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The work is aimed at identifying the image of the sable in the traditional worldview and rituals of the Buryats. The chronological boundaries of the study are determined by the time of functioning and translation of the complex of traditional beliefs and rituals among the Buryats — the end of the 19th — middle of the 20th century. Geographically, the study is focused on the Baikal region, which encompasses the ethnic Buryatia. Linguistic, folklore and ethnographic sources have been used for this research. Comparison-collation and structural-semiotic methods have been used to explore the research topic. As a result of assessing the utilitarian value of the sable, it has been determined that the animal's fur was used in sewing winter outerwear and hats, and its meat was occasionally eaten, as well as applied in folk and veterinary medicine. The all-Mongolian origin of the term for sable, and its gender nominations, is proved. It is assumed that this predator could be revered as a totem by some of the ancestors of the Buryats of the pre-Baikal clans. It has been found that in the traditional Buryat culture, the image of sable was ambiguous. In the traditional views of the Buryats, sable was endowed with a heavenly nature. It acted as a female symbol. At the same time, a negative characteristic of this fur-bearing animal has been determined: it was associated with the chthonic world. In the traditional family ritual of the Buryats, a sable fetish was associated with the image of this fur-bearing animal, which performed a protective function for children and represented a female image. The sable skin was an attribute of the shaman: for some black shamans, it represented the emblem of the clan. Furthermore, in the shamanic ritual of the Buryats, a fetish, embodying the shaman's spirit-assistant, was associated with this animal. In shamanic poetics, the soul of a deceased shaman turned into a sable; this predatory animal was endowed with the function of a shaman's transport in his mystical travels to other worlds.

Mink circovirus disease caused by Mink Circovirus (MiCV) is a serious infectious disease of mink that has become prevalent in recent years in China, severely affecting the reproductive performance of mink and causing significant economic losses to farms. To date, there have been few studies on MiCV, its pathogenic mechanism is not clear, and there is no effective vaccine or drug to prevent and control the disease. Therefore, it is necessary to establish a rapid and reliable molecular diagnostic method, which would aid future studies of this novel virus. In our study, we developed a sensitive and specific TaqMan-based quantitative real-time PCR assay targeting the MiCV Cap gene. The assay showed no crossreaction with other tested animal viruses. The assay is highly sensitive, with a detection limit of as low as 10 plasmid DNA copies and 2.38 × 10-2 pg of viral DNA. The intra and inter--assay coefficients of variation were both low. The positive detection rate of MiCV in clinical samples from minks, foxes, and raccoon dogs were 58.8% (133/226), 50.7% (72/142), and 42.2% (54/128), respectively, giving a total positive detection rate of 52.2% (259/496). Higher contamination levels were observed in samples from the environment in direct or indirect contact with animals, with a total positive detection rate of 75.1% (220/293). These epidemiological results showed that minks, foxes, and raccoon dogs had high infection rates of MiCV. This was also the first study to detect MiCV on the ground and equipment of fur-bearing animal farms. Our assay is highly sensitive and specific for the diagnosis and quantification of MiCV, and should provide a reliable real-time tool for epidemiological and pathogenetic study of MiCV infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A statistical analysis of the secondary (at birth) sex ratio in the farming population of the American mink (Neovison vison Schr.) of the standard dark brown breed was carried out. The study was done on the materials of the Pushkin breeding farm in Moscow oblast according to the pedigree books. A total of 1550 litters of 999 mink females were analyzed. The total sample size for 5 years was 10 372 kits. On the basis of the results of the analysis in the expected population, the birth rate of males is estimated to be 0.492 ± 0.0067 with a 95% confidence interval of 0.473 ≤ P(A) ≤ 0.511. Unlike other main species of farming fur-bearing animals, namely, arctic foxes, foxes, and sables, in the American mink, the secondary sex ratio is characterized by inconstancy and heterogeneity with a variable predominance of females or males in the offspring, depending on paratypic factors (mother's age and litter size). At the same time, as mothers age, the deviation of the sex ratio shifts toward the predominance of males in the offspring and, with an increase in the size of the litter, toward an increase in the number of females. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reviews a group of terms for wild prey and fur-bearing animal nominalization with the aim to identify their Turkic roots. The investigation is based on the materials of the Khalkha-Mongolian, Buryat, Kalmyk and Old Mongolian languages. For more convincing evidences of the fact that the given Turkic parallel does have a Turkic character the material was taken from «the Ancient Turkic language». The authenticity of the Turkic character is confirmed by initial forms and etymology of Turkic parallels. The Mongolian languages have a significant number of common Turkic-Mongolian terms for wild prey and fur animals. The analysis showed that in many cases these Turkic-Mongolian terms are of Turkic origin due to their Turkic etymology. This issue requires a special research. As the article notes, some words came to the Mongol language during the pan-Mongolian period of development, others - after these languages began to develop independently having their own contacts with the Turkic tribes. The presence of numerous correspondences with the Mongolian terms is an evidence of contacts between the ancient Mongols with Turks and later contacts of individual Mongolian people with specific Turkic tribes.

