Accuracy of body weight prediction in Alpine ibex (Capra ibex, L. 1758) using morphometry.

The relationship between weight and body measurements of 227 Alpine ibex Capra ibex (162 males and 65 females, age range: 2-16 years) were analysed by linear and multiple regression. The animals were live-captured across all seasons of the year, in the Western Italian Alps, 1986-1994. The relationship between weight and body measurements changed with sex and season. In male ibex, the best annual estimation of the body weight was obtained using as predictor variables the squared value of the chest girth and age. In females, the best predictive variables were age, total body length and withers height. Age was always selected as a predictor variable, when considered in the prediction models. The use of chest girth and the squared value of the chest girth as predictive variables in the regression equation, being the most highly correlated linear measurements with total weight, did not result in an accurate prediction of ibex body weight. The best prediction was obtained using age and different linear measurements in stepwise multiple regression, nevertheless the standard error of the estimate and the magnitude of the 95% prediction interval were great. The use of linear measurements cannot be considered accurate nor precise predictors of body weight in Alpine ibex.

Microsatellite DNA and recent statistical methods in wildlife conservation management: applications in Alpine ibex [Capra ibex(ibex)].

We evaluated the usefulness of microsatellites and recently developed statistical methods for the conservation management of fragmented and reintroduced populations, using the alpine ibex (Capra ibex) as a model species. First, we assessed the effects of past reintroduction programmes on genetic diversity and population differentiation considering different population sizes and histories. We show that genetic variability in ibex populations (HE 0.13) is among the lowest reported from microsatellites in mammal species, and that the Alpi Marittime-Mercantour population has suffered from a severe genetic bottleneck associated with its reintroduction. Second, using a computer-simulation approach, we provide examples and rough guidelines for translocation programmes concerning the number and origin of individuals for future reintroductions and for the reinforcement of populations with low genetic variability. Finally, we use the ibex microsatellite data to assess the usefulness of several published statistical tests for detecting population bottlenecks and assigning individuals to their population of origin. This study illustrates that microsatellites allow: (i) evaluation of alternative translocation scenarios by simulating different numbers and origins of migrants; (ii) identification of bottlenecked populations (especially using the Wilcoxon signed-ranks test); and (iii) population assignment with a high certainty (P < 0.001) of almost 100 of the individuals (or trophies or carcasses) from two distant populations (especially using stucture or whichrun software).

Effect of emanciation on liver histology of alpine chamois during winter.

With the aim of describing the effect of severe feed restriction on the liver histology, morphometrical analysis of liver sections of 10 alpine chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra) was performed. Five animals were found dead during the winter season 1995-96 and five were collected during the hunting season 1996. Hepatocyte nuclear size was measured in squared micrometers using Image-Pro Plus software. A significant decrease in the mean size of the nuclei of hepatocytes in emaciated chamois, as compared to harvested animals was observed. The reduction in cell nuclear size may be linked to the mobilization of body protein to prevent ketosis during severe food restriction, as hypothesized for other wild ungulates. The change in hepatocyte size may be the consequence of a strategy to minimize energy expenditure and may be proposed as an index of metabolic stress during winter undernutrition.

Isolation of Brucella melitensis from alpine ibex.

Eleven alpine ibex (Capra ibex) and 27 chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra) from Gran Paradiso National Park (Italy) were examined in March 1996. A 7-yr-old ibex buck had thick-walled carpal joints and enlargement of the right testicle characterized by necrosis and fibrosis. Microscopically, testicular lesions were characterized by large areas of necrosis, fibrosis with irregular aggregates of macrophages and lymphocytes, and scattered foci of suppuration. Specimens of the carpal bursae and testicle were cultured in serum dextrose agar and serum dextrose antibiotic plates. A Gram-negative coccobacillus was isolated from the testicle and subsequently identified as Brucella melitensis biotype 2. This is the first recognized case of brucellosis in alpine ibex.