An exploratory investigation of glucocorticoids, personality and survival rates in wild and rehabilitated hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) in Denmark

The Western European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) can work as a bioindicator of environmental pollution and be a host for multiple zoonotic agents, making it relevant in terms of One Health studies. It is essential to deepen the knowledge on this species and calculate reference intervals (RIs) for the usual hematological and biochemical parameters. For this retrospective study (2017–2022), the archives of the Clinical Pathology Laboratory (LPC) of University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD) Veterinary Teaching Hospital were analyzed. Data of hematology, clinical biochemistry, and protein electrophoresis from 37 healthy hedgehogs of the Wild Animal Rehabilitation Center at UTAD, Northern Portugal, were included. It was possible to calculate RIs for almost all of the variables in the study, using Reference Value Advisor V2.1. Moreover, sex and age effects were investigated: alkaline phosphatase (p = 0.012, higher in males); total proteins (p = 0.034, higher in adults); mean cell volume (p = 0.007) and mean corpuscular hemoglobin (p = 0.010) (both higher in juveniles); and red blood cell distribution width (p = 0.021, higher in adults). Our study allowed for the first time to define RIs for a population of hedgehogs in Portugal, having a potentially relevant impact on species conservation and in the human–animal health interface.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hematology, Biochemistry, and Protein Electrophoresis Reference Intervals of Western European Hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) from a Rehabilitation Center in Northern Portugal

Rosa

Silvestre‐Ferreira

Sargo

et al. 2023

“…There were also no trends in FGM response to events or baseline values between sexes, ages, or length of time in rehabilitation, although the sample size may have been too low to detect significant differences. The adrenal response could be moderated by factors such as individual possum personality [53,65,82], other context-specific factors such as predation risk [32,83], or the severity of the perceived threat over time [84,85], and so variations in response between individuals are not altogether surprising.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As animals that enter captivity for rehabilitation are already compromised, the physiological impacts of captivity may vary compared to healthy captive animals, hence, captivity may further compound their already compromised fitness. A recent study found that hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) in rehabilitation had higher levels of faecal corticosterone metabolites and saliva corticosterone than wild hedgehogs [53], highlighting that GC responses could be associated with certain factors related to rehabilitation. A pilot study of koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) in rehabilitation found that faecal glucocorticoids increased on days when a stressor was recorded in two of three studied koalas [45].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Validation of an Enzyme Immunoassay to Measure Faecal Glucocorticoid Metabolites in Common Brushtail Possums (Trichosurus vulpecula) to Evaluate Responses to Rehabilitation

Cope

Keeley

Keong

et al. 2022

Volunteer wildlife rehabilitators rescue and rehabilitate thousands of native animals every year in Australia. However, there is little known about how exposure to novel stimuli during rehabilitation could affect the physiology of wildlife. We investigated this question in a species that commonly enters rehabilitation, the common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula). We evaluated five enzyme immunoassays (EIA) to determine the most suitable for measuring faecal glucocorticoid metabolites (FGM) as a proxy for evaluating the response of brushtail possums to potential stressors during rehabilitation. An adrenocorticotrophin hormone (ACTH) challenge was conducted on wild-caught possums to determine the best-performing EIA based on the successful detection of FGM peaks in at least two of three possums. While a number of assays met these criteria, the 11-oxoaetiocholanolone (abbreviation: 72a) EIA was selected as it had the largest amplitude of change in response to the ACTH challenge. This assay was then used to measure FGM concentrations in 20 possums during rehabilitation. There was high variation in baseline FGM concentrations and response to captivity between possums. Significant changes in FGM levels were detected in most possums during captivity, but were not reliably associated with potentially stressful events that were identified by rehabilitators. The probability of an FGM peak occurring within five days of a potentially stressful event was about 50%, regardless of the type of event. Our study has demonstrated that injured and orphaned possums show changes in FGMs during captivity and rehabilitation and has identified events that can induce a physiological response in some individuals. We recommend that research now focus on the relationship between these responses during rehabilitation and pre- and post-release survival.

“…Furthermore, practitioners within small hospitals also need to carry out a wide range of ancillary activities beyond looking after the animals in their care, such as maintaining an online presence, training volunteers, and raising funds. As such, small hospitals may experience significantly greater challenges with, e.g., housing hedgehogs in hygienic conditions, minimizing stress ( sensu [ 67 ]), managing disease spread, and may also have limited capacity at certain times of the year (e.g., when the number of orphaned juveniles is high or during heatwaves), although they are likely to be in contact with other nearby rehabilitators who may have space.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Estimate of the Scale and Composition of the Hedgehog (Erinaceus europeaus) Rehabilitation Community in Britain and the Channel Islands

Bearman-Brown

Baker

2022

The conservation benefits of wildlife rehabilitation are equivocal, but could be substantial for formerly common species that are declining rapidly but are still commonly admitted to wildlife centres. We used a questionnaire survey to estimate the number of practitioners rehabilitating West European hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) in Britain and the numbers entering hospitals/centres in one benchmark year (2016); practitioners were identified using an internet search and snowball sampling. Overall, 304 rehabilitators were identified: 148 supplied data on their structure, and 174 outlined the number of hedgehogs admitted in 2016. The former comprised 62.6% small (≤50 hedgehogs admitted year−1), 16.7% medium-sized (51–250 yr−1), and 20.7% large (>250 yr−1) hospitals; however, these accounted for 4.8%, 12.4%, and 82.8% of hedgehog admissions, respectively. Small hospitals were less likely to be registered as a charity, have paid staff, have a social media account, to record admissions electronically, or to conduct post-release monitoring. However, they were more likely to operate from their home address and to have been established for ≤5 years. Extrapolations indicate that this rehabilitation community admitted >40,000 hedgehogs in 2016, of which approximately 50% could have been released. These figures suggest that wildlife rehabilitation has potentially been an important factor in the dynamics of hedgehog populations in Britain in the last two decades.