Lessons learned from using wild-caught and captive-reared lesser scaup ( Aythya affinis ) in captive experiments.
| Autor: | Beach CR; Department of Biological Sciences, Western Illinois University, 1 University Circle, Macomb, IL 61455, USA.; Forbes Biological Station-Bellrose Waterfowl Research Center, Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Havana, IL 62644, USA., Jacques CN; Department of Biological Sciences, Western Illinois University, 1 University Circle, Macomb, IL 61455, USA., Lancaster JD; Gulf Coast Joint Venture, Ducks Unlimited, Inc. 700 Cajundome Blvd., Lafayette, LA 70506, USA., Osborne DC; College of Forestry, Agriculture, and Natural Resources, University of Arkansas at Monticello, Monticello, AR 71656, USA., Yetter AP; Forbes Biological Station-Bellrose Waterfowl Research Center, Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Havana, IL 62644, USA., Cole RA; U.S. Geological Survey, National Wildlife Health Center, Madison, WI 53711, USA., Hagy HM; Department of Biological Sciences, Western Illinois University, 1 University Circle, Macomb, IL 61455, USA.; National Wildlife Refuge System, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Stanton, TN 38069, USA., Fournier AMV; Forbes Biological Station-Bellrose Waterfowl Research Center, Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Havana, IL 62644, USA. |
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| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Zdroj: | Translational animal science [Transl Anim Sci] 2024 May 04; Vol. 8, pp. txae076. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 May 04 (Print Publication: 2024). |
| DOI: | 10.1093/tas/txae076 |
| Abstrakt: | Waterfowl are housed in captivity for research studies that are infeasible in the wild. Accommodating the unique requirements of semi-aquatic species in captivity while meeting experimental design criteria for research questions can be challenging and may have unknown effects on animal health. Thus, testing and standardizing best husbandry and care practices for waterfowl is necessary to facilitate proper husbandry and humane care while ensuring reliable and repeatable research results. To inform husbandry practices for captive-reared and wild-caught lesser scaup ( Aythya affinis ; hereafter, scaup), we assessed body mass and fat composition across two different aspects of husbandry, source population (captive-reared or wild caught), and housing densities (birds/m 2 ). Our results suggest that housing scaup at low densities (≤0.6 m 2 /bird, P = 0.049) relative to other species can minimize negative health effects. Captive-reared scaup were heavier ( P = 0.027) with greater body fat ( P < 0.001) and exhibited fewer signs of stress during handling than wild-caught scaup. In our experience, scaup which are captive-reared from eggs collected in the wild were better for long-term captivity studies as they maintained body mass between and recovered lost body mass following trials. Researchers would benefit from carefully evaluating the tradeoffs of using short- and long-term captive methods on their research question before designing projects, husbandry practices, and housing facilities for waterfowl. Competing Interests: We have no conflicts of interest to declare. (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Society of Animal Science.) |
| Databáze: | MEDLINE |
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