Investigation on Parasites and Some Causes of Mortality in Captive Punjab urial (), Pakistan.

Background: The present study was conducted in Jul 2019 and Jan 2020 in two wildlife parks of the Nowshera district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, where the endangered Punjab urial () is successfully bred in captivity. We determined diversity of internal and external parasites that take advantage of the situation of congestion, resulting in massive mortalities of wild animals in captivity.

Methods: Internal parasites of living urial were determined by direct wet smear and flotation methods, while dead urial was necropsied for any pertaining observation.

Results: All examined fecal samples were found infected with gastrointestinal parasites, which had significant difference in the total abundance in winter and summer. and and a single protozoan, spp. were the dominant parasites in fecal samples. Ticks collected from urial enclosures and dead animals were of single species . spp. was observed in blood, while hydatid cysts were found in lungs and liver of necropsied urial.

Conclusion: The study indicates that internal parasites such as and , while external parasites as ticks played major role in the population decline. Strict veterinary control of infectious diseases, provision of hygienic and supplementary diet, and proper maintenance of urial population are necessary measures for the control of mortalities.