Comparison of Biomedical Evaluation for White-Fronted Brown Lemurs (Eulemur fulvus albifrons) from Four Sites in Madagascar

Abstract

Health and nutritional assessments of wildlife are important management tools and can provide a means to evaluate ecosystem health. Such examinations were performed on 37 white-fronted brown lemurs (Eulemur fulvus albifrons) from four sites in Madagascar. Comparison of health parameters between sites revealed statistically significant differences in body weight, body temperature, respiratory rate, hematology parameters (white cell count, hematocrit, segmented neutrophil count, and lymphocyte count), serum chemistry parameters (aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, serum alkaline phosphatase, total protein, albumin, phosphorus, calcium, sodium, chloride, and creatinine phosphokinase), and nutrition parameters (copper, zinc, ferritin, retinol, tocopherol, and 25-hydroxycholecalciferol). Two of 10 lemurs tested were positive for toxoplasmosis; none of 10 were positive for Cryptosporidium or Giardia. Enteric bacteria and endo- and ectoparasites were typical. Statistically different values in hematology and chemistry values probably do not reflect clinically significant differences, whereas nutrition parameter differences are likely related to season, soil, and forage availability.

Seasonal variations in gastrointestinal parasites excreted by the gray mouse lemur Microcebus murinus in Madagascar

“…Most studies have focused on parasite inventories and morphological descriptions (e.g. Chabaud & Choquet 1955, Chabaud & Larivière 1955, Chabaud & Brygoo 1956, Chabaud & Petter 1958, 1959, Chabaud et al 1961a,b, 1964, 1965, Petter et al 1972, Hugot et al 1995, Hugot 1998, Hugot & Baylac 2007, Randriamiadamanana 1998, Raharivololona 2006, 2009, Rasambainarivo 2008, with additional information on the occurrence of these parasites in sympatric lemurs and other small mammals (Raharivololona et al 2007). Irwin & Raharison (in press) summarize our knowledge of lemur endoparasites in Madagascar in general.…”

Consumption of Domestic Cat in Madagascar: Frequency, Purpose, and Health Implications

“…Further, like bushmeat consumption , cat consumption is unlikely to provide a sufficient, sustainable means of tackling hunger, given the large scale of food insecurity issues in Madagascar. Nonetheless, few people had taboos against cat consumption, and while cats in Madagascar are often viewed as household pets (i.e., not food items; Junge et al 2008), many Malagasy people appeared to be willing to consume cat meat when it was available. Similarly, consumption of pet lemurs may also be occurring in Madagascar for similar reasons (Zinner et al 2001;Reuter et al 2015).…”

“…In response to such circumstances, Malagasy people often resort to exploiting the resources in their immediate surroundings for subsistence (Le Manach et al 2012). Given the economic hardships faced by these people, and given that cats can be found across many regions in Madagascar (Junge et al 2008), with few large terrestrial predators to limit feral-cat populations (Apps 1983), one could expect that food-insecure communities in Madagascar might consume cat as a means to alleviate food insecurity.…”

“…However, it is known that 88% of urban households in the capital city of Madagascar own pet dogs-mostly as guard dogs (Ratsitorahina et al 2009)-while data from rural Malawi showed that 35 of 100 surveyed households owned a total of 41 cats (Morris 1994). In addition, there are almost no data on feral cat populations in Madagascar (Van't Woudt 1990), although they are present on the island (Junge et al 2008).…”

“…These results suggest that, despite their lower desirability and resultant lower price, cheaper meat sources such as bushmeat can nonetheless provide important nutritional benefits. However, cat meat has been omitted from previous meat consumption studies in Madagascar (e.g., Razafimanahaka et al 2012), despite the presence of cats in many areas of the country (Junge et al 2008) and their status as a possible source of meat among Malagasy people (Tucker 2007). This may be because cat meat is not typically consumed in western cultures (Medina 2007) and non-local researchers may not have studied all potential food sources if they were considered "inedible" in their home cultures (MacClancy, Henry and Macbeth 2007).…”