Veterinary Archives, Vol. 86 No. 3, 2016.
Original scientific paper
Monitoring cortisol metabolites in the faeces of captive fallow deer (Dama dama L.).
Dean Konjević
orcid.org/0000-0002-8584-9825
; Department of Veterinary Economics and Epidemiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Zdravko Janicki
; Department for Game Biology, Pathology and Breeding, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Alen Slavica
; Department for Game Biology, Pathology and Breeding, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Krešimir Severin
; Department of State and Forensic Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Krešimir Krapinec
; Department of Forest Protection and Wildlife Management, Faculty of Forestry, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Darko Želježić
; Croatian Veterinary Institute, Zagreb, Croatia
Frane Božić
; Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
Monitoring of the faecal glucocorticoid metabolites (fGCM) of various wildlife species has become an important non-invasive tool for wildlife managers that enables them to understand the influences of the season, sex, age and physiological status on the animal’s organism and to discover potential stressors in order to adjust management practices and thus minimize their negative impact. Here we present a one-year study on fallow deer kept in extensive captive breeding in inland Croatia. We measured fGCM by 11-oxoaetiocholanolone enzyme immunoassay. The obtained results confirmed the seasonal pattern of cortisol release with the highest concentrations of 11.17-dioxoandrostanes (11,17-DOA) during the winter period (950; 430-2385 ng/g faeces, expressed as median, min. and max. values), followed by early summer (864; 186-3271 ng/g) and spring (610; 129-2896 ng/g). Significantly lower concentrations were determined during the late summer period (306; 95-2071 ng/g). Compared with fGCM levels in free-ranging fallow deer, concentrations in captive animals followed the same pattern, but with lower values in every season. This may be attributed to habituation and to the less challenging and more predictable environment under captive conditions.
Keywords
fallow deer; cortisol metabolites; 11,17-DOA; faeces
Hrčak ID:
161235
URI
Publication date:
10.6.2016.
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