Strategies and Mechanisms of Thermal Compensation in Newborn Water Buffaloes

Abstract

Hypothermia is one of the principal causes of perinatal mortality in water buffaloes and can range from 3% to 17.9%. In ruminants, factors affecting hypothermia in newborns may be of intrinsic (e.g., level of neurodevelopment, birth weight, vitality score, amount of brown fat, skin features) or extrinsic origin (e.g., maternal care, environmental conditions, colostrum consumption). When newborn buffaloes are exposed to cold stress, thermoregulatory mechanisms such as peripheral vasoconstriction and shivering and non-shivering thermogenesis are activated to prevent hypothermia. Due to the properties of infrared thermography (IRT), as a technique that detects vasomotor changes triggered by a reduction in body temperature, evaluating the central and peripheral regions in newborn buffaloes is possible. This review aims to analyze behavioral, physiological, and morphological strategies and colostrum consumption as thermal compensation mechanisms in newborn water buffalo to cope with environmental changes affecting thermoneutrality. In addition, the importance of monitoring by IRT to identify hypothermia states will be highlighted. Going deeper into these topics related to the water buffalo is essential because, in recent years, this species has become more popular and is being bred in more geographic areas.

The Role of Brown Adipose Tissue and Energy Metabolism in Mammalian Thermoregulation during the Perinatal Period

“…In newborn rabbits, it has been observed that heavier rabbits from smaller litters are more likely to survive because they may have access to greater amounts of milk than larger litters and have more probability of surviving the critical first postnatal period. They also tend to occupy thermally advantageous central positions than lighter rabbits, same situation as in other mammals such as puppies or kittens [ 70 , 186 , 187 , 188 , 189 , 190 , 191 ].…”

“…Studies in rabbits have found that heavier rabbit pups tend to stay in central positions inside the nest. This can be considered an energetic advantage because they spend less time climbing or pushing their peers to obtain food [ 70 , 186 , 187 , 188 , 189 , 190 , 191 ].…”

Riesgos asociados a los animales en el turismo colombiano

“…Por otra parte, las cabalgatas, reconocidas como el desplazamiento mediante el uso de equinos, constituyen una práctica ampliamente desarrollada por operadores turísticos en el país (Gallo, 2020). Se ha confirmado a nivel mundial un mayor estado de bienestar en los animales utilizados en cabalgatas que en sus congéneres empleados para la carga y el transporte de productos (Mota-Rojas et al, 2022a); sin embargo, a nivel nacional no se cuenta aún con estudios científicos que permitan descartarlas como un riesgo para el bienestar de los animales. Respecto a esta actividad, se ha establecido ya una condición de crítica moral y ética por ser reducido el animal a una mero instrumento o mercancía que se compromete física y mentalmente para satisfacer deseos de ocio y esparcimiento de los seres humanos (Javanaud, 2020;Monterrubio & Pérez, 2021).…”