Hematological and Biochemical Reference Values in Healthy Captive Tigers (Panthera tigris)

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The tiger (Panthera tigris) is the largest of the wild cats and is a pivotal member of many ecosystems and cultures. Despite a long history of concern for wild tigers, both their range and total number have collapsed: fewer than 3500 animals now live in the wild. Furthermore, an increased demand for tiger parts and consequent poaching as well as hunting of their prey has decimated populations across Asia, both in and out of reserves. All subspecies of tigers are globally endangered. Given the precarious situation of these wild felid, the health of each individual animal is of utmost importance so thorough health monitoring, including laboratory blood testing and physical evaluation, is vital. In human and veterinary medicine, hematological parameters and blood chemistry analysis are used in the diagnostic process, to establish disease processes and to monitor the progression of disease. Additionally, blood testing in wild animals provides baseline values for future studies and may help to support conservation strategies. It is extremely difficult to obtain biological samples from free-living Panthera tigris, therefore the values obtained from captive tigers provide very useful data. This study reports hematological and serum biochemical data in captive tigers. These results will be useful in the evaluation of physiological and pathological variations in wild and captive tiger populations. Tigers are a conservation-dependent species and require close protection because they are in high demand in the illegal trade. Development of a strong conservation ethic is urgently required for their survival. Pooling of knowledge about this species is essential if it is to be saved. ABSTRACT: The tiger (Panthera tigris) is an endangered species. The health of individuals is important and any data on hematological and biochemical blood values can provide valuable information; when combined with physical assessment. This data assists in both the diagnosis of disease and some conservation strategies. The behavior of wild tigers makes it is extremely difficult to obtain biological samples from free-living subjects, therefore, data collected from captive tigers is highly valuable. The aim of this study was to provide additional information for the values of hematological and serum biochemical parameters in healthy captive tigers. Blood samples were collected from 22 clinically healthy tigers (Panthera tigris). The following parameters were analyzed: glucose, urea, creatinine, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total protein (TP) and red blood cells (RBCs), hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit (Hct) and red cell indices; such as mean cell volume (MCV), mean cell Hb (MCH), mean cell Hb concentration (MCHC), platelet (PLT) and white blood cells (WBCs). The mean hematological values in our tiger population were not significantly different when compared with the same parameters in the previously studied tiger population. The mean values of RBCs and PLT were statistically significantly higher and the mean values of Hb, PCV, MCV, MCH, MCHC, and WBC were lower than the mean values obtained in previous studies on the Amur tiger. Further investigation of captive and free-living tigers is needed to identify the normal ranges for parameters in this endangered species.