The relationships between chosen mitochondrial genes polymorphisms and performance traits in raccoon dogs were determined. The study involved 354 farmed raccoon dogs. Blood collected from the animals was the analysed biological material. Mitochondrial DNA genes, i.e. MT-CO1 (mitochondrially encoded cytochrome c oxidase I), MT-CO2 (mitochondrially encoded cytochrome c oxidase II), and MT-CYB (mitochondrially encoded cytochrome b) were amplified using the polymerase chain reaction method. The amplicons obtained were sequenced and subjected to bioinformatics analysis. Based on the nucleotide sequences, three haplotypes for the MT-CO1 gene fragment and two haplotypes for the MT-CO2 gene fragment were identified. The sequence of the MT-CYB gene was monomorphic. Based on the haplotypes, five previously undescribed mitochondrial haplogroups were determined. Statistical analysis revealed significant differences between the values of three of the five investigated performance traits of raccoon dogs and the identified haplotypes and mitochondrial haplogroups, taking into account predictors of direct additive effects, additive maternal effects, and fixed specific maternal environmental effects. The new mitochondrial haplogroups identified in the farmed raccoon dog population may imply constant emergence of adaptive mutations that are conserved in subsequent generations. The results of the association study indicate a statistically significant association between haplotypes and mitochondrial haplogroups of farmed raccoon dogs and their body weight, body size, and colour type, which allows considering MT-CO1 and MT-CO2 genes as candidate genes encoding these traits in raccoon dogs. The results of the molecular analyses can be applied to improve the performance traits in farmed raccoon dogs.

The study focused on an analysis of body weight, fur quality and selected blood biochemical indices in farm mink fed a diet with an addition of probiotics containing effective microorganisms. The feeding trial was conducted in 2013 on a population of Silverblue mink. The experimental group was offered the probiotics supplement with their daily ration. The control group did not receive a probiotic supplement. Body weight gains, blood AST and ALT content and the quality of fur were analyzed. The probiotic supplement positively and statistically significantly influenced the body weight gains of the mink, particularly in males. The supplement had a beneficial effect also in terms of pelt quality, since the animals fed the probiotic yielded pelts in the highest class of quality.

