Sequence variations in the melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R) gene are associated with melanism in many different species of mammals, birds and reptiles. The grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis), found in the British Isles, was introduced from North America in the late nineteenth century. Melanism in the British grey squirrel is associated with a 24 base pair deletion in the MC1R. To investigate th...

BARRAT, J. & AUBERT, M.F.A. 1993. Current status of fox rabies in Europe. Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research, 60:357364 There was a general decline in animal rabies in Europe in 1991 following the peak levels which occurred in 1989. This was ascribed, in France at least, to the normal decline in cases usually experienced following peak occurrence and also to oral immunization of foxes...

Eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) feeding behavior often varies in different surroundings. Moreover, predation decreases gray squirrel foraging activity and influences the types of areas in which they choose to forage. We examined whether shaded areas help gray squirrels hide from predators, allowing them to eat more food as opposed to being in open areas. Our hypothesis stated that ...

Ontario initiated a red fox (Vulpes vulpes) oral rabies vaccination (ORV) programme in 1989. This study utilized a benefit-cost analysis to determine if this ORV programme was economically worthwhile. Between 1979 and 1989, prior to ORV baiting, the average annual human post-exposure treatments, positive red fox rabies diagnostic tests and indemnity payments for livestock lost to rabies were 22...

This paper proposes a novel nature-inspired optimization algorithm called the Fox optimizer (FOX) which mimics foraging behavior of foxes in nature when hunting preys. The is based on techniques for measuring distance between fox and its prey to execute an efficient jump. After presenting mathematical models FOX, five classical benchmark functions CEC2019 test are used evaluate it’s performance...

There is a surprisingly scarce amount of epidemiological and molecular data on the prevalence, frequency, and diversity of the intestinal protozoan parasites Giardia duodenalis and Cryptosporidium spp. in wildlife in general and mesocarnivore species in particular. Consequently, the extent of the cyst/oocyst environmental contamination attributable to these wild host species and their potential...

A 2-year-old male red fox (Vulpes vulpes) was presented for generalised tonic-clonic seizures, blindness, compulsive circling and behavioural changes that occurred since the animal 2 months old. Neurological examination indicated a diffuse forebrain lesion. On magnetic resonance imaging of brain, severe dilation both lateral ventricles identified. Congenital hydrocephalus suspected treated with...

Recovery plans for the Endangered loggerhead marine turtle Caretta caretta cite mammalian predation as a major threat, and recommend nest protection efforts, already present at many rookery beaches, to protect eggs and hatchlings. Nest protection techniques vary but wire box cages and plastic mesh screens are two common tools used to deter predation by a host of beach-foraging, opportunistic ma...

Over time, evolution has shaped the behavior of prey animals such that the need to forage, find mates, and engage in intra-specific competition is balanced with the need to avoid predators (Lima & Dill 1990). Prey have not only evolved strategies to escape a direct attack from a predator, but have also evolved to respond to indirect cues in the environment that indicate predation risk (Orrock e...

during a long term of road survey for detection of the zoonotic helminthes in carnivores, a male vulpes vulpes was naturally found infected by dioctophyme renale in caspian sea littoral in iran. since the parasite transmission usually occurs through consumption of fish and other accidental food items, investigation of the worm amongst fish-eating animals in the areas with potential circulation ...