Physiological stress response in Tamandua tetradactyla to anthropogenic disturbances: management recommendations to preserve animal welfare in zoos.

EGUIZABAL GABINA; BUSSO JUAN MANUEL; PALME RUPERT; SUPERINA MARIELLA

Orlando

Conferencia; 6th Annual ISWE Conference, Non-Invasive Hormone Monitoring Conference.; 2017

Disney?s Animals, Science and Environment, Orlando, USA and the International Society of Wildlife Endocrinology (ISWE).

Zoo-housed animals are frequently exposed to environmental challenges due to management routines. These are applied on a daily basis (such as feeding and cleaning) or less frequently (such as veterinary examinations and rotations between enclosures), triggering different stress responses. Thus, evaluating these responses is useful to improve management strategies. We assessed Tamandua tetradactyla adrenocortical response to anthropogenic disturbances due to management in Cordoba Zoo. Adult animals (3 ♂ and 3 ♀) were individually housed during autumn. Animals were exposed to the following procedures: weight (day 3) and health status (blood collection, body temperature and biometrics; day 18) checks (10 minutes per procedure), and to rotations (days 10 and 24) between enclosures. Fresh feces were collected daily over a 34 day-period. Fecal glucocorticoid metabolites (FGM; ug/g wet feces) were extracted using methanol (80%) and measured by an 11‐oxoetiocholanolone enzyme immunoassay. Statistical analysis revealed sex (males: 3.7±0.3 > females: 2.5±0.2; P