In this study, virological surveillance focused on coronaviruses in marmots in the Alpine region in 2022, captured as part of a population control reduction program in the Livigno area. Seventy-six faecal samples were randomly collected from marmots at the time of capture and release and tested for genome detection of pan-coronavirus, pan-pestivirus, canine distemper virus, and influenza A and D virus. Nine faecal samples were positive in the Pan-CoV RT-PCR, while all were negative for the other viruses. Pan-coronavirus positives were further identified using Illumina’s complete genome sequencing, which showed the highest homology with Bovine Coronavirus previously detected in roe deer in the Alps. Blood samples (n.35) were collected randomly from animals at release and tested for bovine coronavirus (BCoV) antibodies using competitive ELISA and VNT. Serological analyses revealed that 8/35 sera were positive for BCoV antibodies in both serological tests. This study provides molecular and serological evidence of the presence of BCoV in an alpine marmot population due to a likely spillover event. Marmots share areas and pastures with roe deer and other wild ruminants, and environmental transmission is a concrete possibility.

Intro: Coronaviruses infect humans and a wide range of wild and domestic animals. Some CoVs could be zoonotic, being able to mutate, crossing the species barrier and infecting humans (e.g. SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV). Since the emergence of SARS-CoV-2, several studies were carried out to ascertain the susceptibility of both domestic and wild animals to SARS-CoV-2. However, information on some species is lacking, and for others only RDB-ACE receptor affinity studies have been carried out. Considering the high densities of Marmota marmota in the alpine environment, where livestock and recreational activities are commonly present, this study aims to investigate the presence and characterization of CoVs in this species. Methods: During provincial relocation plan carried out in 2021 and 2022, 170 alpine marmots were captured in municipality of Livigno in Sondrio province (North-Italy) for decreasing animal density and, after a quarantine period, they were released in other alpine places. Faecal samples were collected from each animal and then subjected to RNA extraction and nested RT-PCR pan-Coronavirus and real time RT-PCR for SARS-CoV-2. PCR positive samples for pan-CoV were then sequenced. Findings: The pan-Coronavirus RT-PCR detected CoVs in seven marmots. The CoV sequence originating from one marmot sampled in 2021 had 97% affinity to strains isolated in lagomorphs. The other six sequences from 2022 were highly correlate with Bovine Beta-CoVs. This could be explained by the fact that marmots share alpine pastures with these species; in fact, the trapping area in 2022 represented grazing and forage production areas. All samples tested for SARS-CoV-2 resulted negative. Conclusion: Despite the absence of zoonotic coronaviruses, marmots show high plasticity in harbouring CoVs of sympatric species. For this reason, and considering the affinity of their ACE-receptor demonstrated for SARS-CoV, it would be worthwhile to increase surveillance for CoVs in this species.

Hair cortisol concentration (HCC) has recently gained popularity as an easy-to-measure biomarker of long-term stress in wild and domestic animals. Hair integrates cortisol over long time periods within a single sample and it can be collected non-invasively, which makes its use particularly interesting for wildlife studies. Interpreting HCC values, however, is challenging, because they are determined by the interplay of multiple factors. Here, were explore potential determinants of HCC in the Alpine marmot Marmota marmota . We tested the relationship of sex, age class, physical condition and body temperature with the hair cortisol concentration of free-ranging marmots. We found marked sex difference in HCC, with higher levels in females. This might be related to sex-specific variation in social stress or resulting from physiological difference, e.g., in baseline and stress-induced levels of cortisol secretion. Interestingly, body temperature was also positively related to HCC, possibly hinting at individual short- and long-term stress reactivity as part of coping styles. Although further work is needed to entangle possible mechanisms underlying the neuro-endocrinological modulation on HCC, our results emphasize that determinants such as sex and body temperature in Alpine marmots should be accounted for, when using HCC as marker of chronic stress.

