Greg Sego BIOL 1615 Morbidity and Mortality Factors in Key Deer (Odocoileus Virgianus la!

iu"#
Victor F. Nettles, Chartlotte F. Quist, Roel R. Lopez, Tom J. Wilmers, Phil Frank, Wayne Ro erts, !haron Chit"oo#, an# William R. $a%i#son

$BS%&$ %' Key Deer are an endangered s(ecies) %*e (o(ulation +as studied in regards to causes o, deat* ,ro" February 1-.6 to Se(te"ber /000) %*e study +as "ostly conducted using necro(sy results) %*e (ri"ary cause o, "ortality during t*is (eriod +as altercations +it* "otor !e*icles) 1o+e!eer2 se!eral diseases did a,,ect t*e (o(ulation and t*ere is concern t*at2 gi!en a((ro(riate en!iron"ental conditions2 t*ese could i"(act !iability o, t*e Key Deer (o(ulation)

Florida Key deer are t*e s"allest race o, 3ort* $"erican +*ite4tailed deer and *a!e been on t*e list o, endangered s(ecies since 1-65) %*e nu"ber o, Key deer +as considered to be less t*an 100 in t*e 1-60s and 1-50s2 but *a!e slo+ly increased in nu"ber since t*at ti"e) %*ey are li"ited to a((ro7i"ately 1/ islands o, t*e Lo+er Florida Keys (Florida2 8S$#) Declining (o(ulation is a concern as t*e s(ecies is sub9ected to *abitat loss2 en!iron"ental c*ange and concern ,or loss o, genetic di!ersity) &ecords o, deer "ortality *a!e been recorded continously since 1-6- by t*e 3ational Key Deer &e,uge (3KD&#: *o+e!er2 t*e records +ere li"ited due to causes o, deat* only assigned general catagories) In 1-.6 t*e Sout*eastern oo(erati!e ;ildli,e Disease Study (S ;DS# began to assist +it* assess"ent o, Key Deer *ealt* in 1-.6) Mor(*ologic diagnosis o, <o*ne=s disease in an e"aciated adult doe in 3o!e"ber 1--6 (ro!ided i"(etus ,or a "ore detailed study o, "orbidity and "ortality) <o*ne=s disease is a ,atal bacterial disease o, t*e gastrointestinal tract t*at is bot* contagious and *ardy) %*ere,ore2 t*e (ri"ary results o, t*is re(ort are co"(rised o, *ealt*4related in,or"ation +it* e"(*asis (laced on ani"als e7a"ined bet+een February 1--5 to Se(te"ber /000)

