other studies of GC patterns in this species have been limited to the effects of immobilisation, handling and translocation (Comizzoli et al, 2009;Creel et al, 1997b;de Villiers et al, 1995;de Villiers et al, 1997), so further investigations into potential biological causes of chronic stress in both captive and free-ranging populations are still needed.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We focused on the metabolites that have previously been measured in African wild dogs (de Villiers et al, 1995;de Villiers et al, 1997;Monfort et al, 1998;Santymire and Armstrong, 2009) and that are commonly used to asses stress (Touma and Palme, 2005). We hypothesised that faecal concentrations of GC metabolites in wild dogs would a) be higher in captive than in free-ranging animals, as found in previous studies, b) vary with conditions of captivity; and c) be affected by age and reproductive status, in both captive and free-ranging animals.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Monitoring stress in captive and free-ranging African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) using faecal glucocorticoid metabolites

Weyde

Martin

Paris

2016

General and Comparative Endocrinology

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An understanding of stress physiology is important for species management because high levels of stress can hamper reproduction and affect an individual's ability to cope with threats to their survival, such as disease and human-wildlife conflict. A commonly used indicator of stress, faecal concentrations of cortisol metabolites (FCM), can be used to assess the impact of social, biological and environmental factors. Measurements of FCM are particularly valuable for endangered species that are logistically challenging to study and where non-invasive techniques are preferred. As the second most endangered canid in Africa, the African wild dog (Lycaon pictus) has been the focus of considerable conservation research, yet there is still little understanding of factors associated with stress, in either captive or free-ranging populations. The present study therefore aimed to determine whether stress levels differ between captive and free-ranging populations, and to detect social, biological and environmental factors that are stressful in these populations. Faecal samples were collected from 20 captive and 62 free-ranging animals. Within free-ranging populations, the sexes differed significantly, but there was no effect of social status, age or breeding period for either sex.Captive females had higher FCM concentrations than free-ranging females. In captive populations, FCM concentrations differed among zoos and with reproductive status in females, but were not related to age class or group-housing structure. In conclusion, FCM is a useful indicator of stress and should be considered an integrative aspect of management, for both in-situ and ex-situ African wild dog populations.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Monitoring stress in captive and free-ranging African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) using faecal glucocorticoid metabolites

Weyde

Martin

Paris

2016

General and Comparative Endocrinology

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“…However, the blood sampling techniques usually applied in stress research are invasive and it is not convenient for the study of wildlife animals. The capture procedure to obtain blood samples by venipuncture causes stress and thus increased peripheral glucocorticoid concentrations within minutes (De Villiers et al 1997).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fecal cortisol metabolites as indicators of stress in crab-eating-fox (Cerdocyoun thous) in captivity

2015

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Blood samples collection is a common method in biological research using domestic animals. However, most blood sampling techniques are complicated and highly invasive and may therefore not be appropriate for wildlife animals in research concerning stress. Thus, a non-invasive method to measure steroid hormones is critically needed. The first goal of this study was to determine how glucocorticoids concentrations are impacted by translocation and reproductive activity in crab-eating-fox (Cerdocyoun thous) in captivity. The physiological relevance of fecal glucocorticoid metabolites was further validated by demonstrating: (1) The translocation of a male to a females enclosure resulted in a 3.5-fold increase compared to baseline concentrations, (2) changes in adrenocortical activity, as reflected in concentrations of fecal cortisol metabolites during reproduction, gestation and lactation in females foxes, indicating that social interactions resulted in large increases of fecal glucocorticoids metabolites during the reproductive season. From these findings we conclude that fecal samples can be used for the non-invasive assessment of adrenocortical status in crab-eating-fox.

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“…However, blood sampling techniques often are not applicable to studies of wildlife species. For example, capture and handling of animals for venipuncture can induce a stress response, with increased peripheral glucocorticoid concentrations observed within minutes [7]. Due to the increasing demand for methods to quantify adrenal activity in zoo and wild animals in response to mate introduction and transportation, after pharmacological and management precautions to minimize stress, and the necessity to investigate stress impacts on animal welfare, noninvasively methods for measuring adrenal activity have been developed for a variety of species: primates [8,9]; ruminants [10,11]; several felids [12][13][14]; African wild dog [15].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of Glucocorticoid Faecal Monitoring as a Non-Invasive Assessment of Stress in Captive Crab-Eating Fox (Cerdocyoun thous) After ACTH Stimulation

Paz¹,

Souza²,

Brown³

2013

J Steroids Horm Sci

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Blood sampling is a common method in biological research of domestic animals for studying hormone mechanisms. However, this approach can be stressful for wild species, and compromise research concerning animal welfare. The crab-eating fox (Cerdocyoun thous) is a medium-sized canid found in South America and a popular zoo species in that region. However, almost nothing is known of their biology or what factors impact captive welfare. Thus, a non-invasive method to measure adrenal activity and stress was developed for quantifying fecal glucocorticoids non-invasively in this species. The physiological relevance of the cortisol immunoassay was demonstrated by injection of exogenous ACTH into two males and one female, which led to a significant increase in fecal glucocorticoid metabolites within 24-48 h. From these findings we conclude that fecal samples can be used for the non-invasive assessment of adrenocortical status in crab-eating fox.

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Social Dynamics and the Cortisol Response to Immobilization Stress of the African Wild Dog,Lycaon pictus

Cited by 37 publications

References 36 publications

Monitoring stress in captive and free-ranging African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) using faecal glucocorticoid metabolites

Monitoring stress in captive and free-ranging African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) using faecal glucocorticoid metabolites

Fecal cortisol metabolites as indicators of stress in crab-eating-fox (Cerdocyoun thous) in captivity

Evaluation of Glucocorticoid Faecal Monitoring as a Non-Invasive Assessment of Stress in Captive Crab-Eating Fox (Cerdocyoun thous) After ACTH Stimulation

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