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SAN DIEGO (Aug. 17, 2022) – Orphaned animals of several mammal species suffer socially and physiologically, and even if their mother dies after weaning, they may have lower survival than non-orphans. One physiological consequence of orphaning – stunted growth – had been discovered in humans and chimpanzee orphans. A new study, published recently in the journal Conservation Physiology, shows that orphaning also stunts the growth of African elephants by an estimated average of 13 centimeters.
SAN DIEGO (June 9, 2022) – The largest study ever conducted on a free-ranging population of rhinoceroses reveals that about one in every seven rhinos in a key South African national park has been infected with Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis), the pathogen that causes bovine tuberculosis (bTB). The finding shines new light on the potential for diseases to disrupt global conservation efforts, and potentially increase risk to human health, if left unaddressed.
SAN DIEGO (July 23, 2021) – A male snow leopard at the San Diego Zoo is suspected to be positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. On Thursday, July 22, wildlife care specialists noticed that the snow leopard had a cough and nasal discharge.