Predation on cattle in Kenya and its effect on the stress level of the animals in the exposed herd
Predation on livestock affects the human-carnivore conflict and can also lead to great economical loss for farmers. Lions are the predator that attacks the most cattle in Kenya, but there are also attacks from hyenas, leopards and jackals. Predation on livestock is a worldwide problem and it is ther...
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| Formato: | H2 |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés sueco |
| Publicado: |
SLU/Dept. of Animal Environment and Health (until 231231)
2017
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| Materias: |
| _version_ | 1855572136486240256 |
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| author | Eriksson, Linda |
| author_browse | Eriksson, Linda |
| author_facet | Eriksson, Linda |
| author_sort | Eriksson, Linda |
| collection | Epsilon Archive for Student Projects |
| description | Predation on livestock affects the human-carnivore conflict and can also lead to great economical loss for farmers. Lions are the predator that attacks the most cattle in Kenya, but there are also attacks from hyenas, leopards and jackals. Predation on livestock is a worldwide problem and it is therefore of big importance to investigate how the predator attacks are affecting the cattle that survived in the exposed herd. If predator attacks leads to chronic stress in the cattle, it can affect the reproduction cycle of the animals, the health and also their productivity. In this study two herds that had been attacked by predators during the last 10 months (one herd with cows and one herd with steers), and also two control herd that had not suffer from any attacks during the same time were chosen to be analyzed for hair cortisol as an indicator of stress. Hair samples were collected from the tail switch from 10 random individuals from each of the four herds and then analyzed for cortisol, as cortisol gets deposit in the hair constantly as it grows. The result in cortisol indicates that there was no significant difference between attacked and non-attacked herds or between steers and cows. There is also no significant difference in cortisol levels between animals with different body condition scores. There was a significant difference in cortisol levels in the color of the hair, with light hair containing the highest amount of cortisol. |
| format | H2 |
| id | RepoSLU12814 |
| institution | Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences |
| language | Inglés swe |
| publishDate | 2017 |
| publishDateSort | 2017 |
| publisher | SLU/Dept. of Animal Environment and Health (until 231231) |
| publisherStr | SLU/Dept. of Animal Environment and Health (until 231231) |
| record_format | eprints |
| spelling | RepoSLU128142017-10-25T06:09:54Z Predation on cattle in Kenya and its effect on the stress level of the animals in the exposed herd Rovdjursattackers påverkan på stressnivån hos utsatta kor i Kenya Eriksson, Linda stress Kenya predation cattle hair analysis cortisol Predation on livestock affects the human-carnivore conflict and can also lead to great economical loss for farmers. Lions are the predator that attacks the most cattle in Kenya, but there are also attacks from hyenas, leopards and jackals. Predation on livestock is a worldwide problem and it is therefore of big importance to investigate how the predator attacks are affecting the cattle that survived in the exposed herd. If predator attacks leads to chronic stress in the cattle, it can affect the reproduction cycle of the animals, the health and also their productivity. In this study two herds that had been attacked by predators during the last 10 months (one herd with cows and one herd with steers), and also two control herd that had not suffer from any attacks during the same time were chosen to be analyzed for hair cortisol as an indicator of stress. Hair samples were collected from the tail switch from 10 random individuals from each of the four herds and then analyzed for cortisol, as cortisol gets deposit in the hair constantly as it grows. The result in cortisol indicates that there was no significant difference between attacked and non-attacked herds or between steers and cows. There is also no significant difference in cortisol levels between animals with different body condition scores. There was a significant difference in cortisol levels in the color of the hair, with light hair containing the highest amount of cortisol. Rovdjursattacker på produktionsdjur påverkar konflikten mellan människor och rovdjur samtidigt som det kan leda till ekonomiska förluster för djurägaren. Lejon är det rovdjur som attackerar flest kor i Kenya, men det sker även attacker av hyenor, leoparder och sjakaler. Predation på produktionsdjur som vistas utomhus är ett stort problem världen över och det är därför av stor vikt att utreda hur mycket en rovdjursattack påverkar flocken långsiktigt. Om produktionsdjuren blir kroniskt stressade efter attacken kan det påverka produktionen, hälsan och reproduktionen av djuren i flocken. I denna studie valdes två flockar med stutar ut, en flock som hade blivit rovdjursattackerad dem senaste 10 månaderna, samt en kontrollgrupp som inte hade blivit utsatta för någon attack under samma tidsperiod. Även två grupper med kor, en som blivit attackerad och en som inte hade blivit attackerad valdes ut. Alla djur i denna studie befann sig i Ol Pejeta Conservancy i Kenyas Laikipia distrikt. Hårprover togs från svanstippen på 10 slumpmässigt utvalda individer ur vardera flock och analyserades för kortisol, då kortisol lagras i hårstråna när dem växer. Resultatet tyder på att det inte finns någon signifikant skillnad i kortisolhalt mellan attackerade flockar och icke-attackerade flockar, inte heller mellan stutar och kor. Det finns heller ingen signifikant skillnad mellan djur med olika mycket hull. Det fanns en signifikant skillnad på kortisol nivåer i olika färger på håret, där ljust hår innehöll större mängd kortisol. SLU/Dept. of Animal Environment and Health (until 231231) 2017 H2 eng swe https://stud.epsilon.slu.se/12814/ |
| spellingShingle | stress Kenya predation cattle hair analysis cortisol Eriksson, Linda Predation on cattle in Kenya and its effect on the stress level of the animals in the exposed herd |
| title | Predation on cattle in Kenya and its effect on the stress level of the animals in the exposed herd |
| title_full | Predation on cattle in Kenya and its effect on the stress level of the animals in the exposed herd |
| title_fullStr | Predation on cattle in Kenya and its effect on the stress level of the animals in the exposed herd |
| title_full_unstemmed | Predation on cattle in Kenya and its effect on the stress level of the animals in the exposed herd |
| title_short | Predation on cattle in Kenya and its effect on the stress level of the animals in the exposed herd |
| title_sort | predation on cattle in kenya and its effect on the stress level of the animals in the exposed herd |
| topic | stress Kenya predation cattle hair analysis cortisol |