Wild Animal Biology & Husbandry

Wild Animal Biology

• Providing heat to an animal in stock has four benefits: increased blood flow, increased pulse and breathing, increased rate of food and waste transfer across membranes, and muscle relaxation/calming.
• Observing wild animals requires: wildlife research in the area, maintaining a safe distance, blending in, and patience with stillness.
• Signs of dehydration include: dark or absent urine, sticky/dry mouth, lips, and tongue, sunken eyes due to fluid loss, and fatigue.
• Adequate housing design considerations include: space and hygiene, safety/durability, and species-specific needs.

Diseases in Young Deer

• Foot and Mouth Disease signs include blistering of lips, mouth, tongue, nose, teats, and hooves; diagnosis is via blood test and treatment is euthanasia.
• TB (Tuberculosis) signs include weight loss, with diagnosis via blood test and treatment is euthanasia.

Animal Restraint and Husbandry

• Restraining technique considerations: animal size and species.
• Basic wildlife husbandry requirements: habitat/enclosure and feeding/watering bowls.
• Two surveying techniques include: direct observation/counting and indirect methods.
• Zoonosis is a disease transmitted from animals to humans (examples include TB and Ringworm).
• Lyme disease is caused by bacteria transmitted by infected ticks, and treated with antibiotics.

Baby Deer Care

• Capture requires: a blanket and large dog carrier; observe from a distance for the mother's return.
• Transport requires: a sturdy carrier with ventilation, avoiding direct sunlight and unnecessary handling to reduce stress.
• Short-term care includes: weighing, warming, stimulating urination/defecation, and providing fluids.
• Housing should be: warm, quiet with dim lighting, and away from children/pets, with enough space to stand/turn.
• Maintaining warmth requires: drying with a warm towel and room temperature, with a wrapped hot water bottle while avoiding overheating.
• Toileting needs help before and after feeding, mimicking the mother's natural stimulation.
• Feeding includes: glucose solution or milk (4 tsp glucose in warm water), plus a pinch of salt and sugar in a cup of water, and clean equipment.
• Animals should be kept as wild as possible.
• Methods of identifying an animal: sight and sound.

Ecology

• A habitat is where an animal lives and gets food (e.g., Fox = Den).
• Examples of food chains with three organisms: Fox-Rabbit-Grass and Spider-Ladybird-Greenfly.
• Population density measures the number of a species in an area.
• A parasite lives on/in and harms another organism (the host).
• Competition is the fight for a limited resource.
• Factors affecting population numbers: famine, war, disease, and contraception.
• Methods to replenish fish populations: fish quota laws, larger net hole sizes, releasing females with eggs, and no fishing during breeding.
• Biodiversity is the variety of life on Earth within ecosystems.
• Five mammals in Ireland: Badger, Fox, Deer, Dog, Cat.
• Global warming is the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and ocean.
• Effects of global warming: melting polar ice caps (sea-level rise), more rain, and increased extreme weather events.
• An omnivore eats both plants and animals.

Global Warming Impact & Factors for Survival

• Global warming impacts on animal habitats include; melting of polar ice caps removing hunting ground for polar bears, rising sea temperatures that leads to decline in Samon and destroys the ecosystem, large floods reducing water quality, less food leading to mass starvation, and habitat loss removing space for raising young.
• Abiotic/biotic factors determining species survival: soil/dirt (abiotic) and sunlight (biotic).

Man-Made Problems & Wildlife

• Habitat destruction can lead to: displacement or death of animals and stress-related heart attacks. It may also result in competition with existing animals, overcrowding, disease, and loss of smaller/weaker animals.
• Air pollution can lead to: acid rain, greenhouse gasses build-up, and oxygen depletion causing mass death.
• Mutualism is when two or more organisms live together and all benefit.
• Oil spills have physical/toxic effects on marine life: killing fish, damaging bird feathers, causing lack of oxygen/food, covering wildlife in oil, and causing blindness.
• Symbiosis is when two or more organisms live together and all benefit, or one benefits and the other is unaffected.

Conservation

• Zoo roles include: conservation, education, and research.
• CITES (The Conservation on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) aims to ensure international trade doesn't threaten endangered species.
• The Wildcat Conservation Alliance is dedicated to wildcat conservation and their habitat (Amur Tiger/Amur Leopard), conducting research, monitoring, habitat restoration, reducing threats, and raising awareness.
• Ethical considerations before breeding programs: ensuring physical/psychological animal welfare and a clear conservation need.