Much of the so-called ‘wild’ or ‘game’ meat bought these days is actually farmed (not hunted), and current legislation does not require marketers to reveal the production method. What would consumers make of this distinction if they knew? We explore the roles of objective and subjective prior knowledge in determining consumer preferences for wild boar (Sus scrofa) sausage produced using meat from hunting, farming or an unspecified production method. A discrete choice experiment that includes two tests and corresponding self-evaluations reveals that farmed meat is the most preferred type, closely followed by hunted meat, while meat from an unspecified production method is clearly the least preferred. Objective knowledge about hunting is positively related to preferences for hunted meat, while the opposite is true for the effect of prior knowledge about farming on preferences for farmed meat. Finally, subjective knowledge is not a reliable predictor of preferences for either hunted or farmed meat.

The increasing use of remote motion‐sensitive photography recently led to an extension of distance sampling (DS) to accommodate camera trap data. Camera trap distance sampling (CTDS) has been proposed as a promising tool to estimate animal abundance, if temporally limited availability for detection is accounted for. However, the performance of CTDS in different field situations, and its reliability when single still images are used instead of videos or bursts of images remain untested. We used Alpine marmotsMarmota marmotain the Stelvio National Park (Italy) to address three aims: 1) compare estimates of availability bias‐corrected CTDS when using single still images with different set‐ups to define sampling effort. For the ‘user‐manual' set‐up we used values of θ [angle of view] andt∗[recovery time, i.e. the shortest interval at which an animal can be detected] specified by the camera user manual. For the ‘empirical' set‐up we estimated θ andt∗empirically. 2) Compare estimates of CTDS and line DS, both corrected for availability bias based on marmot behavior. 3) Compare estimates of CTDS corrected for availability bias with estimates obtained with capture–mark–recapture (CMR), accounting for the effective trapped area. Our results suggest that: 1) CTDS with ‘user‐manual' set‐up underestimated population size compared to the ‘empirical' set‐up; 2) ‘empirical’ CTDS estimates were similar to those of line DS, but CTDS had lower precision; 3) availability bias‐corrected CTDS underestimated abundance compared to CMR. Assessing camera settings empirically is crucial to reduce bias in CTDS estimators when single still images are used. Videos should be preferred as they allow choosing predefined snapshot moments and do not rely on settings that cannot be changed. Overall, our results support the use of CTDS as an alternative to DS, although proper availability‐bias corrections and many cameras are needed to ensure accuracy and acceptable precision.

Deer keds (Lipoptena spp.) are blood‐sucking ectoparasites of domestic and wild animals, and also accidentally of humans. In Europe, five Lipoptena spp. have been recorded, although the lack of specific taxonomic keys has often led to mistaken identification or to missing data. The present study aimed to develop an identification key of the European species and also to identify Lipoptena spp. found on wild ungulates in northern Italy. In total, 390 hippoboscids were collected from Rupicapra rupicapra, Capreolus capreolus, Cervus elaphus and Ovis aries musimon in an Alpine area of Italy. After morphological identification, 140 specimens were subjected to phylogenetic analysis based on mitochondrial (CO1) and nuclear (CAD) gene sequences. Despite the expected presence of slight morphological variations, all specimens examined were identified both microscopically and molecularly as Lipoptena cervi (100% identity for both CO1 and CAD genes). The massive increase in wild ungulate populations can favour the possibility of detecting other species of Lipoptena. The identification keys proposed in the present study may help with monitoring the presence of Lipoptena species, particularly in European countries where this ectoparasite is neglected and for which various data (from diffusion to control methods) are still missing.

