4. Posudzovanie zdravotného stavu a genetika / Health screening and genetics________________________________________________________________________________________Necropsies on <strong>lynx</strong> in Slovakia: findings and implicationsMARIE-PIERRE RYSER-DEGIORGIS 1 , MIRJAM PEWSNER 1 ,BRANISLAV TÁM 2 , JAKUB KUBALA 3 & ROBIN RIGG 41Centre for Fish and Wildlife Health (FIWI), Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Länggass-Str. 122, Postfach 8466, CH-3001 Bern, Switzerland; marie-pierre.ryser@vetsuisse.unibe.ch2Bojnice Zoo, Zámok a okolie 6, 97201 Bojnice, Slovakia; b.tam@zoobojnice.sk3Technical University in Zvolen, Ul. T.G. Masaryka 24, 960 53 Zvolen, Slovakia4Slovak Wildlife Society, P.O. Box 72, 033 01 Liptovský Hrádok, SlovakiaAs part of the project Living with Carpathian Spiritson 24–25.10.2014 we organized an internationalWorkshop for veterinarians and other experts ledby Dr. Ryser-Degiorgis from the University of Bern.The programme was divided into theoretical andpractical blocks. Presentations by Dr. Ryser-Degiorgis and Dr. Belák took place in Bojnice TownHall. Practical training including <strong>lynx</strong> autopsies andassessment of the health problems of individualanimals took place at Bojnice Zoo veterinary clinic.Participants also inspected quarantine andrehabilitation facilities, discussed issues of orphansand live transport and visited the Štiavnica Mts.where they assessed the merits and potential risksof a possible box-trap location.Materials and methodsFour full <strong>lynx</strong> carcasses and the internal organsof two others were selected for pathologicalexamination. The carcasses belonged to animals ofdifferent age, sex and cause of death, which was anexcellent opportunity to look at different anatomicstructures, tooth wear, body condition and stagesof decomposition. All had been frozen for storageprior to necropsy, but while some were relativelyfresh at freezing time, others were in a moreadvanced stage of decay.Autopsy procedures, data and samplecollection followed the protocols of the Centre forFish and Wildlife Medicine, University of Bern (seeAppendices and Woodford 2000). Multiplesamples were taken from all the examined animalsand stored until further use in a freezer (-20°C), in90% alcohol (genetic samples) or in formalin.The first necropsy (on <strong>lynx</strong> KAMENICA2013) wascarried out by Dr. Ryser-Degiorgis with herassistant, Mirjam Pewsner, to demonstrateprocedures. Subsequent necropsies wereperformed, under supervision, by Branislav Tám(BRZOTIN2013, PRESOV2013) and Vladimir Štrba(ORAVA2013.1). Jakub Kubala helped gathermorphological data. A GoPro® digital camcorder(http://gopro.com) was used to film proceedings.ResultsKAMENICA2013, an adult male, had been foundwandering close to human habitation in Kamenicanad Cirochou, eastern Slovakia. It died duringtransport on 4.10.2013. It was severely emaciated(cachexia; Fig. 1) and presented a moderateinfestation with ticks and ear mites (Otodectescynotis). In addition to two healed rib fractures,three missing incisors and several intramuscularhemorrhages it also had an injured limb which,prior to pathological examination, was thought tohave been caused by a vehicle collision. During thenecropsy, however, it was found that the lefthumerus was shattered and multiple fragments oflead were present in the surrounding tissues(Fig. 2), which had evidently been caused by agunshot. The wound had not killed the animal, butlikely prevented it hunting. The stomach wasempty and showed small ulcerations, indicatingthat it had not ingested food for a prolonged________________________________________________________________________________________<strong>Monitoring</strong> <strong>Lynx</strong> <strong>lynx</strong> <strong>carpathicus</strong>, Rigg & Kubala (2015) 70
