Capture and transport of white rhinoceroses () cause shifts in their fecal microbiota composition towards dysbiosis.

Translocations of are commonly performed for conservation purposes but expose the animals to a variety of stressors (e.g. prolonged fasting, confinement, novel environment, etc.

Mapping the potential for Payments for Ecosystem Services schemes to improve water quality in agricultural catchments: A multi-criteria approach based on the supply and demand concept.

Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) schemes are an increasingly popular form of catchment management for improving surface water and groundwater quality. In these schemes, downstream water users who are impacted by agricultural diffuse pollution incentivise upstream farmers to adopt better practices. However, this type of scheme will not be successful in all situations, in part, due to a lack of potential for agriculture to improve the suuply of good water quality and/or a lack in demand from downstream users for good water quality.

CHALLENGES TO ANIMAL WELFARE ASSOCIATED WITH CAPTURE AND LONG ROAD TRANSPORT IN BOMA-ADAPTED BLACK () AND SEMI-CAPTIVE WHITE () RHINOCEROSES.

Capture and transport are part of translocation and expose animals to a variety of stressors that can lead to morbidity and mortality. We aimed to establish a better understanding of the physiologic responses to capture and transport in black () and white () rhinoceroses in Southern Africa. Fourteen adult black rhinoceroses were transported 600 km by vehicle and 32 white rhinoceroses (24 adults and 8 juveniles) were transported 1,300 km by vehicle.

Improvement of waste management practices in a fast expanding sub-megacity in Pakistan, on the basis of qualitative and quantitative indicators.

This paper deals with an analysis of waste management practices in the fast-growing city of Gujranwala with 2.6 million inhabitants, with a fast growing middle income group of 56%, and an urbanization rate of 3.49% per annum.

Impact assessment of energy utilization in agriculture for India and Pakistan.

Sustainable food production is a key concern across countries in South Asia. Most assessments of sustainable agriculture in this region focus on the availability and affordability of resource inputs. However, studies accounting for environmental footprint of agricultural activities in South Asian countries are limited in the existing literature.

Inbreeding depression increases susceptibility to bovine tuberculosis in lions: an experimental test using an inbred-outbred contrast through translocation.

Disease can dramatically influence the dynamics of endangered wildlife populations, especially when they are small and isolated, with increased risk of inbreeding. In Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park (HiP), a small, enclosed reserve in South Africa, a large lion (Panthera leo) population arose from a small founder group in the 1960s and started showing conspicuous signs of inbreeding. To restore the health status of the HiP lion population, outbred lions were translocated into the existing population.

Effect of maturational timing on bone mineral content accrual from childhood to adulthood: evidence from 15 years of longitudinal data.

A higher bone mass may reduce the risk of osteoporosis and fractures. The role of maturational timing for optimizing bone mass is controversial due to the lack of prospective evidence from childhood to adulthood. The purpose of this study was to examine the long term relationship between the onset of maturation and bone mineral content (BMC) development.

Molecular characterisation of Mycobacterium bovis isolated from African buffaloes (Syncerus caffer) in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Bovine tuberculosis (BTB), a chronic disease of mammals caused by Mycobacterium bovis, is a threat to South African wildlife. It has been reported that African buffaloes (Syncerus caffer) are reservoir hosts of BTB in South African wildlife populations. This study reports on the molecular identification and typing of 31 M.

Low cross-reactivity of T-cell responses against lipids from Mycobacterium bovis and M. avium paratuberculosis during natural infection.

Although CD1 proteins are known to present mycobacterial lipid antigens to T cells, there is little understanding of the in vivo behavior of T cells restricted by CD1a, CD1b and CD1c, and the relative immunogenicity and immunodominance of individual lipids within the total array of lipids that comprise a bacterium. Because bovines express multiple CD1 proteins and are natural hosts of Mycobacterium bovis and Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis (MAP), we used them as a new animal model of CD1 function. Here, we report the surprisingly divergent responses against lipids produced by these two pathogens during infection.

Back on the ward. Interview by Sue Learner.

A devastating accident turned Dave Cooper's life upside down, but with the support of his employers he has been able to return to his job as a mental health nurse in a secure unit for offenders.