Passive Disease Surveillance of Alpine Chamois (Rupicapra r. rupicapra) in Slovenia between 2000 and 2020

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Wildlife disease surveillance can be considered an essential tool for providing important information about the health status of the population and for protecting human health. Between 2000 and 2020, 284 chamois carcasses from the entire home range of the species in Slovenia were examined using comprehensive necropsy and other laboratory tests. The results indicate a wide range of chamois diseases, but none of the identified diseases can be considered a significant health threat to other wildlife species and/or to humans. ABSTRACT: In this paper, we provide an overview of the causes of death of Alpine chamois (Rupicapra r. rupicapra) diagnosed in the national passive health surveillance of chamois in Slovenia. From 2000 to 2020, 284 free-ranging chamois provided by hunters were necropsied at the Veterinary Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. Depending on the results of complete necropsy, histopathological, bacteriological, parasitological, and virological examinations, a descriptive data analysis was performed. The most common causes of death in chamois were infectious diseases (82.2%), followed by non-infectious diseases (11.8%). Of all the causes of death, parasitic infections accounted for 70.3%, trauma for 9.7%, and bacterial infections for 9.3% of all cases. Less common diseases were viral infections, neoplasms, winter starvation, and metabolic disorders.