Cohabitation of a <Emphasis Type="Italic">Brucella melitensis</Emphasis> infected Alpine ibex (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Capra ibex</Emphasis>) with domestic small ruminants in an enclosure in Gran Paradiso National Park,in Western Italian Alps

After the first report of Brucella melitensis infection from a 7-year-old alpine ibex (Capra ibex) buck living in Gran Paradiso National Park (GPNP), further studies demonstrated the presence of the infection in ibex and chamois. Considering that livestock herds keep on sharing pastures with more than 3,500 ibex and 9,000 chamois in the park, our aim was to demonstrate under controlled conditions the possibility of Brucella infection passing from wild ruminants to livestock. A 7-year-old male alpine ibex with clinical signs of brucellosis and serologically positive was released in a 5,000 m² enclosure together with five goats and two sheep rams. Due to poor condition, ibex was suppressed at day 40, domestic ruminants stayed into the enclosure potentially contaminated by ibex for further 38 days. During this period, we had monitored our animals taking blood from domestic ruminants every 15 days and tested the serum to Rose Bengal agglutination test and Complement Fixation test. Domestic animals tested negative at serology at all sampling time and at isolation, while B. melitensis biovar 3 was isolated from ibex tissues. Our data show that transmission of infection from ibex to livestock is not easy. After 40 days of strict cohabitation and 38 days of permanence in an area where an infected ibex lives, no one of the domestic animals contracted infection. In spite of the limitation of our field trial, we have demonstrated that long direct and indirect contact between alpine ibex and domestic animals will not easily lead to an infection of the latter. Further investigations are needed to confirm our results and evaluate the effective risk of B. melitensis transmission from alpine ibex to livestock.     

新疆托木尔峰自然保护区冬季北山羊昼间活动节律与时间分配

2005年10~12月,在新疆托木尔峰自然保护区用直接观察法对193头次北山羊(Capra ibex)的活动节律和时间分配进行了观察。结果表明,北山羊群冬季的活动规律性较强,呈现双峰型,2个高峰时段为08∶00~08∶30时和16∶30~17∶00时前后,活动频率分别为98.6%和93.3%。同时发现冬季其61%的活动时间用于采食,用于移动和站立的时间分别为19%和15%。这种活动节律可能与光照以及人类放牧干扰有关。     

Effect of two cooling protocols on the post-thaw characteristics of Iberian ibex sperms

The rate at which lethal intracellular ice forms during sperm cryopreservation is highly dependent on the cooling protocol. The present work compares two cooling protocols for use with Iberian ibex (Capra pyrenaica) sperm by assessing the effects on the motility, viability, and size of frozen-thawed sperm cells. Ejaculates, obtained from six adult ibex males via transrectal, ultrasound-guided massage of the accessory sex glands plus electroejaculation if necessary, were cooled via either 1) Protocol 1 (decelerating cooling), involving cooling in liquid nitrogen vapor from 5 °C to −35 °C (40 °C/min), from −35 °C to −65 °C (17 °C/min), and then from −65 °C to −85 °C (3 °C/min); or 2) Protocol 2 (accelerating cooling) involving cooling in a biological freezer from 5 °C to −5 °C (4 °C/min), from −5 °C to −110 °C (25 °C/min), and then from −110 °C to −140 °C (35 °C/min). Compared to fresh ejaculates, sperm quality at thawing was found to be reduced by both protocols (p < .05), but especially by Protocol 1. Sperm head size was also significantly reduced by both protocols, although the Protocol 1 sperm heads were also significantly smaller than those of Protocol 2 sperms heads (p < .05). In fresh sperm samples, clustering analyses revealed two subpopulations of sperms with different morphometric characteristics, SP1 with larger cells, and SP2 with smaller cells. Both cooling protocols caused reduction in the proportion of SP1 cells, and an increase in the proportion of SP2 cells. In conclusion, the decelerating cooling protocol (Protocol 1) caused greater cryodamage to the sperm cells than the accelerating protocol (Protocol 2).     

Influence of recovery method and microbial contamination on the response to freezing–thawing in ibex (Capra pyrenaica) epididymal spermatozoa

The method of sperm recovery may influence the initial quality of sperm samples and their response to freezing–thawing. The aim of the present work was to compare two methods for collecting epididymal spermatozoa in order to improve the quality of recovered sperm and reduce possible contamination. Testes were obtained from 23 legally hunted, adult ibex males. The sperm mass of the right epididymis was collected by small longitudinal and transverse cuts made in the cauda epididymidis. The sperm mass of the left epididymis was collected by retrograde flushing from the vas deferens to the cauda epididymidis (using a cannula), employing a Tris, citric acid, glucose, egg yolk-based medium. The flushing method recovered more spermatozoa (P < 0.001) than the cutting method. After freezing–thawing, greater acrosomes damage (P < 0.001) and more morphological abnormalities (P < 0.05) were seen among the sperm cells recovered by the cutting method than among those obtained by retrograde flushing. The method of sperm recovery did not, however, influence the microbial contamination rate. In frozen–thawed samples that were microbially contaminated, motility was significantly reduced (P < 0.05) and membrane integrity tended to be poorer (P = 0.06). In conclusion, retrograde flushing is recommended for ibex sperm collection since it would appear that microbial contamination is no more of a problem than that encountered with the cutting method, while a larger number of sperm cells more resistant to freezing–thawing can be obtained.     

