Search

This study aimed at revealing the cause of infanticide among zoo collections and proffer strategies to mitigate its occurrence. Three zoos in Nigeria were studied using empirical data from 20-year Veterinary retrospective records and circumstances surrounding the occurrence. A total of 17 infanticide cases were reported from three zoos in Nigeria; 8 from UNILORIN Zoo, seven from UI Zoo and two from Kano Zoo. A total of 55 infants were found to have died during the 17 infanticide events. The Nile Crocodile accounted for the highest number of individual infant deaths, while the side-striped jackal accounted for the highest frequency of infanticide events. The occurrence was highest in carnivores, and major offenders were of maternal origins, accounting for 59% of all infanticides. Exploitation was observed as the major motive, either sole or combined with other motives. This study assessed scenarios surrounding maternal infanticide in different animal species and predisposing factors peri-occurrence. We also proposed possible solutions, especially in developing nations’ zoo settings, where this occurrence is grossly under-reported and most often neglected. Correction of observed factors linked with infanticide led to the prevention of further occurrence of infanticide in the three zoos.

An exploratory questionnaire-based survey of zoological workers (n=152) was carried out from April 2016 to March 2017 in Ibadan (Oyo State), Ilorin (Kwara State) and Jos (Plateau State), Nigeria to assess local knowledge and attitude towards zoonoses among zoological workers. A combination of closed and open-ended questions, focused group discussions and ranking techniques were employed to gather information on perceptions concerning the type of zoonotic diseases prevalent in the study area, level of risk, mode of transmission and methods of preventing disease transmission from animals to humans. The results revealed that 44.1% of the respondents had good level of awareness about zoonoses. Rabies (99%), tuberculosis (41%), bird flu (47%) and Ebola virus disease (EVD) (44%) were considered the four most common zoonotic diseases in the study area. Among the respondents, 42.1% and 57.2% perceived zoonoses are transmitted by direct contact and attending to sick animals respectively. Constant hand washing was indicated by 45.4% of the respondents as the mode of prevention of zoonoses in the study area. It is necessary that the Government provide the vaccination facility to all the zoological workers against the relevant zoonotic diseases. The level of awareness about the risks associated is needed to improve through proper education, training, and establishment of written infection control policies in the various zoological gardens in the country.

Quarantine programs in zoological gardens for reptiles including snakes can only be complete with acaricide treatment due to heavy infestation of ticks especially Aponoma species. The ticks can pose health threats to snakes including death few days to weeks after tick bite. The toxic effects of most available acaricides are grievous as snakes find it difficult to metabolize those drugs readily. The present study therefore focused on identifying these tick vectors and employing a modified method of acaricidal application on Python regius in order to reduce toxicity and health risks due to the acaricidal effect. The study was carried out in Royal python (Python regius) located at University of Ilorin Zoo, Ilorin, Nigeria. A total of ten Royal pythons were selected for the study. The snakes were randomly allocated to four groups (A, B, C and D), each group containing three snakes (A,B,C) and the last snake used as control(D). Off-shelf permethrin acaricide was diluted to three different concentrations and applied to the snake followed by a wiping-off mechanism at the concentration of 0.1%, 0.05% and 0.025% for treatment of groups A, B and C, respectively. The concentration of 1mg/ml (0.1%) produced the best result in terms of efficacy (using Abbott formula), tolerance and repeatability. The result obtained at 0.25 mg/ml (0.025%) concentration did not produce a desired effect with an efficacy of 85% compared with 100% obtained in 1mg/ml group, after treatment. This study therefore establishes that 1mg/ml (0.1%) permethrin produced the best result in terms of efficacy, tolerance and repeatability and can also be applicable in other snake species adhering to the protocols used in this study.Keywords: acaricides, permethrin, royal python, Aponoma, zoo, Nigeria

A study was carried out on the gross anatomical, morphometric features and histology of the gastrointestinal tract of the Striped Sand Snake (Psammophis sibilans). Ten snakes (five males and five females) were euthanized and dissected for the study. The gastrointestinal tract appeared as a straight tubular organ from oral cavity to cloaca, owning to the absence of a cecum. The stomach could be distinguished as a spindle-shaped bulge along the length of the gastrointestinal tract, longitudinal folds (rugae) were observed for the inner wall of the stomach. The small intestine in this species is thrown into rings; the cranial portion is the duodenum and posterior portion the ileum. The ileum widens up into the colon, it also loses its rings at this point. The cranial portion of the large intestine is the colon, and the caudal portion is the rectum. The mean snout-vent length (cm) in males was recorded as 94.02 ± 1.1 while in females it was recorded as 48.28 ± 1.4. The stomach was the shortest segment while the esophagus was the constituting almost half of the total length of the snout-vent length. The wall of the esophagus, stomach, small intestine and large intestine was built up of the following layers from outside inwards; serosa, muscularis, submucosa and mucosa, while the stomach consists of a new layer, subserosa which follows the serosa. The entire length of the gastrointestinal tract was lined by simple columnar epithelium (ciliated in the esophagus) and contains goblet cells except in the stomach and rectum where these cells are absent. The esophageal mucosa contained extensive folds, and the lining epithelium consisted of ciliated columnar epithelium, lamina propria, muscularis mucosae and goblet cells. Areas of lymphatic aggregation were also found in the mucosal layer. The stomach mucosa is thrown into folds and was lined through its length with columnar epithelium that showed numerous invaginations, gastric pits, which led to glandular structures, the gastric glands. In the small intestine (duodenum and ileum) the mucosal lining of the intestinal villi is uniform throughout. It is composed of three types of cells; simple columnar cells, goblet cells and lymphatic nodules. The large intestine consists of the colon and rectum. With their villi relatively short compared to those in the small intestine.Keywords: Sand snake, Psammophis sibilans, gastrointestinal tract, gross, morphometry, histology