Mexican grey wolves are considered the most endangered wolf in the world. The aim of this longitudinal study was to assess the physiological stress level of 24 captive-born wolves confined at four zoos and two parks, by measuring faecal glucocorticoid (fGC) metabolite concentrations in 1005 samples, for 1 week in every season of the year over a 2-year period. Total overall mean fGC concentration of individual scats was 153.83 ± 8.16 standard error mean (SEM) ng/g dry matter (DM). Paired samples from the same individuals showed a decline in fGC levels between years (173.09 ± 12.15 and 135.94 ± 10.93 for 2010 and 2011, respectively; P = 0.02). Significant differences were also observed between reproductive and nonreproductive seasons (116.78 ± 12.48 vs. 173.20 ± 10.50, respectively; P < 0.0001), and between genders (males: 214.53 ± 13.43 vs. females: 121.51 ± 10.03; P < 0.0001). Tukey’s post hoc comparisons showed that elder wolves excreted higher levels than young adults and reproductive adults (P = 0.016). High-social-ranked wolves showed higher (P < 0.0001) fGC levels (202.03 ± 19.94; n = 229) than medium- (175.33 ± 19.94 ng/g DM; n = 214) and low- (162.06 ± 16.15; n = 377) ranked wolves did; however, no correlation was found between social rank and fGC levels. Anthropogenic acute stressors during husbandry procedures a day before sampling resulted in considerable elevations of fGC concentrations above 1270.34 ng/g DM, returning to baseline levels after 2 days. Our results suggest that wolves are becoming habituated to confinement at the zoos; these findings may contribute to a more comprehensive definition of confinement, which has traditionally been perceived as a stressful habitat for wild animals. Using fGC concentrations as an overall physiological state in long-term studies may provide crucial information on the resilience of captive animal populations.
CITATION STYLE
Escobar-Ibarra, I., Mayagoitia-Novales, L., Alcántara-Barrera, A., Cerda-Molina, A. L., Mondragón-Ceballos, R., Ramírez-Necoechea, R., & Alonso-Spilsbury, M. (2017). Long-term quantification of faecal glucocorticoid metabolite concentrations reveals that Mexican grey wolves may habituate to captivity. European Zoological Journal, 84(1), 311–320. https://doi.org/10.1080/24750263.2017.1332111
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