Natural and anthropogenic causes of mortality in wild birds in a wildlife rehabilitation centre in Northern Portugal: a ten-year study

Garcês, Andreia; Pires, Isabel; Pacheco, Fernando António Leal; Fernandes, Luís Filipe Sanches; Soeiro, Vanessa Moreira da Silva; Lóio, Sara; Prada, Justina; Cortes, Rui; Queiroga, Felisbina L.

doi:10.1080/00063657.2020.1726874

Cited by 14 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…A total of 740 hedgehogs were admitted during this period, with most of the animals being collected in the district of Porto and Vila Real. This was expected since these are the WRCs’ locations, and there is therefore a higher probability of their receiving injured and debilitated animals from the neighboring area; this was also noticed in similar studies concerning other species in this region [ 15 , 16 ].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 63%

Outcomes, Mortality Causes, and Pathological Findings in European Hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus, Linnaeus 1758): A Seventeen Year Retrospective Analysis in the North of Portugal

Garcês¹,

Soeiro²,

Lóio³

et al. 2020

Animals

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This study aimed to analyze the admission causes, outcomes, primary causes of death, and main lesions observed in the post mortem examinations of Western European hedgehogs, Erinaceus europaeus (Linnaeus, 1758), in the north of Portugal. The data were obtained by consulting the records from the two main wildlife rehabilitation centers located in the north of Portugal (Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre of Parque Biologico de Gaia and the Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre of the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro). Over 17 years (2002–2019) a total of 740 animals were admitted. Most of the animals were juveniles, with the highest number of admissions occurring during summer (36.8%) and spring (33.2%). The main reasons for admission were debilitation (30.7%) and random finds (28.4%). Of the total number of individuals admitted to these centers, 66.6% were successfully released back into the wild. The most relevant causes of death were trauma of unknown origin (32.7%), nontrauma causes of unknown origin (26.6%), and nutritional disorders (20.2%). The main lesions observed were related to trauma, including skeletal and skin lesions (fractures, hemorrhages, wounds) and organ damage, particularly to the lungs and liver. The hedgehog is a highly resilient and adaptable animal. The urban environment has many benefits for hedgehogs, yet the presence of humans can be harmful. In the future, the public needs to become even more involved in the activities of the wildlife centres, which will make a positive difference for these populations.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 63%

Outcomes, Mortality Causes, and Pathological Findings in European Hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus, Linnaeus 1758): A Seventeen Year Retrospective Analysis in the North of Portugal

Garcês¹,

Soeiro²,

Lóio³

et al. 2020

Animals

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“…The release rate is slightly higher than the 31% reported for New South Wales approximately twenty years ago [49]. The overall mortality rate of about 55% is similar to that found in Queensland, Australia [19] and in studies elsewhere [2,57]. Anthropogenic driven causes such as all collision, attacks, and entangled/trapped have previously been shown to be associated with high mortality outcomes, and for some mammal species this may be as high as 90% [19,48,51].…”

Section: Plos Onesupporting

confidence: 57%

“…Together, these two causes account for about 45% of all known reasons for rescue. 'Abandoned/orphaned' animals are often cited as a key cause for rescue in Australia [1,19,49] and other countries [2,10,18,20,27,[57][58][59], often involving healthy juvenile animals with a relatively high likelihood of recovery and future release. High incident rates of wildlife 'collisions with vehicles' show some geographic variation but are particularly prevalent in Australia and overseas in studies…”

Section: Causes For Rescuementioning

confidence: 99%

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Trends in wildlife rehabilitation rescues and animal fate across a six-year period in New South Wales, Australia

