After clinical illness, treatment, and death of a captive male bongo antelope (Tragelaphus eurycerus isaaci) caused by tuberculosis involving Mycobacterium bovis, four tuberculin test reactive captive bongos were treated for 6 mo with isoniazid (INH) and rifampin (RIF) and intermittent single doses of other medications before being euthanized. In all cases, postmortem examination indicated no evidence of active disease and cultures of multiple organs were negative. We present detailed pharmacokinetic (PK) data for amikacin (AMK), ethambutol (EMB), INH, pyrazinamide (PZA), RIF, and levofloxacin in four female bongos. Adequate absorption and serum levels were obtained after parenteral administration of AMK, EMB, and INH and after oral administration of INH and PZA. Parenterally administered drugs were well described by a one-compartment PK model with first-order absorption and elimination processes. Treatment with INH and RIF over a 6-mo period did not result in demonstrable adverse effects. Starting doses of 10–15 mg/kg, i.m., or 30 mg/kg, p.o., of INH, 50 mg/kg, p.o., of EMB, and 25 mg/kg, i.m., s.i.d., of AMK are recommended. The treatment is continued with at least two drugs to which the organism is susceptible for a total treatment length of 6–12 mo. Treatment may be an option to eradicate M. bovis from suspect animals, with carefully administered and monitored drug treatment.

The epidemiology of neoplastic disease was studied retrospectively in the captive population of black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes). Postmortem reports were reviewed and archived tissues examined from 184 of the 227 adult (>1 yr old) black-footed ferrets that died from the beginning of the current captive propagation program in late 1985 to the end of 1996. A total of 185 neoplasms, of 28 distinct phenotypes, were seen in 102 (55.4%) of these ferrets. There was more than one tumor type present in 51 ferrets. Tumors of the apocrine glands (28.3%), renal tubular neoplasms (20.7%), and biliary cystadenoma or carcinoma (20.1%) were the most common neoplasms. The probability of developing most types of neoplasms increased with age. Neoplasms of the apocrine glands were more common in males and may be hormonally influenced. The unusually high prevalence of biliary cystadenocarcinoma may be secondary to the common occurrence of intrahepatic biliary cysts in this population. Although neoplasia is an important cause of mortality in captive adult black-footed ferrets, its impact on captive propagation of the species, and on the wild population, is probably limited because clinically significant tumors are encountered almost exclusively in postreproductive ferrets (>3 yr old) and because ferrets released into their natural habitat rarely reach susceptible age.

This study monitored fecal cortisol and corticosterone levels in 14 black rhinoceroses (Diceros bicornis) and in seven white rhinoceroses (Certotherium simum) under various conditions of captivity, including translocation. Free cortisol and free corticosterone were measured in methylene chloride extracts of feces, using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The extraction–assay method was validated for quantitative measurement of these hormones by mass spectroscopy analysis, chemical derivitization, and radiolabel tracking and recovery. Both cortisol and corticosterone were extractable from feces and routinely detectable by HPLC. In three nonstressed, captivity-adapted white rhinoceroses monitored across 21 days of routine activity, fecal cortisol ranged from 2.0 to 7.3 ng/g dry feces and corticosterone from 4.0 to 10.8 ng/g dry feces, with no observable trend. Matched plasma, urine, and fecal samples in these rhinoceroses yielded corticosterone:cortisol ratios of 2.0:1.0, 2.7:1.0, and 2.2:1.0, respectively. Both black rhinoceroses (n = 5) and white rhinoceroses (n = 4) exhibited higher fecal cortisol (6.9- to 10.0-fold) and corticosterone (3.2- to 4.5-fold) levels in association with restraint–translocation than in limited free-roaming conditions. In five black rhinoceroses monitored across 6 wk after release from translocation, fecal levels of both cortisol and corticosterone decreased significantly between week 1 and weeks 4–6. In general, cortisol and corticosterone paralleled each other, with cortisol exhibiting a greater range of response. Measurement of either hormone in feces appears to be reliable for adrenal axis monitoring in the white and the black rhinoceroses.

