Influence of short and long term stressors on the blood biochemistry profile of captive common eland

Joshi Kundankumar

Master's thesis

Abstract:

Stress is considered a disturbance to homeostasis, and anything that generates a stress response is a stressor. A stress response can modify blood biochemistry parameters as observed in many animal species but the effects of stressors on blood biochemistry parameters are not studied previously in common eland. Short- and long-term stressors such as handling and social rank, respectively, were studied on a total of 12 healthy common eland (135.1±2.25kg body weight, 3.8±.0.1 BCS, 9.2±1.5 months), females (n=6), and males (n=6) over a 12-month period. Handling was performed once a month in a specialised squeeze chute system and the data of their temperament was recorded in the system followed by the collection of blood samples. Behaviour data for social interactions in the barn was recorded on the following days after the handling. Blood samples were analysed for 14 blood biochemistry parameters bimonthly using a VetTest® Chemistry Analyzer. The final temperament score was obtained through the summation of the total score of the stress response of each animal which ranges from 0 to 17, while the social interactions were analysed in DomiCalc. Generalised Linear Mixed Models were designed to test the effects of temperament and social rank on the blood biochemistry parameters while considering sex, age, body condition score, and body weight as covariates with a significant level taken at 0.05. All data were analysed using the IBM SPSS software (version 28). The results showed that handling influences blood biochemistry parameters including ALB, ALKP, BUN, GLU, TBIL, and TP but social rank did not have an influence on blood biochemistry. The changes in the levels of the blood chemical parameters due to handling were still in their reference intervals implying the absence of any major pathology or adverse effects on normal physiology. Hence, it can be suggested that periodical handling of common eland can be performed in captivity. This can help towards the domestication of common eland and improve their welfare and management to a great extent in captivity.

Keywords

Handling, Social rank, Blood biochemistry, Temperament, Stress

Language used: English

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 15. 8. 2022

Thesis defence

• Supervisor: doc. Francisco Ceacero Herrador, Ph.D.

Czech University of Life Sciences Prague

Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences

Master programme / specializace:
Wildlife and Livestock Production, Management and Conservation / Wildlife Management and Conservation