Wildlife laws codify normative aspirations to conserve species. However, species continue to decline or disappear, highlighting a disconnect between normative aspirations and conservation outcomes. Public trust thinking (PTT) is a philosophical approach to natural resources, including wildlife, characterized by commitments to public control, broad public interests, and conservation for future generations. Elements of PTT feature in natural resource governance traditions across cultures and over time, notably in the common-law public trust doctrine (PTD). We ask whether PTT's foundational principles inform public wildlife governance in Italy, a civil law country where wildlife is publicly owned but PTD does not exist. We identify all five foundational principles of PTT in elements of Italian law and policy and compare them with examples from the United States, where PTD for wildlife is more firmly established. We argue that a de facto public trust exists in Italian legal and policy aspirations, but meeting these aspirations is inhibited by absence of clear legal responsibilities and constructive, inclusive public engagement processes. By establishing that similar aspirations exist in both countries despite differences in legal histories and institutional architectures, we support claims that functional equivalents of PTD exist in civil law traditions and lend weight to recent proposals to use PTT to guide creative wildlife governance reform outside of common-law systems. Specifying precise responsibilities for public wildlife administrators across levels of governance will be essential to connect normative aspirations with conservation outcomes.

•Men and women coproduce their hunting experience in the forest.•Men accept women during hunting trips because it allows them to exercise traditional gender roles without reproach.•Women accept the subjugation to men's hegemony as a means to not lose social legitimacy in their new domain.

Paratuberculosis (or Johne's disease) is an infectious disease which affects mainly ruminants and it is caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP). During a culling program (years 2011-2015) aimed at controlling the red deer (Cervus elaphus) population in Stelvio National Park (Italian Alps), where paratuberculosis was already described in this species, 382 tissue samples from the Lombardy Region and 102 fecal specimens from the Autonomous Province of Bolzano were analyzed by PCR. Of these, 77 samples (20.16%) from the Lombardy area and 19 specimens (18.63%) from the Bolzano area resulted PCR positive. The cultural test was carried out on PCR positive samples (n = 96), enabling the isolation of 19 MAP field strains which were genotyped using MIRU-VNTR typing and Short Sequence repeats (SSRs). Our results suggest that all isolates share an identical VNTR profile corresponding to the INMV1 genotype. The only variation was on the locus SSR2, but the utility of this last locus has already been questioned because of its instability. Overall, these data suggest a common clonal origin and host adaptation during the diffusion of paratuberculosis in this population. Finally, this profile is the same as that which has already been described in the cattle population in Northern Italy, suggesting a possible inter-species disease transmission pattern from wildlife to domestic ruminants and vice versa.

We studied the issue of wild boar (Sus scrofa) management over 17 years (2001-2018) in Piedmont, one of Italy's northern regions. The community empowerment (CE) approach discussed here involved two main interventions. First, a regulation that was issued to forbid the hunting of overabundant species counterintuitively eliminated the interest of hunters in artificially increasing wild boar population growth via illegal releases. Second, increasing amounts of responsibility for controlling the wild boar population were delegated from government institutions to the local community, where volunteers (including nonhunters) were provided depredation permits outside the regular hunting season. Via in-depth interviews and observations to gather qualitative data, we trace the lessons learned during implementation of the CE approach. In particular, we illustrate how structured decision making was consequential in bringing forth higher order learning via iterations in three districts with different local regulations regarding wild boar hunting (hunting was permitted in only two of the districts). We find lower boar populations and lower economic damage from boar in the district without hunting, suggesting that a regulation allowing hunting (especially hunting with the help of hounds) actually increases the overall population via incentivizing illegal releases. In the two districts permitting hunting, the successive delegation of responsibility to the local community proved most effective in legally reducing illegally released wild boar. We discuss implications for effective management of overabundant species.

Wild fauna organizations need to balance competing demands of different stakeholders. The full magnitude of this challenge becomes evident when it comes to managing species, which represent a pest for some, and a source of recreation for others. The wild boar (Sus scrofa) represents an ideal context to study these dynamics. This article reports the findings of a 15-year case study on wild boar management. Comparing three hunting districts in one province in Northern Italy, we illustrate to what extent issuing hunting permits represents an effective management approach for the species. We find that, counterintuitively, hunting as a management approach is counterproductive, unless integrated with depredation permits

1.An experiment was conducted to compare 5 different methods for the evaluation of litter moisture.2. For litter collection and assessment, 55 farms were selected, one shed from each farm was inspected and 9 points were identified within each shed.3. For each device, used for the evaluation of litter moisture, mean and standard deviation of wetness measures per collection point were assessed.4. The reliability and overall consistency between the 5 instruments used to measure wetness were high (=0.72).5. Measurement of three out of the 9 collection points were sufficient to provide a reliable assessment of litter moisture throughout the shed.6. Based on the direct correlation between litter moisture and footpad lesions, litter moisture measurement can be used as a resource based on-farm animal welfare indicator.7. Among the 5 methods analysed, visual scoring is the most simple and practical, and therefore the best candidate to be used on-farm for animal welfare assessment.