&egarding t*e "et*ods used2 t*e S ;DS tea" de"onstrated and instructed 3KD& on basic necrsco(y and deer *erd *ealt* e!aluation (rocedures) ;*en lab tests re>uired2 sa"(les +ere (reser!ed by re,ridgeration and sent to t*e 8ni!ersity o, Georgia=s ollege o, Veterinary Medicine or its collaborating laboratories) S+abs o, abscesses +ere (lated on blood and Mac on?y agars and identi,ied by $@I (analytical (ro,ile inde7# syste"s) Deer t*at +ere ca(tured2 "ar?ed A released by re,uge biologists +ere e7a"ined ,or ecto(arasites) Blood sa"(les +ere ta?en and tested ,or !arious antibodies and diseases) $lso2 (art o, t*e study included e!ening road counts conducted "ont*ly by t*e 3KD&) %*is ser!ed as a (o(ulation inde7 on Big @ine and 3o 3a"e ?eys) Bet+een February 1--5 to Se(te"ber /000 necro(sies +ere (er,or"ed on 150 o, 66/ Key Deer t*at +ere ?no+n to *a!e died) Substantially "ore "ales (eris*ed t*an ,e"ales) In ,act2 1// o, t*e 150 sa"(les necro(sied +ere "ale: t*is is 51)5B) O, t*e 150 Key deer carcasses e7a"ined2 1/5 +ere ?no+n or (resu"ed *it by auto"obiles based on *istory andCor co"(atible lesions) %*e "a9ority o, t*e ani"als struc? and ?illed by !e*icles +ere ,ound to be *ealt*y) Only 16 o, t*e 1/5 road4?illed deer *ad debilitating conditions t*oug*t to (redis(ose t*e" to auto collisions) %*ese conditions included intracranial absesses or (urulent "eningo4ence(*alitis2 (arasitic gastritis (*ae"onc*osis#2 (urulent der"atitis2 osteo"yelitis2 subclinical (arasitic gastritis2 and (re!ious trau"a) %*e second "ost ,re>uent *ealt* (roble" ,or Key deer +as ,ound to be c*ronic (urulent in,ections) %*irty4t*ree o, 150 Key deer *ad eit*er clinical or sub4clinical bacterial in,ections) $ll but one o, t*e DD deer a,,licted +it* t*is condition *a((end to be "ale) Most o, in,ections ,ound occured in t*e cranial region: *o+e!er2 in,ections +ere also ,ound in retro4orbital tissues2 t*e "iddle ear and t*e e7tre"ities (+*ic* resulted in e7tre"e debilitation A deat*#) $ t*ird "ortality ,actor +as t*e "alnutritionC(arasitic syndro"e in ,a+ns (E1 yr old#) %*is syndro"e +as associated +it* large sto"ac* +or" (1) ontortus# in,ection) 1ae"onc*osis contortus is a !ery co""on (arasite a"ong ru"inants (ani"als t*at c*e+ t*e cud#) It +as s*o+n to be ende"ic in Key Deer (o(ulation during ,irst 10 years o,

"onitoring: *o+e!er2 (at*ogenic le!els +ere rarely encountered) %*ere +ere ot*er "iscellaneous "ortality ,actors t*at +ere re(orted in t*e study) %*ese +ere ty(ically isolated and s"all4scale in t*eir a,,ect and included' enteric in,ections (eg2 Sal"onellosis#2 dro+ning2 entangle"ent2 nonclinical (arasites (c*e+ing lice2 blac?4 legged tic?s2 ,leas# and !iral serology) $lso2 t*ree deer +ere ?illed by dogs during t*e study) %*e study concluded t*at *ig*+ay "ortality is t*e "a9or cause o, deat* a"ong Key deer) %*e *ig* "ale deat* rate a"ong t*e sa"(le is attributed to t+o ,actors' t*eir "uc* "ore "obile be*a!ior ("a?ing t*e" !ulnerable to *ig*+ay "ortality# and a ,etal se7 ratio +it* a strong biased to+ards "ales) In addition2 t*e study (ro!ided e!idence t*at in,ectious diseases and (arasites +ere i"(acting t*e *erd) on,ir"ation o, <o*ne=s Disease in Key Deer (ro!ides an unusual o((ortunity to e!aluate t*e e,,ect o, t*e (arasite on t*e (o(ulation: current data neit*er re,utes or con,ir"s t*ere is a *erd4based (roble") $lt*oug* Key Deer are a uni>ue race o, +*ite4tailed deer2 t*e (o(ulation ser!es as a "odel ,or +*at "ay *a((en in ot*er restricted urban +*ite4tailed deer (o(ulations) %*e current (o(ulation *as (robably reac*ed or slig*tly e7ceeded t*e longter" carrying ca(acity o, a!ailable *abitat) %*ere,ore2 deat* losses are bene,itting to o,,set re(roduction and (o(ulation stability) %*ere is no guarantee2 *o+e!er2 t*at t*e Key Deer (o(ulation dyna"ic +ill re"ain stable) Gi!en t*e ,act t*at t*ere is ongoing concern o!er en!iron"ental c*ange and *o+ t*is could i"(act in,ectious disease2 continued "onitoring o, t*e (o(ulation *ealt* is reco""ended)