Parasites of wildlife - I. A preliminary investigation on the parasites of wild animals at the Zoological Garden, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala

Abstract

A survey of parasites of wild mammals in the Zoological Garden, Thiruvananthapuram, based on faecal examination revealed that 74 per cent of the wild animals were harbouring helminthic infections including protozoan infections in 23 per cent of the cases. Strongyle, amphistome, Strongyloides and Fasciola in herbivores, Ancylostoma, Toxascaris, Diphyllobothrium and Paragonimus in carnivores and strongyle, Strongyloides and Hymenolepis in omnivores were the infections noted to be specifically present. Introduction