A comparison of reproductive parameters of female Amur tigers (Panthera tigris altaica) in the wild and captivity

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dc.contributor.authorGu, J.
dc.contributor.authorGuo, Y.
dc.contributor.authorStott, P.
dc.contributor.authorJiang, G.
dc.contributor.authorMa, J.
dc.date.issued2016
dc.description.abstractA healthy population of captive Amur tigers might assist recovery of the wild population in Northeast China if individuals were properly prepared and considered suitable for release in the wild. We analyzed the breeding records of 68 female Amur tigers from 1995 to 2010 in the Hengdaohezi Felid Breeding Center of China and compared the reproductive parameters of this population to wild female Amur tigers. We found that the reproductive parameters of the captive population (the age of first parturition, length of gestation and litter survival rate) were not significantly different from those of wild Amur tigers. Differences in birth date and litter size between wild and captive populations may be caused by management protocols for the captive population or insufficient field data from the wild population. Reproductive parameters of females giving birth after losing a litter were similar to parameters of females that did not lose a litter, except for birth date. These results provide no indication of major problems in using captive females for a breeding program for release of cubs into the wild, but additional information is still needed to assess their suitability.
dc.description.statementofresponsibilityJiayin Gui, Yurong Guo, Philip Stott, Guangshun Jiang, and Jianzhang Mai
dc.identifier.citationIntegrative Zoology, 2016; 11(1):33-39
dc.identifier.doi10.1111/1749-4877.12177
dc.identifier.issn1749-4869
dc.identifier.issn1749-4877
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2440/98883
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherWiley-Blackwell
dc.rights© 2015 International Society of Zoological Sciences, Institute of Zoology/ Chinese Academy of Sciences and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.
dc.source.urihttps://doi.org/10.1111/1749-4877.12177
dc.subjectAmur tiger
dc.subjectPanthera tigris altaica
dc.subjectcaptive condition
dc.subjectneonatal loss
dc.subjectreproductive parameters
dc.titleA comparison of reproductive parameters of female Amur tigers (Panthera tigris altaica) in the wild and captivity
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.publication-statusPublished

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