In 1993 a reintroduction project for the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) was initiated in northeastern Spain (Girona, Catalonia) to restore extirpated populations. Between 1996 and 2000, 43 otters were captured from southwestern and northern Spain and from Portugal with modified foot-hold traps and transported to Barcelona Zoo. Lesions produced by capture were classified into four categories of increasing severity. Thirty four (79%) animals had category I, three (7%) had category II, five (12%) had category III, and only one (2%) had category IV injuries. During captivity five (11%) animals died, including one from a precapture problem. Radiotransmitter devices were implanted i.p. into 36 otters to monitor postrelease movement and survival. At least three radio-implanted otters have bred successfully in Girona province, Catalonia, after release in that area.

Fecal samples from 212 selected marine mammals, marine birds, and raptors were cultured for Salmonella spp. on arrival at rehabilitation centers in California from May 1999 through July 2000. Salmonella spp. were cultured from nine (4%) animals, and seven serotypes were isolated: Johannesberg, Montevideo, Newport, Ohio, Saint Paul, Enteritidis Group D, and 4,5,12:1 Monophasic. One western gull (Larus occidentalis) had two serotypes. Antibiotic susceptibilities and chromosomal fingerprints were evaluated for Salmonella isolates. Some isolates were resistant to gentamicin, amoxicillin–clavulanic acid, and ampicillin. Chromosomal fingerprints with XbaI and XhoI restriction enzymes differed between serotypes but not between individuals carrying the same serotype of Salmonella.

Necropsy records for 102 Attwater's prairie chickens (Tympanuchus cupido attwateri) that had been captive-reared and had died at the San Antonio Zoo over a 4-yr period were evaluated to determine the causes of mortality. Gross necropsy, histopathology, and bacterial culture findings are summarized. Mortality was highest in young birds (<6 mo) and embryos. Husbandry- and gastrointestinal-related diseases were the most common causes of mortality.

Two adult North American river otters (Lontra canadensis) and an adult red panda (Ailurus fulgens fulgens) at three separate institutions died within 22 hr after receiving single 2.5- to 2.7-mg/kg doses of melarsomine dihydrochloride administered in the epaxial musculature as a treatment for filarid nematodes. One otter had a suspected Dirofilaria immitis infection, the other had a confirmed D. lutrae infection, and the red panda had a confirmed Dirofilaria sp. infection, presumably with D. immitis. Postmortem examinations revealed similar gross lesions, although they were less severe in the red panda. The trachea and primary bronchi contained abundant foamy fluid, the lungs were mottled with areas of consolidation, and the pulmonary parenchyma exuded abundant fluid at the cut section. Histologic evaluation revealed acute pulmonary edema, which resulted in respiratory failure and death. There may have been direct pulmonary cellular toxicity of melarsomine dihydrochloride or a severe systemic anaphylactic reaction to antigens released after parasite death. An idiosyncratic drug reaction or a low therapeutic index of melarsomine probably caused the death of the three individuals. Melarsomine dihydrochloride use should be avoided in North American river otters and red pandas.

Two young (14-mo-old and 6-mo-old), unrelated, male African lions (Panthera leo) were presented to the Veterinary Teaching Hospitals of Oklahoma State University and Kansas State University with progressive ambulatory difficulty. In both cases, limited neurologic evaluation demonstrated pelvic limb paresis and ataxia with conscious proprioceptive deficits. Spinal imaging showed nearly identical lesions in both cases. Radiography and myelography demonstrated cervical stenosis secondary to atlantal (C₁) malformation producing a dorsoventral deformity of the laminar arch with atlantoaxial spinal cord compression between the ventrally displaced laminar arch of the atlas and the underlying odontoid process of C₂. Computed tomography of the atlanto-axial junction confirmed cervical stenosis and cord compression, showing flattening of the spinal cord between the laminar arch of C₁ and the dens of C₂. Decompressive surgery consisting of dorsal laminectomy of C₁ was performed. Each lion demonstrated progressive improvement of neurologic status to recovery of normal ambulation after surgical intervention. Neurologic disease in large captive felids is rare; atlanto-axial spondylomyelopathy has not been reported previously.

