1
|
Coppola F, Dari C, Vecchio G, Aloisi M, Romeo G, Biliotti C, Felicioli A. Porcupettes Management at Wildlife Rescue Centers and Liberation into the Wild: Implications for Post-Liberation Success. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:ani13091546. [PMID: 37174582 PMCID: PMC10177367 DOI: 10.3390/ani13091546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2023] [Revised: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The crested porcupine is a frequent host species in wildlife rescue centers and no guidelines for its management, liberation and post-liberation monitoring are yet available. Here, captive-grown porcupines' behavior and survival in the wild after liberation were investigated and described for the first time. Management strategies adopted at the centers could affect porcupine adaptation to the natural environment. The detention of porcupettes in single cages and fed only human-supplied food may not ensure ethological welfare, nor a suitable behavioral development compatible with wildlife. The liberation of captive-grown porcupines should also be carefully planned to promote and increase the possibility of post-liberation success.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Coppola
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Viale delle Piagge 2, 56124 Pisa, Italy
| | - Chiara Dari
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Viale delle Piagge 2, 56124 Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Marco Aloisi
- CRASM Semproniano, Loc. Casaccia snc, 58055 Semproniano, Italy
| | - Giorgia Romeo
- Wildlife Sector, Tuscany Regional Council, Via Trieste 5, 58100 Grosseto, Italy
| | | | - Antonio Felicioli
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Viale delle Piagge 2, 56124 Pisa, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Cilia G, Bertelloni F, Coppola F, Turchi B, Biliotti C, Poli A, Parisi F, Felicioli A, Cerri D, Fratini F. Isolation of Leptospira serovar Pomona from a crested porcupine (Hystrix cristata, L., 1758). Vet Med Sci 2020; 6:985-991. [PMID: 32558332 PMCID: PMC7738739 DOI: 10.1002/vms3.308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2020] [Revised: 04/17/2020] [Accepted: 05/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Pathogenic Leptospira is widespread in rodents, the most studied reservoir and the main hosts involved in its transmission. In Italy, among rodents, Hystrix cristata (crested porcupine) is the largest species and it is distributed all over the country. In this paper, the isolation and characterization of pathogenic Leptospira spp. from the kidney of H. cristata is reported for the first time. During Autumn 2018, Leptospira detection by real-time PCR and isolation were performed from kidneys of two died female porcupines (an adult and a porcupette). Only for porcupette kidney sample, real-time PCR for pathogenic Leptospira tested positive. The isolated strain was identified as Leptospira interrogans serogroup Pomona serovar Pomona, using the three schemes of multilocus sequence typing. The results show that H. cristata could be a Leptospira host. The infection of serovars Pomona could be related to the habitat shared with wild boar, a typical reservoir host for this serovar.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni Cilia
- Department of Veterinary SciencesUniversity of PisaPisaItaly
| | | | | | - Barbara Turchi
- Department of Veterinary SciencesUniversity of PisaPisaItaly
| | - Claudia Biliotti
- Department of Veterinary SciencesUniversity of PisaPisaItaly
- CRASM “Semproniano”GrossetoItaly
| | - Alessandro Poli
- Department of Veterinary SciencesUniversity of PisaPisaItaly
| | | | | | - Domenico Cerri
- Department of Veterinary SciencesUniversity of PisaPisaItaly
| | - Filippo Fratini
- Department of Veterinary SciencesUniversity of PisaPisaItaly
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Buglione M, Petrelli S, de Filippo G, Troiano C, Rivieccio E, Notomista T, Maselli V, di Martino L, Carafa M, Gregorio R, Latini R, Fortebraccio M, Romeo G, Biliotti C, Fulgione D. Contribution to the ecology of the Italian hare (Lepus corsicanus). Sci Rep 2020; 10:13071. [PMID: 32753640 PMCID: PMC7403147 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-70013-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2020] [Accepted: 07/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The Italian hare (Lepus corsicanus) is endemic to Central-Southern Italy and Sicily, classified as vulnerable due to habitat alterations, low density and fragmented populations and ecological competition with the sympatric European hare (Lepus europaeus). Despite this status, only few and local studies have explored its ecological features. We provided some key traits of the ecological niche of the Italian hare as well as its potential distribution in the Italian peninsula. All data derived from genetically validated presences. We generated a habitat suitability model using maximum entropy distribution model for the Italian hare and its main competitor, the European hare. The dietary habits were obtained for the Italian hare with DNA metabarcoding and High-Throughput Sequencing on faecal pellets. The most relevant environmental variables affecting the potential distribution of the Italian hare are shared with the European hare, suggesting a potential competition. The variation in the observed altitudinal distribution is statistically significant between the two species.The diet of the Italian hare all year around includes 344 plant taxa accounted by 62 families. The Fagaceae, Fabaceae, Poaceae, Rosaceae and Solanaceae (counts > 20,000) represented the 90.22% of the total diet. Fabaceae (60.70%) and Fagaceae (67.47%) were the most abundant plant items occurring in the Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter diets, respectively. The Spring/Summer diet showed richness (N = 266) and diversity index values (Shannon: 2.329, Evenness: 0.03858, Equitability: 0.4169) higher than the Autumn/Winter diet (N = 199, Shannon: 1.818, Evenness: 0.03096, Equitability: 0.3435). Our contribution adds important information to broaden the knowledge on the environmental (spatial and trophic) requirements of the Italian hare, representing effective support for fitting management actions in conservation planning.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maria Buglione
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Simona Petrelli
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | | | - Claudia Troiano
- Department of Humanities, University of Naples Federico II, Napoli, Italy
| | | | - Tommaso Notomista
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Valeria Maselli
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | | | | | - Romano Gregorio
- Cilento, Vallo di Diano e Alburni National Park, Salerno, Italy
| | - Roberta Latini
- Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park, Pescasseroli, Aquila, Italy
| | | | - Giorgia Romeo
- Wildlife Section, Tuscan Regional Council, Grosseto, Italy
| | - Claudia Biliotti
- SOS Animali Onlus, Wildlife Rescue Center, Semproniano, Grosseto, Italy
| | - Domenico Fulgione
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy.
| |
Collapse
|