[Monitoring the success of veterinary treatment in rehabilitated and released birds of prey using radiotelemetry]. / Monitoring rehabilitierter und ausgewilderter Greifvögel mittels Telemetrie als Erfolgskontrolle.

OBJECTIVE: Free-ranging birds of prey brought to veterinary practice should only be treated after thorough diagnostics. Before their release back into the wild, specific training - including falconry techniques - may be necessary, depending on raptor species and age. Rehabilitated birds of prey were monitored using radiotelemetry after release back into the wild. The success of veterinary therapy and the prognosis of treated diseases/injuries in free-ranging birds were evaluated. In addition, the use of radiotelemetry as a simple technique for surveillance was evaluated. The project was undertaken in cooperation with schools as a contribution to environmental education. MATERIAL UND METHODS: Three common buzzards (Buteo buteo) and one kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)were treated and released with a radio transmitter attached to a tail feather. They were tracked daily (by car or plane), observed using binoculars and their GPS coordinates were documented. RESULTS: One transmitter was lost early, making monitoring of the bird impossible. Three birds were monitored over a period of more than 14 days. These birds were successfully reintroduced into the wild, as documented from courtship displays and mating. The longest flight distance achieved was 44 km. CONCLUSIONS: Veterinary treatment aimed at rehabilitating feral birds can be successful. Radiotelemetry is a suitable tool to monitor free-ranging birds. The application of this technique is performed readily by laypeople (school students). CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Being in agreement with other studies, this data should motivate veterinarians to treat wild birds of prey for rehabilitation.

The levels of corticosterone-binding proteins in rat milk and coincidental serum, and the dissociation rates of the corticosterone.protein complexes.

The corticosterone-binding protein present in rat whey was further characterized by determining, with the aid of a dextran-coated charcoal procedure, the apparent rate of dissociation of the corticosterone.protein complex. The half-time values for the dissociation of the corticosterone.protein complexes in rat whey and serum were compared and found to be identical, i.e. 23 min at 0 C, when the measurements were made over a period of 40 min. The possible presence in small amounts of a corticosterone.protein complex in whey with the much slower dissociation rate characteristic of mammary glucocorticoid receptor could not be detected even when the dissociation was followed over a much longer period. The charcoal adsorption method also provided independent estimates of the molar concentrations of the corticosterone-binding proteins in rat serum and whey. The mean concentration of corticosterone-binding protein in whey was found to be 15% of that in coincidental serum during early lactation. The serum levels of corticosterone-binding protein decline markedly at parturition and then rise from day 2 to day 6 of lactation in rats with small litters. The results of this and a previous study suggest that the corticosterone-binding protein in whey is probably derived from that in serum. The mode of transport of the corticosterone-binding protein from the bloodstream across the mammary epithelium into milk as well as the concentrations of the corticosterone-binding proteins in serum and whey may be factors influencing the uptake of the glucocorticoid by its target cells.