IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Schwarzenberger, F.; Brown, J.L. | |
| Hormone monitoring: an important tool for the breeding management of wildlife species | |
| 2013 Veterinary Medicine Austria (100): 209-225 | |
Hormone monitoring is a well established tool for evaluating endocrine activity of wildlife, and has substantially enhanced captive management and propagation of a number of endangered species. This review presents examples of a broad spectrum of uses for hormone monitoring in several high priority species: elephants, rhinoceroses and ursid and felid species. Depending on the species, different sample materials are commonly used to assess reproductive function. Blood samples provide the most immediate information on the endocrine status of an animal and yield results not only on steroid but also on protein hormones such as LH, FSH, inhibin, relaxin and prolactin. However, with the exception of elephants, most captive wildlife species suffer undue stress if blood samples are routinely taken. The development of non-invasive urine or faecal hormone monitoring techniques has been key to understanding the reproductive biology of such species. Today, impressive endocrine databases exist for many wildlife species, with the vast majority based on studies of hormones excreted in urine or faecal samples. Of interest is the high degree of variability in reproductive mechanisms observed not only between taxonomic groups but even between individuals of a certain species. Endocrine monitoring has enormous basic and applied potential for wildlife conservation and has implications for how we manage wildlife species both in situ and ex situ. |
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