Reproductive behaviour of free-ranging rural dogs in West Bengal, India

2003 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 271-281 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sunil Kumar Pal
Keyword(s):  
West Bengal ◽  
Reproductive Behaviour ◽  
Free Ranging

scholarly journals Implementing immunocontraception in free-ranging African elephants at Makalali Conservancy

2007 ◽  
Vol 78 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
A.K. Delsink ◽  
J.J. Van Altena ◽  
D. Grobler ◽  
H.J. Bertschinger ◽  
J.F. Kirkpatrick ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mode Of Delivery ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Reproductive Behaviour ◽  
Limpopo Province ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
African Elephants ◽  
Population Growth Rates ◽  
Implementation Costs ◽  
Population Sizes ◽  
Free Ranging

The goal of programmes to provide contraception for elephants should be to formulate an approach that does not require the relocation or immobilisation of the same individual year after year, which would be long-lasting and cause minimal disruption to social and reproductive behaviour. The programmes should be simple to administer, safe and cost-effective, and must meet the objectives defined by managers in the field. An immunocontraceptive programme was initiated in a small free-roaming population of elephants at the Greater Makalali Private Game Reserve in Limpopo Province in 2000 to determine whether the porcine zona pellucida (pZP) vaccine can successfully control population sizes. Further objectives were to determine implementation costs and efficiency through a multi-faceted approach. We have demonstrated that immunocontraception meets the objectives set by managers in the field. Minimal social disruption was observed over the course of treatment, with the mode of delivery (ground or aerial vaccinations) determining the degree of stress within herds and speed of resumption of normal movement patterns. Aerial vaccinations resulted in the least disturbance, with target herds being approachable within a day. In 2005, implementation costs were R880-R1000 / elephant / year, inclusive of darts, vaccine, helicopter and veterinary assistance. Irrespective of the source or method of vaccine delivery, a non-pregnant elephant is rendered infertile from 1st vaccine administration. The sooner immunocontraception is implemented, the sooner population growth rates can be controlled. pZP contraception is a realistic alternative management tool, particularly if used as part of a long-termmanagement strategy. Mass-darting from the air eliminates the need for detailed individual histories of each elephant or for employing a person to monitor elephants. Thus, implementation of immunocontraception in larger populations is feasible and practical.

Patterns of Female Attractiveness in Indian Ocean Bottlenose Dolphins

Behaviour ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 133 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 37-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janet Mann ◽  
Andrew F. Richards ◽  
Rachel A. Smolker ◽  
Richard C. Connor
Keyword(s):  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Breeding Season ◽  
Bottlenose Dolphins ◽  
Late Pregnancy ◽  
Reproductive Behaviour ◽  
Shark Bay ◽  
Female Attractiveness ◽  
Time Patterns ◽  
Free Ranging ◽  
First Time

AbstractHormonal profiles of captive individuals show that bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops spp.) are seasonally polyoestrous, but little is known of reproductive behaviour among free-ranging bottlenose dolphins. In Shark Bay, Western Australia, we have documented for the first time patterns of female attractiveness that may correspond to multiple oestrous cycles. Male bottlenose dolphins in stable alliances of 2-3 individuals form temporary consortships with individual females. Consortships often are established and maintained by aggressive herding. Consortships are associated with reproduction and are a useful measure of a female's attractiveness. Following reproduction, females may become attractive to males when their surviving calf is about 2-2.5 years old or within 1-2 weeks of losing an infant. Individual females are attractive to males for variable periods extending over a number of months, both within and outside of the main breeding season. The duration of attractive periods is greater during breeding season months than during the preceding months. Males sometimes are attracted to females for periods exceeding the reported duration of rising estrogen levels during the follicular stage of the oestrous cycle. Males occasionally have consorted or otherwise been attracted to females in several unusual contexts, including late pregnancy, the first two weeks after parturition, and the day after the loss of a nursing infant. Individual females were consorted by up to 13 males during the season they conceived, supporting predictions of a promiscuous mating system in bottlenose dolphins. Thus, consorting is a strategy by males to monopolize females, but not a completely successful one. Multiple cycling by female bottlenose dolphins may be a strategy to avoid being monopolized by particular males. Given the duration and agonistic nature of many consortships, the benefits to females of such a costly strategy are not obvious. Multiple cycling may reduce the risk of infanticide by males or allow females to mate with preferred males after being monopolized by less desirable males.

scholarly journals Reproductive behaviour in free-ranging crested porcupine Hystrix cristata L., 1758

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca Coppola ◽  
Antonio Felicioli
Keyword(s):  
Parental Care ◽  
Reproductive Behaviour ◽  
Duration Of Copulation ◽  
Contact Behaviour ◽  
Reproduction Biology ◽  
The Family ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Crested Porcupine ◽  
Free Ranging

AbstractPrevious data on crested porcupine reproduction biology were mostly collected in captivity or semi-captivity due to its elusive, burrowing and mainly nocturnal habits. Between 2017 and 2019 the reproductive behaviour (i.e., intrapair mounting and copulation, birth and parental care) of free-ranging crested porcupine was documented and described. Nightly rhythms of single and multiple mounting occurred throughout the year while only two copulation events were recorded. Three months after both copulation events, the birth of porcupettes (porcupine < 5 kg) was recorded. A stochastic phase characterized by an articulate courtship with distinct behavioural patterns always preceded each mounting event. After the stochastic phase, the presenting of the female evoked by Nose-Quill contact behaviour, occurred in 83.8% (n = 182) of mounting events, while in 16.1% (n = 35) a spontaneous presenting of the female occurred. The average duration of copulation lasted 24 s (SD = 7 s) with 17 thrusting (SD = 5.5 thrusting). Births of porcupettes occurred throughout the year from 1 to 3 times per pair per year and the litter size observed ranged from 1 to 2 porcupettes. The first emerging of porcupettes from burrow occurred at 10–15 days after birth. Parents and sub-adults of the family actively perform parental care and the permanence of sub-adults within the family (i.e., from birth to dispersal) resulted to be at least 1 year. This investigation provides new useful insights on porcupine reproductive behaviour in the wild. Such new knowledge may be useful to the management of porcupines in wild, semiwild and captive condition as well as to delineate the key habitat desiderata of this rodent.

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