Veterinary concerns of captive duikers

Abstract

In March 2000, professionals from various duiker‐holding institutions conducted a workshop at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Wildlife Survival Center (WCS/WSC) on St. Catherine’s Island entitled Husbandry, Nutrition, and Health of Captive Duikers. The product of this workshop was a suite of monographs, one of which dealt with veterinary issues and took the form of a series of veterinary guidelines. These guidelines are based on the general disease and management concerns of neonatal and adult duikers, and include: 1) preventive medicine recommendations with preshipment, quarantine, and routine physical examination protocols; 2) restraint and anesthesia recommendations; 3) a necropsy protocol; and 4) a summary of medical informational needs. The main intent of these protocols is to outline minimum standards of veterinary care and inquiry for duiker species in captivity. Eventually, this will result in the establishment of a consistent and comprehensive data base, from which future individuals will greatly benefit in the form of improved husbandry, nutrition, and medicine. Zoo Biol 21:197–207, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

Species differences in responses to captivity: stress, welfare and the comparative method

“…in zoos, for instance, are 'highly susceptible to stress' [15], vulnerable to opportunistic infections such as jaw abscesses [15], and commonly have infant mortality rates of 30-40% [16], which is higher than typical for ungulates in good conditions [12]. Giraffes (Giraffa cameleopardalis) have a shorter lifespan in zoos than when protected in the wild [17], an effect seemingly linked to poor nutritional status and low energy intake, suggesting inadequacies in zoo diets [17].…”