New Tool Monitors Stress in Injured Owls Undergoing Rehabilitation
Fecal hormone monitoring is a noninvasive tool used to assess stress responses in many species of wild and captive animals. Researchers at the University of Minnesota assessed stress hormone levels and stress responses in injured great horned owls, as they went through the stages of rehabilitation. Using fecal hormone analysis, they compared the differences in stress hormone profiles between free-ranging owls in a highly stressed state and owls acclimated to captivity. The findings provide a methodology to clearly quantify the stress response of an individual animal at any given time and could lead to intervention strategies. All of the birds in the study were successfully rehabilitated and released back into the wild. This study contributes to the understanding of the dynamics of stress responses and how animals adapt to captivity, thereby improving the management, health care and health outcomes of injured raptors throughout the rehabilitation process. (D09ZO-010)
Posted by MAFon March 10, 2011.
Categories: Animal health, Animal welfare, Wildlife health
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