Blood constituents of free-ranging eastern grey kangaroos (Macropus giganteus)

Abstract

Baseline haematology, blood chemistry and acute phase protein parameters have not previously been published for free-ranging eastern grey kangaroos (Macropus giganteus). Eight eastern grey kangaroos, including three adult males, three adult females and two subadult males from two different populations, were examined. Assays assessed the antibacterial activity of kangaroo serum against one Gram-positive and three Gram-negative bacteria. The kangaroo serum had a strong antibacterial response to Klebsiella pneumoniae, and moderate responses to Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The presence and level of acute phase proteins, haptoglobin and serum amyloid A in kangaroos was investigated. Haptoglobin and serum amyloid A were present in kangaroo serum, but only haptoglobin was elevated in a kangaroo with capture myopathy and necrotic wounds. The findings of this study provide preliminary data on health parameters of free-ranging eastern grey kangaroos. These parameters can be used to assist in assessing health in free-ranging populations.

The genetic relatedness of a peri-urban population of eastern grey kangaroos

“…Research was conducted at Yarramundi Paddocks (33°36′47.85″S/150°43′47.429″E), Western Sydney University’s (WSU) Hawkesbury campus as described previously [ 15 , 19 – 21 ].…”

“…Body measurements, gender, GPS (Global Positioning System) location and general observations were also recorded [ 15 ]. Blood samples were taken from three live adult male kangaroos and one live juvenile male kangaroo following procedures described previously [ 19 ]. Genomic DNA was extracted from ear clippings and blood samples using the Qiagen DNeasy ® Blood and Tissue Kit (Qiagen, Hilden, Germany) following the manufacturer’s instructions.…”

“…The use of microsatellites will enhance and expand our knowledge of social, and spatial genetic structures in kangaroos, and can inform management strategies. This paper reports the genetic relationship of individuals in our study population described previously [ 15 , 19 ]. Sibships and parent–offspring relationships were identified to determine whether there is a high level of relatedness in this population, and the correlation between relatedness and road crossing site examined.…”

Town roo, country roo: a comparison of behaviour in eastern grey kangaroos Macropus giganteus in developed and natural landscapes

“…Increased food availability in developed areas may lead to a rise in population densities, and higher reproduction rates leading to further density escalation as seen in other macropods (Chambers and Bencini 2010;Schwanz and Robert 2012). Greater numbers of kangaroos leads to multiple issues, including vehicle collisions (Bond and Jones 2014;Green-Barber 2018), effects on agriculture (Coulson et al 2014;Descovich et al 2016), attacks on people and pets (Henderson et al 2017), and environmental impacts, including soil erosion and biodiversity loss (Cheal 1986;Neave and Tanton 1989).…”

Reference intervals for parameters of health of eastern grey kangaroos Macropus giganteus and management implications across their geographic range

“…There are no published haematological or serum protein RIs developed from free ranging eastern grey kangaroos. Although several authors (Clark 2004, Vogelnest and Portas 2008, Wilcox et al 2011, Cripps et al 2014, Green-Barber et al 2018 have published haematological values for kangaroos, it may be inappropriate to apply them to other populations, as they could reflect local variation rather than provide baseline values for the species (Presidente 1978). In addition, some published haematological values have been developed under non-standard circumstances.…”