新疆托木尔峰国家级自然保护区雪豹的种群密度

雪豹(Panthera uncia)是一种仅公布于中亚高山地区的珍稀濒危大型猫科动物,被IUCN红皮书列为濒危物种,并被收录入CITES公约附录Ⅰ,在中国雪豹被列为国家一级重点保护动物(杨奇森和冯祚建,1998).     

新疆托木尔峰国家级自然保护区北山羊种群密度与栖息地利用(英文)

2005年10—12月对新疆托木尔峰国家级自然保护区北山羊(Capraibex)的种群密度与栖息地利用进行调查。种群密度调查显示该地区北山羊平均群大小为8.43只,种群密度为269.76只/100km2;栖息地选择调查结果显示北山羊广泛活动在海拔2500—3000m的区域范围内,对距悬崖距离、坡度、地形和植被类型有一定选择倾向,它倾向在悬崖附近(<100m)、坡度大于30°而小于45°和崎岖的山地活动,会避开草地和平坦山坡。北山羊这种栖息地利用模式可能与满足自身安全需要有关。     

Distribution,status and conservation problems of the Spanish Ibex,Capra pyrenaica (Mammalia: Artiodactyla)†

In this paper, the distribution and status of the Spanish Ibex, Capra pyrenaica (Mammalia: Artiodactyla), are revised. The whole Iberian population numbers nearly 50 000, distributed in more than 50 nuclei, and has generally increased during the last decades. Nevertheless, within this wider context, different conditions apply to different populations, including recent extinction (the Pyrenean population), recovery from recent severe epizooty of sarcoptic mange (e.g. the Sierras de Cazorla and Segura y Las Villas range population) and populations at high densities (e.g. Gredos mountain range and Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park, among others). The main factors affecting the conservation of this species are also reported and discussed. On the basis of current information we propose the status of ‘vulnerable’ for the Spanish Ibex.     

新疆托木尔峰国家级自然保护区北山羊分布调查

北山羊作为国家I级保护动物,目前对其研究仍然较少。2004年10—11月、2005年7月以及2005年10—12月三次对新疆托木尔峰国家级自然保护区北山羊(Capraibex)的分布进行调查。通过定点搜寻、样线调查以及访问调查,其结果显示北山羊在保护区5个主要区域中的3个有分布,这3个区域是:琼台兰河谷地区、克其克台兰河谷地区、木扎特河谷地区;在托木尔河谷和库孜巴依河谷两个区域中,定点搜寻和样线调查均没有发现北山羊分布,但访问调查该区域有北山羊。通过此次调查得出托木尔峰自然保护区的大部分地区是北山羊分布区,说明该保护区在北山羊保护中的确起了重要作用,但北山羊在保护区中的不均匀分布现状值得注意,这种现象可能与人为活动干扰有关。     

Sperm characteristics and heterologous in vitro fertilisation capacity of Iberian ibex (Capra pyrenaica) epididymal sperm,frozen in the presence of the enzymatic antioxidant catalase

The aim of this work was to evaluate the protective effect of catalase (CAT) on frozen/thawed ibex epididymal sperm recovered post mortem, and to detect any harmful effect this might have on sperm fertilisation capacity. Epididymal spermatozoa were diluted using a Tris–citric acid–glucose medium (TCG) composed of 3.8% Tris (w/v), 2.2% citric acid (w/v), 0.6% glucose (w/v), 5% glycerol (v/v), and 6% egg yolk (v/v). Sperm masses from the right epididymis were diluted with TCG medium, while those from the left were diluted with TCG medium supplemented with 200 IU/mL CAT. Heterologous in vitro fertilisation (IVF) was used to assess the fertilisation capacity of this sperm. The addition of CAT to the extender did not improve frozen/thawed sperm variables. Moreover, a reduced fertilisation capacity was detected: sperm diluted with TCG provided 25.5% 2PN zygotes, while just 13.2% was recorded for that diluted with TCG-CAT (P < 0.01). The percentage of cleaved embryos at 48 hpi was higher (P < 0.01) with the TCG sperm than with the TCG-CAT sperm (16.7% vs. 7.6%). The use of 200 IU/mL CAT as an additive cannot, therefore, be recommended for the preservation of ibex epididymal sperm. Other antioxidants should, however, be tested in both this and related wild mountain ungulates.     

fr

A new Reynesocoeloceras, R. praeincertum, hasbeen found in the Portuguese Middle Carixian (Luridum sub-zone); it is very primitive for the genus. This species keeps some strong affinities with the latest Metaderoceras (gr. venarense and gr. evolutum).R. praeincertum displays a progressive transition between Metaderoceras and Reynesocoeloceras.