Effects of crowding and sex on fecal cortisol levels of captive forest musk deer
Biol. Res
;
47: 1-6, 2014. graf, tab
Article
in English
| LILACS
| ID: biblio-950744
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Restricted space and close contact with conspecifics in captivity may be stressful for musk deer, as they are highly territorial and solitary in the wild. So we tested the effects of crowding on stress of forest musk deer (Moschus berezovskii) in heterosexual groups, using fecal cortisol analysis as a non-invasive method. 32 healthy adults during non-breeding seasons were chose as our experimental objects. Group 1 was defined as higher crowding condition, with 10-15 m²/deer (6 enclosures, 10â and 6â); group 2 was defined as lower crowding condition, with 23-33 m²/deer (6 enclosures, 1010â and 6â). Every enclosure contained 1 male and 3 female. These patterns had been existed for years.RESULTS:
The results showed that females in lower crowding condition (217.1 ± 9.5 ug/g) had significantly higher fecal cortisol levels than those in higher crowding condition (177.2 ± 12.1 ug/g). Interestingly, crowding seemed have no effect on male fecal cortisol levels (148.1 ± 9.1 ug/g and 140.5 ± 13.3 ug/g, respectively). At both groups, cortisol was significantly lower in males than in females.CONCLUSIONS:
These results showed that chronic crowding may affect stress status of captive forest musk deer. The captive environment should consider the space need for musk deer.
Full text:
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Index:
LILACS (Americas)
Main subject:
Deer
/
Hydrocortisone
/
Crowding
/
Feces
Limits:
Animals
Language:
English
Journal:
Biol. Res
Journal subject:
Biology
Year:
2014
Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
China
Institution/Affiliation country:
Beijing Forestry University/CN
/
Breeding Centre of Forest Musk Deer in Pientzehuang/CN
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