ABSTRACT
Morphometric relationships and condition factors are crucial to quickly understanding the fitness and well-being of animals. Total length (cm) and bodyweight (g) of 282 (male = 167 and female = 115) pangolins were accounted for in this study which was received and rehabilitated in Pingtung Rescued Center, Pingtung and Endemic Species Research Institute, Nantou, Taiwan. The allometric equation; W = aLb was used to estimate the length-weight relationships where R2 = 0.70, a = 0.61, and b = 1.98. The ratio of total body length and tail length was between 1.1 and 2.7. Pangolins exhibited negative allometric growth (b < 3) as their length increased. The average relative condition factor (KR) was 1.04, indicating a state of good health for rescued individuals. However, Fulton condition factor (KF) and KR fluctuated in different months but was significantly heavier during the wet seasons. This study recommended to release healthy animals with KF of 0.8 or higher back into the wild in order to increase their survival rate. The study, thus will be helpful to promote standardized guidelines for conducting physical measurements and understanding health status. Additionally, it will support the recovery of this threatened species by husbandry and diet management in ex-situ and in-situ conservation.
ABSTRACT
Canine parvovirus type 2 (CPV-2) is among the most important and highly contagious pathogens that cause enteric or systemic infections in domestic and nondomestic carnivores. However, the spillover of CPV-2 to noncarnivores is rarely mentioned. Taiwanese pangolins (Manis pentadactyla pentadactyla) are threatened due to habitat fragmentation and prevalent animal trafficking. Interactions between Taiwanese pangolins, humans, and domestic animals have become more frequent in recent years. However, information about the susceptibility of pangolins to common infectious agents of domestic animals has been lacking. From October 2017 to June 2019, 4 pangolins that were rescued and treated in wildlife rescue centers in central and northern Taiwan presented with gastrointestinal signs. Gross and histopathological examination revealed the main pathologic changes to be necrotic enteritis with involvement of the crypts in all intestinal segments in 2 pangolins. By immunohistochemistry for CPV-2, there was positive labeling of cryptal epithelium throughout the intestine, and immunolabeling was also present in epidermal cells adjacent to a surgical amputation site, and in mononuclear cells in lymphoid tissue. The other 2 pangolins had mild enteritis without crypt involvement, and no immunolabeling was detected. The nucleic acid sequences of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplicons from these 4 pangolins were identical to a Chinese CPV-2c strain from domestic dogs. Quantitative PCR revealed a higher ratio of CPV-2 nucleic acid to internal control gene in the 2 pangolins with severe intestinal lesions and positive immunoreactivity. Herein, we present evidence of CPV-2 infections in pangolins.