Resource users with different interests frequent public lands, resulting in opportunity for conflict. We examined the issue of interactions among wildlife trappers and dog owners by examining stakeholders' socio‐demographics, land usage, concerns, attitudes, and satisfaction with multiuse public land management for recreation with dogs and furbearer trapping. We sent mail‐back questionnaires to licensed dog owners (n = 1,000; hereafter, dog owners) and licensed wildlife trappers (n = 1,000; hereafter, wildlife trappers) in a 10‐county area of New York, USA, during 2009. After weighting data, results revealed dog owners and wildlife trappers had differences in land usage patterns for all land types. Dog owners and wildlife trappers, regardless of whether they owned a dog, differed in all items except that they had similar levels of satisfaction for management of public lands in their region for both recreation with dogs and wildlife trapping. Seeing dogs under voice and sight command of their owner or trainer was positively related to satisfaction with management of public lands for wildlife trappers and agreement that dog owners have few places to take their dogs and allow them to run off‐leash. Concern about dogs getting caught in wildlife traps was negatively related to satisfaction with public lands management for wildlife trappers. For dog owners, agreement that trappers should be allowed to trap on public lands was positively related to satisfaction. Our results suggest that state wildlife agencies seeking to improve stakeholder interactions and satisfaction with public land management for both wildlife trapping and recreation with dogs should promote the importance of dogs being under control through voice or sight command or directly on a leash, and should consider creating spaces for dogs to run off leash. © 2018 The Wildlife Society. Understanding factors important for satisfaction with public land management for both wildlife trapping and recreation with dogs can inform engagement and management strategies. Creating spaces for dogs to run off leash and promoting importance of dogs being under voice or sight command, or directly on a leash, are key strategies for satisfaction for public lands management for both groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study 12 Arcanobacterium phocae strains isolated from fur animals in Finland, including foxes, minks and Finnraccoons, could successfully be identified phenotypically, by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionisation-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) and genotypically by sequencing 16S rDNA and phocaelysin (PHL) encoding gene phl . The PHL of all 12 A. phocae strains in the present study and reference strains A. phocae DSM 10002 T and A. phocae DSM 10003 displayed, as typical members of the cholesterol dependent cytolysin-group of toxins, the variant undecapeptide sequence EATGLAWDPWW which appeared to be most closely related to arcanolysin of Arcanobacterium haemolyticum and pyolysin of Trueperella pyogenes . In addition, gene phl could be determined with a newly designed loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay. The detection of mass spectra by MALDI-TOF MS and the LAMP assay based on gene phl might help to reliably identify A. phocae in future and also elucidate the role this species plays in infections of fur animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationships between chosen mitochondrial genes polymorphisms and performance traits in raccoon dogs were determined. The study involved 354 farmed raccoon dogs. Blood collected from the animals was the analysed biological material. Mitochondrial DNA genes, i.e. MT-CO1 (mitochondrially encoded cytochrome c oxidase I), MT-CO2 (mitochondrially encoded cytochrome c oxidase II), and MT-CYB (mitochondrially encoded cytochrome b) were amplified using the polymerase chain reaction method. The amplicons obtained were sequenced and subjected to bioinformatics analysis. Based on the nucleotide sequences, three haplotypes for the MT-CO1 gene fragment and two haplotypes for the MT-CO2 gene fragment were identified. The sequence of the MT-CYB gene was monomorphic. Based on the haplotypes, five previously undescribed mitochondrial haplogroups were determined. Statistical analysis revealed significant differences between the values of three of the five investigated performance traits of raccoon dogs and the identified haplotypes and mitochondrial haplogroups, taking into account predictors of direct additive effects, additive maternal effects, and fixed specific maternal environmental effects. The new mitochondrial haplogroups identified in the farmed raccoon dog population may imply constant emergence of adaptive mutations that are conserved in subsequent generations. The results of the association study indicate a statistically significant association between haplotypes and mitochondrial haplogroups of farmed raccoon dogs and their body weight, body size, and colour type, which allows considering MT-CO1 and MT-CO2 genes as candidate genes encoding these traits in raccoon dogs. The results of the molecular analyses can be applied to improve the performance traits in farmed raccoon dogs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fur ranching has been a prosperous industry for decades. Despite its worldwide distribution, little published information is available regarding the importance of the various causes of death in chinchilla (Chinchilla lanigera). In the period 1999–2013, 698 captive chinchillas from different commercial ranches were presented for necropsy at the Pathology Department (UNLP). Two-hundred and forty-four animals (35.0%) had classical enteritis, 198 (28.4%) had pneumonia, 63 (9.0%) had other infections, 40 (5.7%) had traumatic injuries, 109 (15.6%) had miscellaneous conditions, meanwhile 44 (6.3%) had no significant lesions. Although some disease processes may be underrepresented (i.e. heat stroke and the shock syndrome), the data were collected from a field wide enough and over a sufficient period to give a reliable overview of the fatal problems of this rodent in captivity. