IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Earle, S.A. | |
| Necropsy Reports from the European Captive Population of the Amur Leopard (_Panthera pardus orientalis_) | |
| 2008 Full Book | |
A morbidity and mortality survey of the European captive breeding programme of the Amur leopard (_Panthera pardus orientalis_) (AL-EEP) is crucial to assess health of the population to (1) improve husbandry and management, (2) contribute to a disease management strategy for the proposed reintroduction from AL-EEP stock. A comprehensive mortality survey requires good quality necropsy reports from deaths in the population. The subject of this thesis is to (1) determine the extent to which zoos are meeting their obligation to conduct necropsy examinations and provide good quality necropsy reports, (2) to conduct an elementary mortality survey to assess whether zoos have been providing enough information to inform captive population managers and conservation strategies. All zoos that have ever held Amur leopards (AL) were requested to submit all necropsy reports to the AL-EEP veterinary advisor. Necropsy examinations were conducted on at least 51% of deaths, but necropsy reports were written for 37% deaths. Since the first death of AL in captivity in 1969, there has been no significant change in the proportion of deaths for which there has been a necropsy report; but there has been a significant improvement in the quality of the necropsy reports produced. The overall behaviour of zoos in producing necropsy reports is independent of one another as they do not exhibit a similar trend of report writing over time. The number of deaths at each zoo may partially explain whether a zoo conducts a necropsy and writes a report, although a quantitative analysis of frequencies is too simplistic. Social, economic and political situations of each zoo at the time of an AL death are far more likely to explain the extent of necropsy examinations and good quality necropsy reports written. The most frequent causes of death were identified and their prevalence (1) over time, (2) amongst zoos, and (3) with age at death were investigated. The elementary mortality survey demonstrates that mortality information provided by zoos can be informative to captive population managers and populations directly involved with conservation strategies of species in the wild. However, across European zoos there is a substantial shortfall in the extent to which necropsy examinations are being conducted and the quality of the reports provided. Further investigations to explain and then improve zoo behaviour to collect and provide good quality information are suggested. |
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