title: Haematology and biochemistry of warru (Petrogale lateralis MacDonnell Ranges race) in captivity and the wild.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Use haematology, biochemistry and protein electrophoresis analyses to establish reference values for, and describe the health status of, wild and captive colonies of critically endangered warru (black-footed rock-wallaby: Petrogale lateralis MacDonnell Ranges race).
  
  
  METHODS
  Blood samples were taken from warru in three wild colonies (Alalka, Kalka, New Well) in the A nangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands in north-west South Australia (SA) and from captive animals at Monarto Zoo, SA. General haematology, serum biochemistry and protein electrophoresis analyses were conducted and results used to establish reference ranges. For the parameters that are indicative of a population's health, comparisons among the study sites were completed using analysis of variance.
  
  
  RESULTS
  General haematology results suggested that warru were not experiencing chronic anaemia and the protein electrophoresis values indicated that colonies were not suffering from population-wide disease. However, the lower superoxide dismutase, retinol, total carotenoids and ascorbic acid values for New Well warru suggested those animals had a lower plane of nutrition than those at Kalka and Alalka. Higher urea concentrations in New Well and Alalka warru could be a reflection of the absence of reliable free water at these sites.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results have implications for the management of in situ colonies, including potentially using supplementary feeding to improve nutrition, and suggested that these animals were not suffering from disease. The study presents the first blood reference values for P. lateralis and, potentially, a methodology for other threatened species recovery programs to follow to establish the health of their populations.
authors.affiliation: School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. laura.ruykys@adelaide.edu.au
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ruykys
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rich
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: McCarthy
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild / Q000097:blood; D000836:Animals, Zoo / Q000097:blood; D001774:Blood Chemical Analysis / Q000662:veterinary*; D005260:Female; D006403:Hematologic Tests / Q000662:veterinary*; D007614:Macropodidae / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D012016:Reference Values; D012737:Sex Factors; D013045:Species Specificity