The adjustment of captive-reared and developmentally deprived ringtailed lemurs (Lemur catta) to supported release on St. Catherine's Island, Georgia, was studied over 7 years to examine if these animals developed behavior comparable to wild populations. Initial changes after release included decreased obesity and increased agility as well as foraging for appropriate novel plants. Ranging, dail...

BACKGROUND International wildlife trade is one of the leading threats to biodiversity conservation. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is the most important initiative to monitor and regulate the international trade of wildlife but its credibility is dependent on the quality of the trade data. We report on the performance of CITES reporti...

Wild radish is an annual plant that exhibits broad spectrum induced resistance to herbivores. In two experiments, we placed potted plants [control, manually clipped, and damaged byPieris rapae(L.) larvae] in theÞeld andassayed forovipositionbyP. rapae(a specialist herbivore), damage by ßea beetles (a specialist herbivore), and damage by rabbits (a generalist herbivore). Induced responses attrac...

Abstract Background Captive rearing is often critical for animals that are vulnerable to extinction in the wild. However, few studies have investigated extent which captivity impacts hosts and their gut microbiota, despite mounting evidence indicating host health affected by microbes. We assessed influence of on microbiome Brown Kiwi ( Apteryx mantelli ), a flightless bird endemic New Zealand. ...

Canada lynx face some unique breeding restrictions, which may have implications for population viability and captive management. The goal of this study was to improve our understanding of basic reproductive physiology in Canada lynx. Using fecal hormone metabolite analysis, we established normative patterns of fecal estrogen (fE) and progestagen (fP) expression in captive and wild female Canada...

From studies of both wild and captive animals, gibbons are thought to reach sexual maturity at about 6 to 8 years of age, and the siamang (Hylobates syndactylus) at about 8 to 9 years. However, a review of the literature reveals that in most cases the exact age of the maturing animals was not known and had to be estimated. This study presents seven case reports on captive gibbons of known age. ...

In crustaceans, a range of physiological processes involved in ovarian maturation occurs in organs of the cephalothorax including the hepatopancrease, mandibular and Y-organ. Additionally, reproduction is regulated by neuropeptide hormones and other proteins released from secretory sites within the eyestalk. Reproductive dysfunction in captive-reared prawns, Penaeus monodon, is believed to be d...

Reintroduction of the threatened red-crowned crane has been unsuccessful. Although gut microbiota correlates with host health, there is little information on gut microbiota of cranes under different conservation strategies. The study examined effects of captivity, artificial breeding and life stage on gut microbiota of red-crown cranes. The gut microbiotas of wild, captive adolescent, captive a...

Wild felids are considered important in maintaining the sylvatic cycle of Toxoplasma gondii. Although, T. gondii antibodies have been reported in several species of wild felids, little is known of the epidemiology and risk factors associated with T. gondii infection in wild cats. The Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) is the most endangered felid species in the world. In the present study, seropreval...

About 10 per cent of birds' eggs fail to hatch, but the incidence of failure can be much higher in endangered species. Most studies fail to distinguish between infertility (due to a lack of sperm) and embryo mortality as the cause of hatching failure, yet doing so is crucial in order to understand the underlying problem. Using newly validated techniques to visualize sperm and embryonic tissue, ...