Noninvasive Assessment of Stress and Reproduction in Captive Lions (Panthera leo) Using Fecal Hormone Analysis
Serres Corral, Paula (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Sanitat i d'Anatomia Animals)
Almagro-Delgado, Vanessa (Zoo de Barcelona)
Ensenyat, Conrad (Zoo de Barcelona)
Carbonell, Loles (Bioparc Valencia)
Borragán, Santiago (Parque de la Naturaleza de Cabárceno)
Martínez-Nevado, Eva (Zoo Aquarium de Madrid)
Quevedo, Miguel Ángel (Zoobotánico Jerez)
Fernández-Bellon, Hugo (Zoo de Barcelona)
Carbajal, Annaïs (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Sanitat i d'Anatomia Animals)
López Béjar, Manel (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Sanitat i d'Anatomia Animals)

Date:	2025
Abstract:	Assessing steroid hormones through feces provides invaluable insight on the stress and reproductive physiology of wildlife, and has been broadly applied to monitor the health and welfare of wild animals managed under human care. This study utilized fecal hormone monitoring to evaluate adrenal and gonadal activity in 18 captive lions (Panthera leo) across five Spanish zoological institutions, focusing on how biological and management factors affect these metrics. We analyzed fecal glucocorticoid metabolites (FGM) concentrations and, additionally in females, fecal progesterone (FPM), estradiol (FEM), and androgen (FAM) metabolites in relation to their reproductive status. Results indicated significant variability in FGM levels among individuals, with no consistent trends influenced by sex or zoo environment, including changes in the frequency of providing environmental enrichment at two zoos. Importantly, reproductive status significantly impacted adrenal and gonadal hormone levels; ovariectomized lionesses showed lower concentrations of FGM, FPM, and FEM compared to intact and deslorelin-implanted females, the latter of which exhibited higher and more variable FAM levels. These findings advance our understanding of hormone patterns in lions and suggest implications for their management in captivity.
Note:	Altres ajuts: acords transformatius de la UAB
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, sempre que no sigui amb finalitats comercials, i sempre que es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Fecal steroid metabolites ; Lion physiology ; Reproductive status ; Stress assessment ; Zoo husbandry
Published in:	Zoo biology, 2025 , ISSN 1098-2361

DOI: 10.1002/zoo.21891
PMID: 39963893

14 p, 1.0 MB

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