Kwok¹,

Haering

Travers

et al. 2021

PLoS ONE

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Globally, millions of animals are rescued and rehabilitated by wildlife carers each year. Information gathered in this process is useful for uncovering threats to native wildlife, particularly those from anthropogenic causes. However, few studies using rehabilitation data include a diverse range of fauna, cover large geographical areas, and consider long-term trends. Furthermore, few studies have statistically modelled causes of why animals come into care, and what are their chances of survival. This study draws on 469,553 rescues reported over six years by wildlife rehabilitators for 688 species of bird, reptile, and mammal from New South Wales, Australia. For birds and mammals, ‘abandoned/orphaned’ and ‘collisions with vehicles’ were the dominant causes for rescue, however for reptiles this was ‘unsuitable environment’. Overall rescue numbers were lowest in winter, and highest in spring, with six-times more ‘abandoned/orphaned’ individuals in spring than winter. Of the 364,461 rescues for which the fate of an animal was known, 92% fell within two categories: ‘dead’, ‘died or euthanased’ (54.8% of rescues with known fate) and animals that recovered and were subsequently released (37.1% of rescues with known fate). Modelling of the fate of animals indicated that the likelihood of animal survival (i.e. chance of: being released, left and observed, or permanent care), was related to the cause for rescue. In general, causes for rescue involving physical trauma (collisions, attacks, etc.) had a much lower likelihood of animals surviving than other causes such as ‘unsuitable environment’, ‘abandoned/orphaned’, and this also showed some dependence upon whether the animal was a bird, reptile, or mammal. This suggests rehabilitation efforts could be focused on particular threats or taxa to maximise success, depending on the desired outcomes. The results illustrate the sheer volume of work undertaken by rehabilitation volunteers and professionals toward both animal welfare and to the improvement of wildlife rehabilitation in the future.

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“…Furthermore, the animals surveyed were in a Wild Animals Triage Center of the Environment agency of the Pernambuco state responsible for the care of local fauna. Thus, as in other studies, these animals come to be screened for complaints, accidents, and criminal capture and may be subsequently screened, kept in captivity for treatment and rehabilitation and for subsequent environmental reintegration, and some may remain in this center because they are not physically able to return to the natural environment [ 40 , 41 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Antimicrobial Resistance Profile and Biofilm Production of Microorganisms Isolated from Oropharynx of Rupornis magnirostris (Gmelin, 1788) and Caracara plancus (Miller, 1777)

Silva

Medeiros

Júnior

et al. 2020

Veterinary Medicine International

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The aim of this preliminary study was to identify microorganisms with antimicrobial resistance profile and biofilm producers in oropharynx of Rupornis magnirostris and Caracara plancus. Six R. magnirostris and six C. plancus maintained in Triage Center for Wild Animals (CETAS) facilities were studied. Coagulase-positive staphylococci (CoPS), enterobacteria, and yeasts were identified by the biochemical analysis or MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. The resistance profile of the microorganisms was analyzed according to CLSI. The biofilm production was evaluated by Congo red and violet crystal staining methods. Among the 12 birds, 10 presented strains of CoPS and/or enterobacteria with resistance profile, such as methicillin-resistant CoPS (MR-CoPS), vancomycin-resistant CoPS (VR-CoPS), extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL), and Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase- (KPC-) producing bacteria. Regards the fungal analysis, Candida spp., Cryptococcus spp., Rhodotorula mucilaginosa, R. glutinis, and Trichosporon coremiiforme were identified. All the Trichosporon coremiiforme strains were resistant to amphotericin B, as well as all the Rhodotorula mucilaginosa exhibited resistance to fluconazole. Related to the biofilm production, among the 8 CoPS, 27 enterobacteria, and 10 yeasts isolates, 3, 16, and 7 strains were biofilm producers, respectively. Thus, the presence of these microorganisms in birds of prey is worrisome, highlighting its possible influence in the spread of infections in urban centers.

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Natural and anthropogenic causes of mortality in wild birds in a wildlife rehabilitation centre in Northern Portugal: a ten-year study

Cited by 14 publications

References 46 publications

Outcomes, Mortality Causes, and Pathological Findings in European Hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus, Linnaeus 1758): A Seventeen Year Retrospective Analysis in the North of Portugal

Outcomes, Mortality Causes, and Pathological Findings in European Hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus, Linnaeus 1758): A Seventeen Year Retrospective Analysis in the North of Portugal

Trends in wildlife rehabilitation rescues and animal fate across a six-year period in New South Wales, Australia

Antimicrobial Resistance Profile and Biofilm Production of Microorganisms Isolated from Oropharynx of Rupornis magnirostris (Gmelin, 1788) and Caracara plancus (Miller, 1777)

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