Thermal Imaging to Assess the Health Status in Wildlife Animals under Human Care: Limitations and Perspectives

Abstract

Promoting animal welfare in wildlife species under human care requires the implementation of techniques for continuously monitoring their health. Infrared thermography is a non-invasive tool that uses the radiation emitted from the skin of animals to assess their thermal state. However, there are no established thermal windows in wildlife species because factors such as the thickness or color of the skin, type/length of coat, or presence of fur can influence the readings taken to obtain objective, sensitive values. Therefore, this review aims to discuss the usefulness and application of the ocular, nasal, thoracic, abdominal, and podal anatomical regions as thermal windows for evaluating zoo animals' thermal response and health status. A literature search of the Web of Science, Science Direct, and PubMed databases was performed to identify relevant studies that used IRT with wild species as a complementary diagnostic tool. Implementing IRT in zoos or conservation centers could also serve as a method for determining and monitoring optimal habitat designs to meet the needs of specific animals. In addition, we analyze the limitations of using IRT with various wildlife species under human care to understand better the differences among animals and the factors that must be considered when using infrared thermography.

The application of infrared thermography technology in flap: A perspective from bibliometric and visual analysis

“…However, infrared technology also has certain limitations. The thickness and tissue characteristics of the flap may affect the propagation and reception of infrared signals, 64,65 leading to signal attenuation or distortion 66 . As a result, infrared technology may encounter limitations in monitoring deep blood vessels, yielding suboptimal outcomes.…”

Application of Infrared Thermography in the Rehabilitation of Patients in Veterinary Medicine

“…In medicine, IRT has been used to evaluate musculoskeletal function due to the changes in the surface temperature caused by altered local blood flow [ 38 , 39 , 40 ]. This was reported by Repac et al [ 41 ] when performing orthopedic and gait analyses in 11 healthy dogs after a 6 min walk.…”

Assessment of Pain and Inflammation in Domestic Animals Using Infrared Thermography: A Narrative Review

“…In the case of animals used in science, preliminary results of the authors of the present article have shown that IRT can be applied during exposure to different types of euthanasia (injectable, inhalational, and physical) to determine the physiological reaction of the organism and potentially identify painful states. The selection of thermal windows according to the species (e.g., farm [141], companion [66], laboratory [37], or wildlife under human care [7] is required to objectively categorize the changes in autonomic activity and the degree of pain. This could be applied during the transport of livestock, including water buffaloes, in whom IRT can detect changes in the surface temperature.…”

“…Finally, it is important to consider that the current focus of IRT is to evaluate and monitor acute pain. There is The selection of thermal windows according to the species (e.g., farm [141], companion [66], laboratory [37], or wildlife under human care [7] is required to objectively categorize the changes in autonomic activity and the degree of pain. This could be applied during the transport of livestock, including water buffaloes, in whom IRT can detect changes in the surface temperature.…”