RESUMEN
This paper addresses the potential for technology to support husbandry and enrichment opportunities that enhance the welfare of zoo and sanctuary-housed nocturnal and crepuscular species. This topic was investigated through the medium of a multidisciplinary workshop (Moon Jam) that brought together species experts, zoo designers, Animal-Computer Interaction researchers and post-graduate students in collaborative discussions and design sessions. We explain the context through an examination of existing research and current practices, and report on specific challenges raised and addressed during the Moon Jam, highlighting and discussing key themes that emerged. Finally, we offer a set of guidelines to support the integration of technology into the design of animal husbandry and enrichment that support wellbeing, to advance the best practices in keeping and managing nocturnal and crepuscular animals.
RESUMEN
The growing dependence of villagers on local forests (food, wood, etc.) makes the comparative assessment of the perceptions they have of the forest and its wildlife increasingly important for setting conservation priorities. While hunting and habitat loss are important threats to primates' existence worldwide, more attention has been focused on diurnal species, while little is known about their nocturnal counterparts. Strepsirrhini is a group of nocturnal primates with galago and potto as the only representatives on mainland Africa. To assess the perception of locals and their impacts on the conservation of these primates, questionnaires were administered to 79 household heads in four villages located in community forests around Mount Cameroon National Park. Amongst the respondents, over 90% admitted that these animals are eaten in their communities. Nocturnal primates were not only hunted for food, but also used in medicine and rituals and to make drums. However, the habit of eating nocturnal primates seems to be uncommon, as most respondents had not consumed any primate bushmeat in the last 5 years. The knowledge and support of wildlife conservation manifested by the villagers did not reflect the reality on the ground, as forest clearing for agriculture takes place regularly across the villages. Our findings suggest that bushmeat is not the main threat to nocturnal primates in this area, with habitat loss potentially representing a bigger problem for their existence in the near future.
Asunto(s)
Strepsirhini , Animales , Biodiversidad , Camerún , Conservación de los Recursos Naturales , Mamíferos , Percepción , PrimatesRESUMEN
We determined the complete sequence of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of a parasite discovered between the subcutaneous tissue and the peritoneum of an African nocturnal non-human primate (NHP). The parasite and host sequences were obtained by a combination of Sanger sequencing and nanopore MinION techniques. Analyses of mtDNA gene arrangements and sequences unambiguously showed that the parasite investigated was the pentastomid Armillifer armillatus, also commonly named the tongue worm. The full-length mitochondrial genome of A. armillatus, measuring 16,706 bp in length, contains 13 protein-coding genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes, and 22 transfer RNA genes, an arrangement identical to that of previously described pentastomid mitochondrial genomes. We describe here the second full mitochondrial genome of A. armillatus to date. To identify the NHP host, maximum likelihood phylogenetic analyses of a 441-bp fragment on the 12S rDNA gene and of a 1,140-bp fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome b strongly support clustering with the African lorisid Perodicticus potto, a species that has rarely been reported as an intermediate host of this parasite.