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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 (Ovis vignei punjabiensis) 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. S. papillosus and H.contortus, and a single protozoan, Eimeria spp. were the dominant parasites in fecal samples. Ticks collected from urial enclosures and dead animals were of single species H. anatolicum. Theileria 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 Haemonchus contortus and Strongyloides papillosus, while external parasites as Hyalomma anatolicum 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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Multiple factors, both natural and anthropogenic, are driving most of the wild species to the verge of extinction across the globe. In order to conserve these threatened species, various conservation interventions and strategies are adopted, among which is re-introduction of captive stocks of species into the wild habitats where they vanished from. Captive breeding is one of the promising tools for endangered species preservation. Providing social enrichment to the captive stocks is an important step in the management, in particular for stocks, which are aimed for re-introduction. The subject species of this study, i.e., Punjab urial (Ovis vignei punjabiensis) and Indian gazelle (Gazella bennettii) are being reared in captivity with the aim of re-introduction. As there is scarcity of information regarding the behavioral aspects of captive species, especially ungulates, this study aimed at understanding the dynamics of their interactions. The current study reported that Punjab urial, being the dominant species, exerts itself on the submissive and subordinate species, the Indian gazelle. This negative interference can possibly lead to negative ramifications in the form of stress and injuries in the short term, while negative effects on population growth in the long term. Thus, this study recommends separate rearing of these species to eliminate the hazardous competition between them. Natural wildlife habitats are regularly subjected to anthropogenic pressures for different purposes, which are heading the biodiversity towards drastic decline. Several endangered wild species are raised in captivity with the aim of re-introduction. In some instances, mixed herds' rearing approach in captivity is adopted for providing social enrichment to captive stocks; however, the impacts of species on each other are least documented. We tested our prediction that keeping mixed herds of captive wild sheep and antelopes provides adequate social enrichment to the captive stocks: if interspecific interactions are balanced. In the current study, we studied the interspecific competition between mixed herds of captive Punjab urial (Ovis vignei punjabiensis) and Indian gazelle (Gazella bennettii) at Manglot Wildlife Park, Nowshera District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan. We documented the negative effects of behavioural interference by Punjab urial on the feeding behaviour of Indian gazelle. The outcome of the current study revealed that Punjab urial are highly intolerant towards Indian gazelle, with high interference during feeding. Out of the total aggressive events, 77% (N = 1259) of events ended up with win/loss, in which Punjab urial dominated the Indian gazelle 3.5 times. Moreover, lopsided dominance by Punjab urial resulted in increased intraspecific competition among Indian gazelle (p < 0.001). Current study divulged Indian gazelle to be the subordinate species, with less intake of food. Instead of providing social enrichment by heterospecifics, the Punjab urial is negatively affecting the Indian gazelle, therefore, the results of our study discourage the practice of admix captive breeding for wild sheep and antelopes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Current issues concerning animal welfare are receiving remarkable consideration among scientific communities and wildlife conservation organizations. In addition to the ethical and legal grounds of animal welfare, it is important to produce healthy and viable populations in captivity by ensuring optimum welfare. Wild species are reared in captivity but, unlike domestic animals, there is a lack of welfare assessment protocols for these wild species. In the current study, we developed and applied the first baseline welfare assessment protocol for Punjab urial (Ovis vignei punjabiensis). While developing this protocol, we gathered all possible and existing information about the biology and ecology of this species in its natural habitat. Since no welfare assessment protocol and husbandry guidelines exist for this species, we used a welfare assessment protocol for domestic sheep as the base and reference in developing the current protocol for captive Punjab urial. Later, we applied this protocol to three different herds of Punjab urial at two different facilities. Based on the initial results obtained, some areas were found to have shortcomings and recommended for quick corrective measures and improvements. To ensure that captive breeding and other associated programs are more robust and sustainable, it is of utmost importance to ensure optimum welfare. Although it is well known that standard welfare is crucial for successful captive breeding, there is still a lack of welfare assessment protocols for wild species. The current study aimed to develop a leading baseline welfare assessment protocol for assessing welfare in captive Punjab urial. This protocol is based on the welfare protocol for domestic sheep from the Welfare Quality® project, coupled with all the information obtained from the published literature on the species' biology and ecology. This protocol consists of 4 principles, 12 criteria, and 31 animal- and resource-based indicators. The protocol was tested and applied to three different herds of Punjab urial at two different facilities. Initial results showed that some areas need to be improved for better captive breeding and management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]