J. A. May-Junior,1,5 N. Songsasen,2,5 F. C. Azevedo,1 J. P. Santos,1 R. C. Paula,1,3 F. H. G. Rodrigues,1,4 M. D. Rodden,2 D. E. Wildt,2 and R. G. Morato |
ABSTRACT: There has been growing interest in the specific impacts of anthropogenic factors on the health of wildlife. This study examined hematology and serum chemistry status of a prominent carnivore, the maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus), living in, on the boundaries to, or on adjacent farmlands to the Serra da Canastra National Park, Brazil. Twenty-eighty wolves were captured, and values were compared 1) between subadults (n58 animals) and adults (n520 animals), 2) males (n512 animals) and females (n516 animals), and 3) among wolves living inside the park (n511), near the park border (n511 animals), and in neighboring farming areas (n56 animals). Age, gender, and wolf locations influenced (P,0.05) hematology and serum biochemistry values. Specifically, adults had lower (P,0.05) circulating phosphorus than subadults. Males had lower (P,0.05) serum glucose, creatinine phosphokinase, and cholesterol and higher (P,0.05) potassium than females. Erythrocyte count and serum cholinesterase were lower (P,0.05) in wolves living within the park compared with near the park border or on farmlands. Mean corpuscular volume was lower (P,0.05) in wolves living near the park border than those ranging within the park and on farmlands. Aspartate transaminase and chloride were higher (P,0.05) in wolves living inside the park compared with those ranging near the park border. Creatinine phosphokinase was lower (P,0.05) in wolves living on farmland compared with the other two locations. These results clearly reveal a relationship between age and gender on hematology and serum biochemistry values in free-living maned wolves. More importantly, certain traits indicative of health are potentially compromised in wolves living in areas under anthropogenic pressure. These data lay a foundation for examining the influence of farming and local domestic species on disease susceptibility and fitness in the maned wolf. Key words: Blood biochemistry, free-ranging, health, hematology, maned wolf. |