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Across western Canada, furbearers are being subjected to the cumulative impacts of industrial development. This region has witnessed unprecedented levels of anthropogenic change, primarily in the form of increased forest harvesting. We used trapping records to investigate the relationship between habitat and the abundance of Canada lynx ( Lynx canadensis ) and American marten ( Martes americana ). We applied expert-based habitat models to ten reference landscapes (i.e., traplines) in two distinct study areas to serve as measures of habitat change from 1990 to 2013. We elicited fur harvest records from trapper experts and then used negative binomial count models to relate capture success to habitat availability and quality. We controlled for factors that were hypothesized to influence capture success, including effort and weather conditions, allowing us to model the effects of habitat availability and quality on population abundance. Expert-based habitat models revealed that the area and quality of habitat declined significantly as a result of increased forest harvesting. The top-ranked count models identified combinations of habitat availability and quality, trapping effort, and trapline area as factors positively influencing the capture success of lynx and marten. Results suggested that the reduction in high-quality habitat negatively affected the abundance of marten in the study area. Methods and findings also illustrated the utility of harvest records for investigating population abundance of furbearer species. A precise measure of trapping effort, however, is necessary to relate environmental covariates, including habitat, to harvest at the scale of individual traplines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In 2007, a previously unrecorded disease, fur animal epidemic necrotic pyoderma (FENP), was detected in farmed mink (Neovision vision), foxes (Vulpes lagopus) and Finnraccoons (Nyctereutes procyonoides) in Finland. Symptoms included severe pyoderma with increased mortality, causing both animal welfare problems and economic losses. In 2011, an epidemiologic questionnaire was mailed to all members of the Finnish Fur Breeders' Association to assess the occurrence of FENP from 2009 through the first 6 months of 2011. The aim was to describe the geographical distribution and detailed clinical signs of FENP, as well as sources of infection and potential risk factors for the disease. Results: A total of 239 farmers (25%) returned the questionnaire. Clinical signs of FENP were observed in 40% (95% CI 34-46%) of the study farms. In addition, the survey clarified the specific clinical signs for different animal species. The presence of disease was associated with the importation of mink, especially from Denmark (OR 9.3, 95% CI 2.6-33.0). The transmission route between Finnish farms was associated with fur animal purchases. Some risk factors such as the farm type were also indicated. As such, FENP was detected more commonly on farms with more than one species of fur animal in comparison to farms with, for example, only foxes (OR 4.6, 95% CI 2.4-8.6), and the incidence was higher on farms with over 750 breeder mink compared to smaller farms (OR 3.8, 95% CI 1.6-9.0). Contact between fur animals and birds and other wildlife increased the risk of FENP on farms. Responses also indicated that blocking the entry of wildlife to the animal premises protected against FENP. Conclusions: FENP was most likely introduced to Finland by imported mink and spread further within the country via domestically purchased fur animals. Some potential risk factors, such as the type and size of the farm and contact with wildlife, contributed to the spread of FENP. Escape-proof shelter buildings block the entry of wildlife, thus protecting fur animals against FENP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the prevalence of Cryptosporidium in farmed fur animals in the Czech Republic and Poland. A total of 480 faecal samples were collected from fur animals, including 300 American mink ( Mustela vison ), 60 silver foxes ( Vulpes vulpes ), 50 long-tailed chinchillas ( Chinchilla lanigera ), and 70 nutrias ( Myocastor coypus ), at 14 farms. Samples were examined for the presence of Cryptosporidium using microscopy (following aniline-carbol-methyl violet staining) and sequence analysis of PCR amplified products. Three mink and two chinchillas from two different farms tested positive for Cryptosporidium ubiquitum DNA. The presence of C. ubiquitum DNA was not associated with diarrhoea. Subtyping of C. ubiquitum isolates by sequence analysis of the 60-kDa glycoprotein gene showed that isolates belonged to the XIIa subtype family, which was previously restricted to humans and ruminants. This suggests that C. ubiquitum subtype XIIa has a broader host range than previously reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fur Animal Epidemic Necrotic Pyoderma (FENP) is a severe, often lethal infectious disease affecting all three fur animal species: mink (Neovision vision), foxes (Vulpes lagopus) and finnraccoons (Nyctereutes procyonoides). Previous studies showed an association between Arcanobacterium phocae and FENP. An experimental infection was conducted to confirm the ability of A. phocae to infect mink either alone or concurrently with a novel Streptococcus