Journal article
TRAUMA FOUND TO BE A SIGNIFICANT CAUSE OF DEATH IN A PATHOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION OF BENT-WINGED BATS (MINIOPTERUS ORIANAE)
Peter H Holz, Andrew Stent, Linda F Lumsden, Jasmin Hufschmid
JOURNAL OF ZOO AND WILDLIFE MEDICINE | AMER ASSOC ZOO VETERINARIANS | Published : 2020
DOI: 10.1638/2018-0176
Abstract
Determining the causes of mortality in endangered species is essential to understanding the possible reasons behind their decline and to facilitating the implementation of mitigating steps. The southern bent-winged bat (Miniopterus orianae bassanii) is a critically endangered Australian bat whose population numbers have decreased over the past 50 years. As part of a larger investigation to determine if disease could be a contributing factor to the decline, 27 southern bent-winged bats and one closely related eastern bent-winged bat (Miniopterus orianae oceanensis) that died during the study were necropsied and examined histologically. Trauma was the most common cause of death in the southern..
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Funding Acknowledgements
The authors thank the Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment, Wildlife Disease Association Australasia, the Karst Conservation Fund, the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, and David Middleton for providing generous financial support for this project. The lead author was supported by an Australian Postgraduate Award scholarship. The authors acknowledge the valuable assistance provided by Ian Beveridge, Amanda Bush, Deepthi Leelamany, Tony Mitchell, Terry Reardon, Emmi van Harten, and the numerous volunteers involved with the bat trapping and sampling trips.