4. Posudzovanie zdravotného stavu a genetika / Health screening and genetics________________________________________________________________________________________period, while the rectum contained hedgehogspines (Erinaceus sp.; Fig. 3), thus indicating thatthe animal had fed on unusual prey. At necropsythe heart of this <strong>lynx</strong> seemed smaller and weighedmuch less than those of <strong>lynx</strong> in Switzerland in thesame sex-age category and body condition.BRZOTIN2013 was a juvenile female found dead. Itwas emaciated and severely affected by sarcopticmange (Sarcoptes scabiei) which can be consideredto be the cause of death. It displayed severe skinlesions typical for this disease (Fig. 4).PRESOV2013 was a juvenile (with milk teeth) founddead in the forest. Its body condition was good butit was in an early stage of sarcoptic mange. Itpresented several serious hemorrhages in variousareas of the body and had skin erosions on thehead, indicating that it died of a blunt trauma. Inaddition, it presented a malformation of the lefteye (Fig. 5), which was held closed by a membranewhile the eyeball was fused with the surroundingtissues, rendering it blind on this side. The cause isunclear but may have had a congenital origin.ORAVA2013.1 was a male cub found along with itsbrother in a school on 11.10.2013. Both werecaught but whereas its sibling was taken to therescue station this animal was left overnight in thefield in a box with a camera trap to see if its motherreturned. It was moved to the rescue station thenext day and fed but died the following night. Itwas emaciated and had foreign material (plastic) inits stomach (Fig. 6). A few round worms, commonin free-ranging <strong>lynx</strong>, and a tapeworm were foundin the gastro-intestinal tract. The direct cause ofdeath could not be definitively determined as theadvanced stage of decay limited the examination.However, the case history and post-mortemfindings suggest it was an orphan which had beenseparated from its mother for a prolonged periodand was starving. Capture stress and hypothermiamay have contributed to the death process.ConclusionsThe workshop provided an opportunity to teachbasic theory and to perform practical exercises aswell as to secure a multitude of samples for furtherinvestigation. Documents with detailed reports oneach necropsied <strong>lynx</strong> (findings, photographs,morphological data, sampling list), protocols,datasheet templates and two lectures (see CDROM) can serve as examples for future cases andto unify procedures in Slovakia and Switzerland.Among the stored samples there is material forfuture parasitological, virological and histologicalexaminations which may further elucidate healthstatus. Heart samples represent precious materialfor comparison with Swiss <strong>lynx</strong> samples. WhetherKAMENICA2013’s heart was abnormally small orthe hearts of Swiss <strong>lynx</strong> are abnormally largecannot be determined at this stage, especiallyhaving only a single adult <strong>lynx</strong> from Slovakia forcomparison. Since adult males from the Swiss Alpsoften present microscopic heart lesions and/orheart murmurs at clinical examination, it may bethat their hearts are enlarged. To answer thisquestion it is imperative to collect more data fromSlovakia. For this as well as for overall healthmonitoring of <strong>lynx</strong> in the Western Carpathians, itwould be worthwhile to collect and examine atleast some of the vehicle-killed <strong>lynx</strong>. Road kills arevaluable material for comparison purposes, asthese animals are often healthy prior to death.Conducting detailed necropsies allowed us tocollect a wealth of information, even from a smallnumber of animals. Among the four <strong>lynx</strong> examined,one had sustained an illegal gunshot wound, twohad sarcoptic mange, one died of a blunt traumaand had a malformation of possible congenitalorigin, and one was likely an orphan. In addition, aninteresting observation was made on the heart ofan adult male. Furthermore, we were informed ofa malformation diagnosed in ORAVA2013.1’sbrother, ORAVA2013.2, following its death on9.9.2014 during an unsuccessful attempt to releaseit back into the wild (M. Belák pers. comm.).The data gathered provide evidence thatinfectious diseases such as sarcoptic mange,malformations in young animals and poaching aredefinitely issues currently faced by the WesternCarpathian <strong>lynx</strong> population. This underlines theimportance of implementing a well-organized <strong>lynx</strong>health surveillance programme in Slovakia.________________________________________________________________________________________<strong>Monitoring</strong> <strong>Lynx</strong> <strong>lynx</strong> <strong>carpathicus</strong>, Rigg & Kubala (2015) 71
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