sp. found together with A. phocae in many cases of FENP. Different inoculation methods were tested to study possible routes of transmission. Typical signs, and gross- and histopathological findings for FENP were detected when naïve mink were infected with the tissue extract of mink with FENP, using a subcutaneous/ intradermal infection route. Edema, hemorrhage, necrosis and pus formation were detected in the infection site. A pure culture preparation of A. phocae alone or concurrently with the novel Streptococcus sp. caused severe acute signs of lethargy, apathy and anorexia and even mortality. The histopathological findings were similar to those found in naturally occurring cases of FENP. In contrast, the perorally infected mink presented no clinical signs nor any gross- or histopathological lesions. This study showed that A. phocae is able to cause FENP. The study also indicated that predisposing factors such as the environment, the general condition of the animals, temperature and skin trauma contribute to the development of the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the rapid and extensive advances in molecular epidemiology of Cryptosporidium in humans and a variety of animals, the prevalence and genetic traits of the parasite in wildlife bred in captivity and the role of the neglected hosts in zoonotic transmission of human cryptosporidiosis are rarely understood. This study investigated the prevalence, species/genotype, and subtype of Cryptosporidium in farmed fur animals in China and assessed the possibility of zoonotic transmission. Three of 191 (1.6%) foxes ( Vulpes vulpes ), 17 of 162 (10.5%) raccoon dogs ( Nyctereutes procyonoides ), and 48 of 162 (29.6%) minks ( Mustela vison ) were positive for Cryptosporidium by nested PCRs targeting the small subunit rRNA gene. Sequence analysis indicated the presence of only Cryptosporidium canis in foxes and raccoon dogs. There is no significant difference in prevalence between young and adult foxes (or raccoon dogs). Three Cryptosporidium species or genotype including C. canis , Cryptosporidium meleagridis , and mink genotype were determined in minks aged five to six months. Subtyping based on nucleotide and amino acid sequence polymorphisms of the 60 kDa glycoprotein facilitated identification of three novel subtype families named as Xb to Xd for Cryptosporidium mink genotype. The presence of zoonotic C. canis , C. meleagridis , and Cryptosporidium mink genotype in captive-bred fur animals is of public health concerns. The findings expanded the host ranges of C. canis and C. meleagridis and confirmed genetic diversity at the subtype level in Cryptosporidium mink genotype. This is the first study reporting Cryptosporidium infections in foxes and raccoon dogs in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Spilogale putorius (Eastern Spotted Skunk), once a fairly common furbearer across the eastern and mid-western US, is estimated to have undergone a >90% population decline across its range since the 1950s. In South Carolina, only 17 sightings of the Eastern Spotted Skunk have ever been reported, with the most recent sighting in 1998. The objective of our study was to investigate whether this species still occurs in South Carolina. We set camera traps at 56 locations on public land in the Appalachian region of South Carolina during January-March 2015, including sites of historic records. We detected 5 individual Eastern Spotted Skunks at 5 sites between the hours of 20:00 and 03:00 during 1326 trap nights in February and March. Our findings highlight the potential for Eastern Spotted Skunks to persist in other portions of their range despite a lack of recent records, and the need for future monitoring to address whether this species is cryptic or rare throughout portions of its historic range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cumulative impacts of anthropogenic landscape change must be considered when managing and conserving wildlife habitat. Across the central-interior of British Columbia, Canada, industrial activities are altering the habitat of furbearer species. This region has witnessed unprecedented levels of anthropogenic landscape change following rapid development in a number of resource sectors, particularly forestry. Our objective was to create expert-based habitat models for three furbearer species: fisher (Pekania pennanti), Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis), and American marten (Martes americana) and quantify habitat change for those species. We recruited 10 biologist and 10 trapper experts and then used the analytical hierarchy process to elicit expert knowledge of habitat variables important to each species. We applied the models to reference landscapes (i.e., registered traplines) in two distinct study areas and then quantified the change in habitat availability from 1990 to 2013. There was strong agreement between expert groups in the choice of habitat variables and associated scores. Where anthropogenic impacts had increased considerably over the study period, the habitat models showed substantial declines in habitat availability for each focal species (78% decline in optimal fisher habitat, 83% decline in optimal lynx habitat, and 79% decline in optimal marten habitat). For those traplines with relatively little forest harvesting, the habitat models showed no substantial change in the availability of habitat over time. The results suggest that habitat for these three furbearer species declined significantly as a result of the cumulative impacts of forest harvesting. Results of this study illustrate the utility of expert knowledge for understanding large-scale patterns of habitat change over long time periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]