Wild Animals/snow leopard

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Expert: Jonathan Wright - 10/31/2006


Question
Can you tell me what types of disease and parasites snow leopards in their natural habitat can aquire?

Answer
Dear Jody

Thanks for your question. I also wish to thank the authors of the websites I consulted.  

Thomas McCarthy and Guillaume Chapron (www.carnivoreconservation.org/snowleopard/slss_small.pdf) have produced a pdf file about snow leopards. This is a long document and may be useful to you.

L. Munson and M. B. Worley
(http://www.vetpathology.org/cgi/content/abstract/28/1/37) say that snow leopards are susceptible to hepatic fibrosis. Many have subintimal vascular fibrosis with veno-occlusive disease, with some having chronic active hepatitis and cholangiohepatitis. There are similar cases in captive cheetahs, so this may be due to captivity, rather than the wild.  

Other diseases include Tyzzer’s disease (see http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=6...) and degenerative spinal disease (http://www.bioone.org/perlserv/?request=get-abstract&issn=1042-7260&volume=031&i...), while there are links to other diseases at http://carnivoreportal1.free.fr/db/db_unciauncia.html

The Snow Leopard network (http://www.snowleopardnetwork.org/Table22.html) says that disease is rarely a problem for snow leopards, but they may suffer from serious skin disease (see http://www.wwf.mn/english/our-work-sp-snowloepard-1.htm).  

Dublin Zoo (www.springerlink.com/index/Y0X365281138042H.pdf) noted roundworms (ascarids) in snow leopards. www.ivis.org/advances/Parasit_Bowman/ddb_resp/chapter_frm.asp and http://66.102.9.104/search?q=cache:kCA24neSo5IJ:www.ivis.org/advances/Parasit_Bo... note a larva found in the neck of a snow leopard. This led to laryngeal oedema, leading to obstruction and respiratory arrest.

The only information I could find about parasites in the wild concerned the prey of snow leopards, but, unless snow leopards can catch these parasites, I didn’t think the information was relevant. I would suspect that, as the snow leopard lives at such high altitudes, this would deter most forms of parasite. Parasites that can live at these altitudes could make the snow leopard’s life a misery.

I hope this helps.

All the best

Jonathan  

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Jonathan Wright

Expertise

I can answer questions about wild mammals and other animals, as well as extinct animals and zoos. I am not an expert about every animal species. I can look up information from books and the internet, but can't verify if all the information is true. Please don't ask questions about: 1. Pets. I am not a vet. Please contact a vet if your pet is ill. You may need to spend some money if you want your pet to live. Don't get a pet if you don't know how to look after it and if you can't provide it with the space, food and possible companions that will help it live a healthy life. Don't take animals from the wild, unless they are ill and/or injured and you can protect them until a wildlife charity can help. It is cruel to take animals from their parents, especially if the parents will look for the babies, while putting their other babies at risk. You may be breaking the law by keeping wild animals or you may need a licence to look after some species. Please check with a local wildlife group. 2. Eggs: Please don't remove eggs from nests. The mother birds provide the right temperature for the eggs and won't sit on them if the temperature is warm enough for them to develop naturally. It is illegal to remove eggs of some species and, unless you have an incubator or a broody hen, the egg may not develop. If you are allowed to touch the eggs, you can candle them to see if they are fertile. If theys aren't fertile, they won't hatch. 3. Fights: Please don't ask about fights between different animals. These questions assume that individuals of two species fight each time they meet and that one species will always be victorious over another. This is untrue. There are cases where a live mouse has been fed to a venomous snake, bitten the snake leading to the snake's demise. 4: Diseases: Please ask doctors or other medical experts about diseases that you may catch from animals. I can't advise on how to deal with viruses, bacteria etc.

Experience

I have a zoology degree and have been interested in animals since I was two. I am a zoo volunteer at London Zoo. I have appeared on a BBC Radio Quiz, 'Wildbrain'.

Organizations
WWF. ZSL. Natural History Museum. RSPB. London Bat Group.

Publications
Newsletters of London Zoo volunteers and the London Bat Group

Education/Credentials
BSC degree in Zoology. 'A' level in Zoology. 'O' Level in Biology.

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