Utilizing smartphone-based electrocardiography and thoracic radiography to evaluate cardiac function and morphology in geriatric Sika deer (Cervus nippon)

OBJECTIVE To describe qualitative and quantitative cardiothoracic values in geriatric Sika deer (Cervus nippon) using digital radiography, 6-lead ECG (sECG), and smartphone-based ECG (aECG). ANIMALS 10 healthy geriatric Sika deer (9 females and 1 male). PROCEDURES Deer were chemically immobilized, thoracic radiographs were obtained, and inhalant anesthesia was initiated. An sECG and aECG were simultaneously recorded for each animal using the same ECG specifications. Results were compared between devices. RESULTS Radiographically, no deer had any cardiopulmonary abnormalities. Median (range) values for the most important cardiac measurements were 170 (153–193) mm for cardiac height, 135 (122–146) mm for cardiac width, 9 (8–9) for vertebral heart score, and 99 (69–124) mm for cardiosternal contact. All deer had a normal sinus rhythm with no pathological arrhythmias noted. A significant difference between sECG and aECG was identified for minimum heart rate (49 vs 51 beats/min, respectively), P wave duration (0.05 vs 0.03 seconds), P wave amplitude (0.28 vs 0.10 mV), PR interval (0.15 vs 0.12 seconds), and QT interval (0.39 vs 0.30 seconds). CLINICAL RELEVANCE Thoracic radiographs were suitable to evaluate basic cardiothoracic morphology in Sika deer. The aECG was useful for assessing heart rate and rhythm but, compared with sECG, proved no substitute for evaluating duration and amplitude of ECG waveforms.

Habitat Selection and Activity Patterns of Japanese Serows and Sika Deer with Currently Sympatric Distributions

The Japanese serow (Capricornis crispus) and sika deer (Cervus nippon) in Japan are usually allopatric. However, a recent expansion in the distribution range of sika deer, combined with an increase in abundance, has resulted in an overlap of the distribution ranges of the two species. We examined the habitat selection and activity patterns of Japanese serows and sika deer using camera traps placed at 83 sites within a 210 km2 study area, where the distribution range of these two species has recently overlapped. Although both species were photographed throughout the study area, we observed a low spatial overlap between them. The Japanese serows selected steep slopes, and the sika deer selected areas far away from human settlements. In addition, the Japanese serows and sika deer exhibited temporal partitioning with diurnal and crepuscular activity patterns, respectively. The observed partitioning could be explained by differences in their species-specific habitat selections, rather than competition, because the photographic capture rate of the Japanese serows was not affected by that of the sika deer and vice versa. These partitioning behaviors are likely to reduce the rate of encounters between the two ungulates, which enables their coexistence considering the sika deer density remains low.

Design and validation with finite element analysis of a veterinary application prosthesis for Cervus nippon

This article presents the results of the static, thermal and stress analysis for a prosthesis design with veterinary applications based on a female Cervus nippon as the subject of study, in order to restore the quality of life to those animals that have suffered an amputation and also regain the ability to carry out your activities throughout your life. In the model developed for this article, the aim is to provide an alternative to the rigid prostheses that are currently being used.

A case of male infanticide in captive sika deer (Cervus nippon)

Male infanticide has been reported in wide range of mammalian taxa however it remains very rare in even-toed ungulates where it was documented in two species only. Among six hypotheses explaining this phenomenon, the sexual selection hypothesis is supported by the largest evidence in mammals. Here, we report the first case of male infanticide in sika deer (Cervus nippon) which occurred at Ostrava Zoo. At the end of rutting season, new male had been joined with two pregnant females that successfully gave birth and reared offspring in his presence then. However, in the next season, the same male attacked and killed his own newborn female offspring. Since this male was separated from the herd for most of the time in the rut, we argue that he could be confused about paternity. Therefore, this case of infanticide might be driven by the same mechanism as that which is in line with the sexual selection hypothesis. In addition, based on our evidence we cannot reject the social pathology hypothesis as an alternative explanation.

Energy and Protein Requirements for the Maintenance of Growing Male Sika Deer (Cervus nippon)

The objective of this study is to study the effects of dietary intake levels on energy metabolism, carbon (C), and nitrogen (N) balance and to determine the maintenance requirements of energy and protein for male sika deer during their growing period. A total of 16 1-year-old male sika deer with similar body weight (BW) (63.25 ± 2.42 kg) were selected, with four animals per feed intake level. The feeding levels of the four groups for deer were 40, 60, 80, and 100% of the recommended amount, respectively. The nutrient digestibility and methane production were measured through digestion trials and respiratory trials. A 4 × 4 Latin Square design was performed in a respirometry trial. The results show that the apparent digestibility of C and N gradually increased as the level of feed intake decreased. Furthermore, with a decrease in feed intake level, the metabolic energy intake (MEI), heat production (HP), and retained energy (RE) of male sika deer significantly decreased (P < 0.01). The requirements of metabolic energy for maintenance (MEm) and net energy for maintenance (NEm) of growing deer are 251.17 and 223.62 kJ kg−1BW0.75d−1, respectively, as estimated according to the logarithmic regression equations between HP and MEI. The net N requirement for maintenance (NNm) and net protein requirement for maintenance (NPm) of growing male sika deer based on the linear relationship between retained nitrogen (RN) and daily nitrogen intake (NI) were 251.8 mg kg−1BW0.75d−1 and 1.57 g kg−1BW0.75d−1, respectively. The NEm and NPm values obtained from this experiment fill the gap in net energy and protein requirements and serve as basic data for establishing the nutritional standards forsika deer breeding in China.

Next-generation sequencing identifies seasonal and geographical differences in the ruminal community composition of sika deer (Cervus nippon) in Japan

To understand the nutritional conditions of culled wild sika deer (Cervus nippon) and their suitability as a pet food component, we compared the ruminal community compositions of deer living in different food habitats (Nagano winter, Nagano spring, and Hokkaido winter) using next-generation sequencing. Twenty-nine sika deer were sampled. Alpha and beta diversity metrics determined via 16S and 18S ssrRNA amplicon-seq analysis showed compositional differences. Prevotella, Entodinium, and Piromyces were the dominant genera of bacteria, fungi and protozoa, respectively. Moreover, 66 bacterial taxa, 44 eukaryotic taxa, and 46 chloroplastic taxa were shown to differ significantly among the groups by linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe). Total RNA-seq analysis showed 397 significantly differentially expressed transcripts (q < 0.05), of which 258 were correlated with bacterial amplicon-seq results (Pearson correlation coefficient > 0.7). The amplicon-seq results indicated that deciduous broadleaf trees and SAR were enriched in Nagano, whereas graminoids, Firmicutes and fungi were enriched in Hokkaido. The ruminal microbial community were corresponded with different food habits, related to the severe snow conditions in Hokkaido in winter and the richness of plants with leaves and acorns in Nagano winter and spring. These findings are useful for understanding the nutritional conditions of wild sika deer.