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A systematic health assessment of two dolphin species by-caught in shark nets off the KwaZulu-Natal Coast, South Africa
Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2013.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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University of Pretoria
2014
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| _version_ | 1867613610245619712 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author2 | Thompson, P.N. (Peter N.) |
| author_browse | Thompson, P.N. (Peter N.) |
| author_facet | Thompson, P.N. (Peter N.) |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | © 2013 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. |
| description | Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2013. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/36782 |
| institution | University of Pretoria (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:38:53.005Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository |
| publishDate | 2014 |
| publishDateRange | 2014 |
| publishDateSort | 2014 |
| publisher | University of Pretoria |
| publisherStr | University of Pretoria |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository |
| spelling | oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/36782 A systematic health assessment of two dolphin species by-caught in shark nets off the KwaZulu-Natal Coast, South Africa Thompson, P.N. (Peter N.) mornedw@gmail.com Plon, Stephanie Lane, Emily P. Siebert, Ursula De Wet, Morne Coastal dolphin populations Shark nets KwaZulu-Natal coast UCTD Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2013. Coastal dolphin populations are indicators of environmental health and may be sensitive to anthropogenic influences. An observed increase in lesions during routine necropsies of dolphins prompted the first systematic health assessment of dolphins incidentally caught in shark nets off the KwaZulu-Natal coast. A detailed standard dissecting and sampling protocol for small cetaceans was developed for use in South Africa. Thirty five Indian Ocean bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) and five Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins (Sousa chinensis), incidentally caught between 2010 and 2012, were subsequently evaluated by full necropsy and sampling using this protocol. All animals were considered to be in good nutritional condition, based on blubber thickness measurements and muscle condition. A large proportion of dolphins had lesions with parasitic aetiology, including pneumonia (34/40), bronchiolar epithelial mineralisation (33/40), gastroenteritis (28/40), hepatitis (24/39); endometritis (11/26), capsular inflammation of various abdominal and thoracic organs (30/40), and splenic capsular tags (18/40). Four parasite species (Halocercus sp., Crassicauda sp., Brachycladiinae, and Xenobalanus globicipitis) were recovered from six animals. Non-specific encephalomeningitis was found in 7/18 animals. Adrenal cortical hyperplasia (18/37,) possibly related to chronic stress, was also found, as well as myocardial fibrosis (10/39). Pulmonary pneumoconiosis and lymph node foreign material accumulation, possibly indicating exposure to polluted air, was seen in three animals. Lesions suggestive of morbillivirus, Toxoplasma gondii, or Brucella spp. tested negative on immunohistochemistry. The first confirmed cases of lobomycosis and sarcocystosis in South Africa were found. Most lesions were mild, although their high and apparently increasing prevalence may indicate a change in the host/parasite interface. This may be attributed to anthropogenic factors, such as stress or environmental pollution, suggesting degradation of the marine environment. This could also negatively impact human populations associated with the marine environment. The results indicate a need for continued health monitoring of coastal dolphin populations and for further research into disease pathophysiology and anthropogenic factors affecting these populations. This standard necropsy protocol will encourage a more complete health investigation of incidentally caught and stranded cetaceans in the region and will assist in expanding the current knowledge of diseases affecting dolphin populations in southern Africa. Furthermore, we provide valuable information regarding the baseline of disease affecting these populations, which may be used to determine and monitor temporal trends. gm2014 Production Animal Studies unrestricted 2014-02-26T11:17:41Z 2014-02-26T11:17:41Z 2013-09-06 2013 Dissertation De Wet, M 2013, A Systematic health assessment of two dolphin species by-caught in shark nets off the KwaZulu-Natal Coast, South Africa, MSc dissertation, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd <http://hdl.handle.net/2263/36782> E13/9/1137/gm http://hdl.handle.net/2263/36782 en © 2013 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. application/pdf University of Pretoria |
| spellingShingle | Coastal dolphin populations Shark nets KwaZulu-Natal coast UCTD A systematic health assessment of two dolphin species by-caught in shark nets off the KwaZulu-Natal Coast, South Africa |
| title | A systematic health assessment of two dolphin species by-caught in shark nets off the KwaZulu-Natal Coast, South Africa |
| title_full | A systematic health assessment of two dolphin species by-caught in shark nets off the KwaZulu-Natal Coast, South Africa |
| title_fullStr | A systematic health assessment of two dolphin species by-caught in shark nets off the KwaZulu-Natal Coast, South Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | A systematic health assessment of two dolphin species by-caught in shark nets off the KwaZulu-Natal Coast, South Africa |
| title_short | A systematic health assessment of two dolphin species by-caught in shark nets off the KwaZulu-Natal Coast, South Africa |
| title_sort | systematic health assessment of two dolphin species by caught in shark nets off the kwazulu natal coast south africa |
| topic | Coastal dolphin populations Shark nets KwaZulu-Natal coast UCTD |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/2263/36782 |