A Comparative Health Assessment of Urban and Non-Urban Mule Deer (Odocoileus Hemionus) in the Kootenay Region, British Columbia, Canada
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A Comparative Health Assessment of Urban and Non-Urban Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus) in the Kootenay Region, British Columbia, Canada Thesis Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Science in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Amélie Mathieu, DMV Graduate Program in Comparative and Veterinary Medicine The Ohio State University 2018 Thesis Committee Dr. Thomas E. Wittum, Advisor Dr. Mark S. Flint, Co-Advisor Dr. Barbara A. Wolfe Dr. Randall E. Junge 1 Copyright by Amélie Mathieu 2018 2 Abstract The provincial wildlife management agency, British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, performed a translocation trial from 2015 to 2017 to control the urban mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus; uMD) overpopulation and supplement the declining non-urban mule deer (nuMD) population in the Kootenay region, British Columbia, Canada. Several local communities are now considering using uMD translocations as a long-term wildlife management method. The aim of this study was to characterize the health risks associated with the translocation initiative by comparing pathogen exposure, body condition scores (BCS) and pregnancy rates of urban and non-urban mule deer (nuMD) and to develop predictive disease models to inform management decisions related to urban deer translocations. Blood samples collected from 200 free-ranging mule deer captured in urban and non-urban environments in the Kootenay region from 2014 to 2017 were tested for exposure to selected pathogens and pregnancy status. Body condition scoring (BCS) and morphometric examinations were performed for each deer. BCS averaged 3.4 on a five-point scale, was greater in nuMD, and significantly differed between years. Antibodies were detected for adenovirus hemorrhagic disease virus (AHDV) (38.4% (uMD 43.7%, nuMD 33.3%)), bluetongue virus (BTV) (0.6% (uMD 1.2%, nuMD 0%)), bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) (8.4% (uMD 4.6%, nuMD 12.1%)), bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) (1.1% (uMD 0%, nuMD 2.2%)), bovine parainfluenza-3 virus (PI3) (27.0% (uMD 27.6%, nuMD 26.4%)), Neospora caninum (22.1% (uMD 24.4%, nuMD 19.7%)) and Toxoplasma gondii (8.2% (uMD 12.3%, nuMD 3.9%)). No antibodies against epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus were detected. ii Pregnancy rates did not differ between the two deer populations (90.7% (uMD 90.6%, nuMD 90.9%)). Exposure to N. caninum was associated with a reduction in pregnancy rates. uMD were more likely to be exposed to T. gondii than nuMD. Comparison of body condition scores, pregnancy rates and pathogen exposure of uMD and nuMD showed that the health of the two populations did not significantly differ, suggesting that these particular pathogens do not factor in the decline of deer populations nor do they pose a risk of uMD translocations. However, predictive models indicated that exposure to AHDV, BRSV and T. gondii currently differs between deer populations and that uMD translocations would result in an increased risk of AHDV, BRSV and T. gondii transmission. The risk of BRSV and T. gondii transmission under a range of pathogen prevalence conditions was established to be of current concern and the risk of EHDV, BTV, BRSV, BVDV and T. gondii transmission was established to be of potential future concern for either populations. The number of uMD to translocate under the current conditions should be limited to 344 individuals as to minimize the risk of ADHV transmission and its potential negative effects on the nuMD population. Targeted continuous pathogen monitoring was shown to necessitate the sampling of a total of at least 133 individuals to detect realistic outbreaks in all pathogens of concern, including EHDV, BTV, BRSV, BVDV and T. gondii. These results should be considered as part of a formal risk assessment for future uMD translocations in southeastern British Columbia. iii Dedication To Patrick and his undying love for mulligans. iv Acknowledgments I would first like to thank my advisors Dr. Thomas E. Wittum and Dr. Mark Flint for their continuous support of my master’s research, and for their patience, kindness, and extensive knowledge, as well as my committee members, Dr. Barbara A. Wolfe and Dr. Randall E. Junge, for helping me juggle my master’s research and my clinical responsibilities. I would also like to express my gratitude to Dr. Helen Schwantje and the British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development for entrusting me with this project. I thank Patrick Stent and Cait Nelson for their assistance with sample organization, and Dr. Aruna Ambagala, Dr. Robert Bildfell, Josh Branen, Dr. Ling Jin, Dr. Emily Jenkins, Dr. Tomy Joseph, Rajnish Sharma, Dr. Erin Zabek for coordinating and performing the laboratory assays. I also thank the following people for their assistance with the deer captures: Patrick Stent, Ian Adams, Holger Bohm, Dr. Nigel and Joan Caulkett, Dr. Adam Hering, Larry Ingham, David Lewis, Dr. Bryan MacBeth, Becky Phillips, Dr. Kylie Pon, Dr. Pat Rice, Irene Teske, Cliff Wilson and the many volunteers. Finally, I express profound gratitude to my parents and to my partner for providing me with unfailing support and continuous encouragement throughout my years of study. This accomplishment would not have been possible without them. v Vita 2005 ................................................................... D.E.S. Collège Mont-Saint-Louis 2007 ................................................................... D.E.C. Sciences, lettres et arts, Collège de Bois- de-Boulogne 2012 ................................................................... D.M.V. Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal 2015 to present ................................................... Residency in Wildlife and Ecosystem Health, The Ohio State University, The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, The Wilds Publications Mathieu A, Caulkett NA, Stent PM, Schwantje HM. 2017. Capture of free-ranging mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) with a combination of medetomidine, azaperone and alfaxalone. J Wildl Dis 53:296-303. Mathieu A, Pastor AR, Berkvens CN, Gara-Boivin C, Hébert M, Léveillé AN, Barta JR, Smith DA. 2018. Babesia odocoilei as a cause of mortality in captive cervids in Canada. Can Vet J 59:52-58. Mathieu A, Flint M, Stent P, Schwantje H, and Wittum T. 2018. Health assessment of urban and non-urban free-ranging mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) in the southeastern British Columbia, Canada. Accepted for publication by PeerJ. vi Fields of Study Major Field: Comparative and Veterinary Medicine Specialty: Conservation Medicine vii Table of Contents Abstract ......................................................................................................................................ii Dedication.................................................................................................................................. iv Acknowledgments ....................................................................................................................... v Vita ............................................................................................................................................ vi Table of Contents .....................................................................................................................viii List of Tables ............................................................................................................................ xii List of Figures ..........................................................................................................................xiii Chapter 1. Literature Review ....................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Suburban and Urban Deer Overabundance .................................................................. 1 1.2 Wildlife Translocation as an Urban Deer Population Management Tool ...................... 4 1.3 Risk of Disease Transmission Associated with Wildlife Translocations....................... 5 1.4 Health Risk Assessment Approaches for Wildlife Translocations ................................ 8 1.5 Health Assessment ................................................................................................... 12 1.5.1 Nutritional Condition Assessment .................................................................... 13 1.5.2 Pregnancy Status .............................................................................................. 13 1.5.3 Pathogen Exposure ........................................................................................... 14 1.6 Management of Mule Deer in the Kootenay Region, British Columbia...................... 24 Chapter 2. Rational and Hypothesis ........................................................................................... 27 viii Chapter 3. Health Assessment of Urban and Non-Urban Free-Ranging Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus) in the Kootenay Region, British Columbia, Canada .................................................. 29 3.1 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 29 3.2 Materials & Methods ................................................................................................ 31 3.2.1 Study Area and Animals ................................................................................... 31 3.2.2 Capture Techniques .........................................................................................