A 24-day-old, 2.2-kg, female Reeves' muntjac (Muntiacus reevesi) acutely developed left hind limb lameness that resolved with rest and anti-inflammatory drugs but recurred at 8 mo of age. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the lumbar, sacral, and coccygeal spine revealed a fluid-filled dilatation of the central canal of the spinal cord, which was interpreted as a hydromyelic cyst. Surgical exploration and drainage of the cyst were attempted. Despite initially improved mobility, severe plantar ulceration of both hocks developed. The animal was euthanatized. Gross necropsy of the central nervous system revealed a 1.5-cm-long, mild depression with associated yellowing of the dorsal spinal cord in the lumbosacral region, dilatation of the central spinal canal that extended from the cranial thoracic spinal cord with diameter increasing caudally, and mild herniation of the brainstem at the foramen magnum. Histopathologic lesions of the central nervous system were restricted to the spinal cord, with equivocal enlargement of the fourth ventricle. Pathologic changes included irregular dilatation of the central canal, flattening to the absence of the ependymal cells, spongiosis of the gray matter neuropil, and dystrophic calcification. The gross and histologic findings confirmed the diagnosis of hydromyelia.

Three adult red pandas (Ailurus fulgens) developed multiple periarticular exostoses in their elbow joints. Two of these animals also had extensive periosteal new bone formation and osteosclerosis of the ulnae and radii and mild periosteal new bone deposition on the femurs. One animal also showed extensive hyperostosis of the cranium and mandibles. Dietary concentrations of calcium and phosphorus were estimated to be adequate, but dietary vitamin A and D appeared excessive when compared with recommended levels for this species. Serum vitamin A concentrations were not elevated in the two most severely affected animals, but their liver vitamin A content was higher than what is considered normal for most domestic animal species. Serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D concentrations were within normal ranges for domestic species. A definitive diagnosis for the cause of the lesions was not established, but hypervitaminosis A was suspected.

An approximately 11-mo-old female giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) exhibited anorexia, lethargy, hypothermia, depression, and minimal response to external stimuli. Radiography and ultrasonography revealed an enlarged heart, with free gas and fluid in the abdomen. Abdominocentesis produced a clear brown fluid with an acute to subacute septic suppurative exudate. Cardiac ultrasonography revealed a dilated, thin-walled left ventricle with a comparatively low fractional shortening. Despite intensive supportive care, the anteater died. Postmortem findings included gastric ulceration with perforation near the pylorus. Entameba spp. and Acanthamoeba spp. were both identified in large numbers at the site of the gastric ulceration and perforation.

Two laparoscopic ovariohysterectomies and three laparoscopic hysterectomies were performed on normal, healthy, adult African lions (Panthera leo) in dorsal recumbency, with the body tilted at 25° with the head down. One 12-mm trocar and two 5-mm trocars were used to access the uterus and ovaries, and the UltraCision®(Harmonic Scalpel® clamp or coagulation shears was used to coagulate and divide the ovarian- and the uterine-supporting structures and the uterine body. The animals recovered uneventfully from anesthesia and were released to their exhibits within 5–10 days of surgery. Such procedures can be performed safely on large felids and can reduce postoperative recovery time and postoperative complications. The scalpel facilitated the procedure by coagulating and dividing tissue in a continuous sequence and reducing the number of instruments required.

A 17-mo-old captive-born female red panda (Ailurus fulgens fulgens) presented with a sudden onset of lameness in its left hind leg was diagnosed radiographically as having possible severe, bilateral Legg–Calve–Perthes disease with fracture of the great trochanter of the left femur. Surgical repair of the fracture was performed using pins and a tension band wire through a lateral approach to the hip. This is the first case reported at Madrid Zoo-Aquarium, where 63 individuals have been bred over 15 yr.