ABSTRACT Canine distemper virus (CDV) is recognized as a conservation threat to Amur tigers ( Panthera tigris altaica ) in Russia, but the risk to other subspecies remains unknown. We detected CDV neutralizing antibodies in nine of 21 wild-caught Sumatran tigers (42.9%), including one sampled on the day of capture, confirming exposure in the wild.

It is long past the time when we should be recognizing that the potential impacts of animal health interventions focused on livestock may in fact be far from environmentally benign. “First, do no harm” must apply to animal health policy-making as much as these wise words apply to clinical practice. An effort to assess the Global Burden of Animal Diseases, analogous to a long-standing and highly regarded endeavor in the public health realm, has only just been recently announced. This development offers an important opportunity for the formulation of data-driven policy guidance in support of holistic animal health and land-use management decisions that are more likely to be socially, ecologically, and economically sustainable for generations to come.

Twenty free-ranging adult African elephants ( Loxodonta africana ) in northern Botswana were immobilized with a mean (±SD) of 9.5 ± 0.5 mg etorphine hydrochloride and 2,000 IU hyaluronidase by intramuscular (IM) dart. The mean time to recumbency was 8.7 ± 2.4 min. All animals were maintained in lateral recumbency. The anesthesia monitoring protocol included cardiothoracic auscultation; palpation of auricular pulse for quality and regularity; checking of rectal temperature, and monitoring of respiratory and heart rates. Results of basic physiologic measurements were similar to those of previous field studies of African elephants immobilized with etorphine or etorphine-hyaluronidase. In addition, continuous real-time pulse rate and percent oxygen saturation of hemoglobin (SpO 2 ) readings were obtained on 16 elephants with a portable pulse oximeter. Duration of pulse oximetry monitoring ranged from 3 to 24 min (mean ±SD = 8.2 ± 4.8 min). Differences between minimum and maximum SpO 2 values for any given elephant ranged from 1 to 6 percentage points, evidence for relatively stable trends. The SpO 2 readings ranged from 70% to 96% among the 16 elephants, with a mean of 87.3 ± 2.8%. Fifteen of 16 elephants monitored with a pulse oximeter had mean SpO 2 values ≥81 ± 2.4%, with 11 having mean Sp SpO 2 values ≥85 ± 1.5%. All 20 animals recovered uneventfully following reversal: diprenorphine at 23.3 ± 1.5 mg intravenous (IV) with 11.7 ± 0.5 mg IM, or 24 mg diprenorphine given all IV.