Fresh (frozen/thawed) muscle samples from four 2–12-year-old roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) from the Sondrio province in north-eastern Italy were examined under a dissecting microscope, and about 180 sarcocysts were isolated and identified to morphological type in wet mounts by light microscopy (LM). Seventy-seven of these sarcocysts were subsequently examined by molecular methods, comprising polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification and sequencing of the partial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene (cox1) of all isolates, as well as PCR amplification, cloning and sequencing of the complete18S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene of two isolates of each species found. By LM, three major sarcocyst types were recognised: spindle-shaped sarcocysts, 0.5–3 mm long, either with no clearly recognisable protrusions (thin-walled) or with finger-like protrusions (thick-walled); and slender, thread-like sarcocysts, 2–3 mm long, with hair-like protrusions. Sequencing of cox1 revealed that the sarcocysts belonged to four different species. Those with no visible protrusions either belonged to Sarcocystis gracilis (n = 24) or to a Sarcocystis taeniata-like species (n = 19), whereas those with finger- and hair-like protrusions belonged to Sarcocystis silva (n = 27) and Sarcocystis capreolicanis (n = 7), respectively. The 19 cox1 sequences of the S. taeniata-like species, comprising five haplotypes, differed from each other at 0–16 of 1038 nucleotide positions (98.5–100% identity). They differed from 25 previous cox1 sequences of S. taeniata from moose and sika deer (with 98.0–100% intraspecific identity), at 33–43 nucleotide positions (95.9–96.8% interspecific identity), and there were 20 fixed nucleotide differences between the two populations. In the phylogenetic analysis based on cox1 sequences, the two populations formed two separate monophyletic clusters. The S. taeniata-like species in roe deer was therefore considered to represent a separate species, which was named Sarcocystis linearis n. sp. At the 18S rRNA gene, however, the two species could not be clearly separated from each other. Thus, there was considerable intraspecific sequence variation in the 18S rRNA gene of S. linearis (98.1–99.9% identity between 24 sequences), which was similar both in magnitude and nature to the variation previously found in this gene of S. taeniata. The new 18S rRNA gene sequences of S. linearis shared an identity of 97.9–99.6% with those of S. taeniata (overlap between intra- and interspecific identity), and in the phylogenetic tree, sequences of the two species were interspersed. By scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the sarcocysts of S. linearis were found to possess regularly spaced, thin and narrow ribbon-like cyst wall protrusions (about 2.8–3.2 μm long, 0.3–0.4 μm wide and about 0.02–0.03 μm thick), terminating in a plate-like structure of the same thickness but with an elliptic outline (about 0.3–0.4 μm wide and 0.7–0.9 μm long). The terminal plates were connected in the middle with the band-like portion of the protrusions like the board of a seesaw (tilting board). The terminal plates of adjacent protrusions were neatly arranged in a hexagonal pattern resembling tiles on a roof. Together, they formed an outer roof-like layer facing the surrounding cytoplasm of the host cell and completely covering the band-like proximal portion of the protrusions, which overlapped and were stacked in three to four layers close to the cyst surface. The sarcocyst morphology of S. linearis was consistent with that of an unnamed Sarcocystis sp. in roe deer previously found by transmission electron microscopy in several countries, including Italy. A few sarcocysts of S. gracilis and S. silva were also examined by SEM, confirming the presence of regularly distributed, short knob-like protrusions in S. gracilis (as seen in previous SEM studies) and revealing tightly packed, erect 6–7-μm-long villus-like protrusions having regularly distributed round depressions on their surface in S. silva. The sequencing of cox1 of 7, 24 and 27 new isolates of S. capreolicanis, S. gracilis and S. silva, respectively, recovered 7, 11 and 10 new haplotypes from each of the three species and expanded our knowledge on the intraspecific sequence variation at this marker. Similarly, the study revealed a more extensive intragenomic sequence variation at the 18S rRNA gene of S. capreolicanis and S. silva than known from previous studies and confirmed a near absence of such variation in the 18S rRNA gene of S. gracilis.

