A report of capture myopathy in the Tasmanian pademelon (Thylogale billardierii)

Abstract

In Tasmania, a small island state of Australia, wildlife is under increasing pressure from anthropogenic activities. Multiple s pecies of native herbivores compete directly for resources with humans, such that wildlife populations are regularly managed to reduce th eir impact on agricultural and forestry landscapes. There is an increasing need to quantify the impacts of such wildlife management strate- gies on localised populations of Tasmania's iconic fauna. Gathering this information often requires capture and restraint of an imals, but due to a paucity of published information on responses of wildlife to such techniques, regulatory bodies overseeing research do not always have complete information upon which to base decisions. In our study, the regulatory body designated manual restraint ov er chemical immobilisation as the preferred method, but current prescribed techniques can result in capture-related injuries inclu ding myopathy. To encourage dialogue on this welfare issue we present observations on capture and restraint of the endemic Tasmanian pademelon ( Thylogale billardierii ). Three of 19 animals that were trapped as part of a research study exhibited symptoms consistent with capture myopathy. Results suggest that techniques involved with capture and manual restraint can be problematic for pademe lons, and we present recommendations for preventative measures, including chemical immobilisation, to limit myopathy-related deaths.