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      Promoting rhinoceros welfare during transit: veterinarians' perspectives on transportation practices

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          Abstract

          Despite translocation being a useful conservation strategy in rhinoceros management, morbidities and mortalities occurring during transportation pose a significant concern to rhinoceros managers, veterinarians, and scientists. The objectives of this study were to better understand the effects of transport on rhinoceros and to gain insights from veterinarians involved in rhinoceros translocations about current practices and potential interventions that could improve welfare. A weblink and QR code to an online questionnaire with a total of 46 questions in Google Forms was sent to veterinarians who had experience in African rhinoceros transportation, through personal emails and social network forums. Results demonstrated that despite dehydration and negative energy balance being reported as the major causes of morbidities and mortalities during transport and post-release, most veterinarians (30/35; 86%) involved in rhinoceros translocation did not offer water, parenteral fluids, or feed to transported animals, for logistical reasons and the knowledge or perception of rhinoceros' resistance to taking ad lib food and water during transport. However, 52% (15/29) and 41% (15/34) of participants suggested that parenteral fluids could be used as an intervention to mitigate dehydration and negative energy balance respectively. To reduce stress, 94% (33/35) of respondents suggested the use of tranquilisers and sedatives. This study is the first to systematically investigate and report on practices by veterinarians involved in rhinoceros translocations globally. The study highlights that further research is required to explore optimal and pragmatic techniques in the field to mitigate reported welfare challenges in rhinoceros during transport.

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          Most cited references29

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          Improving the Quality of Web Surveys: The Checklist for Reporting Results of Internet E-Surveys (CHERRIES)

          Analogous to checklists of recommendations such as the CONSORT statement (for randomized trials), or the QUORUM statement (for systematic reviews), which are designed to ensure the quality of reports in the medical literature, a checklist of recommendations for authors is being presented by the Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR) in an effort to ensure complete descriptions of Web-based surveys. Papers on Web-based surveys reported according to the CHERRIES statement will give readers a better understanding of the sample (self-)selection and its possible differences from a “representative” sample. It is hoped that author adherence to the checklist will increase the usefulness of such reports.
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            Stress: An inevitable component of animal translocation

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              Conflicting and complementary ethics of animal welfare considerations in reintroductions.

              Despite differences in focus, goals, and strategies between conservation biology and animal welfare, both are inextricably linked in many ways, and greater consideration of animal welfare, although important in its own right, also has considerable potential to contribute to conservation success. Nevertheless, animal welfare and animal ethics are not always considered explicitly within conservation practice. We systematically reviewed the recent scientific peer-reviewed and online gray literature on reintroductions of captive-bred and wild-caught animals (mammals, birds, amphibians, and reptiles) to quantify the occurrence of animal welfare issues. We considered monitoring that could be indicative of the animal's welfare status and supportive management actions that could improve animal welfare (regardless of whether the aim was explicitly animal-welfare orientated). Potential welfare issues (of variable nature and extent) were recorded in 67% of 199 projects reviewed; the most common were mortality >50%, dispersal or loss of animals, disease, and human conflict. Most (>70%) projects monitored survival, 18% assessed body condition, and 2% monitored stress levels. Animal welfare, explicitly, was referred to in 6% of projects. Supportive actions, most commonly use of on-site prerelease pens and provision of supplemental food or water, were implemented in 79% of projects, although the extent and duration of support varied. Practitioners can address animal-welfare issues in reintroductions by considering the potential implications for individual animals at all stages of the release process using the decision tree presented. We urge practitioners to report potential animal-welfare issues, describe mitigation actions, and evaluate their efficacy to facilitate transparent evaluation of common moral dilemmas and to advance communal strategies for dealing with them. Currently, comparative mortality rates, health risks, postrelease stress, effectiveness of supportive measures, and behavior of individuals warrant further research to improve animal welfare in reintroductions and to increase success of such projects.
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                Author and article information

                Journal
                jsava
                Journal of the South African Veterinary Association
                J. S. Afr. Vet. Assoc.
                South African Veterinary Association (Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa )
                1019-9128
                2224-9435
                2024
                : 95
                : 1
                : 185-192
                Affiliations
                [01] orgnameUniversity of Pretoria orgdiv1Faculty of Veterinary Science orgdiv2Centre for Veterinary Wildlife Research South Africa
                [02] orgnameUniversity of Pretoria orgdiv1Faculty of Veterinary Science orgdiv2Department Paraclinical South Africa
                [03] orgnameTanzania National Parks Tanzania
                [04] orgnameWildlife Conservation Network United States of America
                [05] orgnameUniversity of Pretoria orgdiv1Faculty of Veterinary Science orgdiv2Department of Companion Animal Clinical Studies South Africa
                Article
                S1019-91282024000100026 S1019-9128(24)09500100026
                10.36303/jsava.670
                56e68bae-2763-4b27-bcbf-24f49ec86726

                This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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                Page count
                Figures: 0, Tables: 0, Equations: 0, References: 32, Pages: 8
                Product

                SciELO South Africa

                Categories
                Original Research

                welfare,transport,survey,veterinarian,rhinoceros
                welfare, transport, survey, veterinarian, rhinoceros

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