Poultry transport systems are currently under investigation with a particular focus on design and dimensions of commercially available transport crates. The height of the crates currently used is debated and considered by some parties to be insufficient to fulfill animal welfare needs. The opposing view is that the welfare of birds transported in higher crates is even worst. The European Food Safety Authority highlighted the lack of scientific evidence supporting recommendations on the height of crates used for poultry transportation. To fill this gap and provide scientific knowledge on the effect of crate height on the welfare of poultry during transport, a field trial was carried out on a commercial journey of 2,618 broilers, comparing the welfare of birds transported in commercial crates with that of others transported in crates of doubled height. Animal welfare was evaluated through the use of animal-based parameters, such as behavior, physiologic variables, dead on arrivals, and postmortem lesions observed at slaughter. None of the parameters assessed proved advantages of the higher crates over those currently used. On the other hand, several parameters underlined favorable aspects of current crates toward the modified ones. Although based on the results of 1 single test, it appears from this trial that the suggestion to replace the transport crates commercially in use at present with crates doubled in height is not supported by improvements in animal welfare. On the contrary, this replacement would have a negative effect on the welfare of broilers during transport. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

According to Council Regulation 1099/2009 regular checks at stunning are compulsory to ensure that the animals do not present any signs of consciousness or sensibility in the period between the end of the stunning process and death. So far there are no data available on the prevalence of correctly electrically stunned pigs in Italy and on the signs more effective to use in practice to evaluate poorly stunned animals or return of consciousness. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of correctly stunned pigs by electrical stun in Italian commercial abattoirs through the clinical analysis of signs of consciousness. Four commercial abattoirs using three different electric stunning systems were studied to assess the efficiency of stunning. The abattoirs A and C used head-only manual stunning with an intensity >= 1.3A; the abattoir D used head-only manual stunning with an intensity 0.4 - 2A and the abattoir B used head-heart automatic stunning with an intensity >= 2.5A and >= 1A for the head and the chest respectively. A total of 1620 heavy pigs were evaluated from stunning to complete bleeding to evaluate the presence of signs of consciousness (animal alert, presence of rhythmic breathing, head uplift, pain reaction) and other signs (vocalizations, tongue movements, etc.). At the end of the observation the evaluator expressed a judgment concerning the state of consciousness for each pig conscious: presence of rhythmic breathing and/or pain reaction and/or righting reflex and/or the animal appeared alert; unconscious: presence of loss of posture, tonic phase, and clonic phase (not for head-heart automatic stunning); absence of rhythmic breathing, pain reaction, righting reflex; doubtful: not clear presence of rhythmic breathing or pain reaction or righting reflex. A statistically significant difference was observed in the distribution of the state of consciousness between the different abattoirs (p=0.01) and between the three different stunning systems (p=0.04). Abattoir B resulted to be more efficient (0% conscious; 0.25% doubtful) in stunning, compared to the others: abattoir A (0.5% conscious; 1.5% doubtful); C (2% conscious; 0.5% doubtful); D (1.7% conscious; 0.7% doubtful). Pain reaction, rhythmic respiration and head uplift could be used as practical key parameters for a regular evaluation of stunning, however future investigations are needed to better clarify their effectiveness taking into consideration the site of application of tongs and the current applied to each animal. The importance of tongue movements in apparently unconscious animals should be also investigated with more attention. No correlation was found between the state of consciousness and any of the anamnestic variables considered (signs of recent fighting; weight higher or lower than the range; signs of stress).