CANIDS AND F E L I D S I N C A P T I V I T Y 27

LUTZ, A. (1924): Sur le Diocrophyme renalis. C. r. Sianc. SOL. Bid . 90: 696.

LUTZ, A. (1925): Dioctophyme renah (Eustrongylus gkas). c. Y . SLanc. sac. Bid. 93: 39-40.

MIGLIANO, M. F. and MATERA, E. A. (1966): Dioctorfimose em Canis fumiliaris. Esrudos sfin. wed. cirurg. cam. Notas prelim,

AIOLIN, c. (1860) ex. P R O E N C A c. (1935): Sobredoiscasos de Dioctophyine renaleem cio no Rio de Janeiro. Bol. Vet. Exercito ~ ( 3 ) : 50.

hlONTEIRO, A. C. (1934). Eustrongilose do d o . Bol. Vet. Exercito I@): 191.

ROCHA, u. F., SERRA, R. G. and GRECCHI, R. (1965): Parasitism0 por Dioctophyme renale (Goeze, 1782) em Preguica Choloepus didactyhs Linnaeus, 1758. Revta Fac. Farm. Bioquiin. S. Paula, 3(2): 325. SANTOS, E. (1945): Entre oganzbli e o tnacaco. 1st ed. Rio de Janeiro: F. Briquet.

STEFANSKY, w. and S T R A N K O W S K Y , (1936): Sur un cas de pCnCtration de StrongylegCant dans le rein droit du chien. Annls. Parasir. hum. comp. 14(1): 35.

breeding the Cape Hunting dog Lycaon pictus

a t Amsterdam Zoo D. DEKKER Biologist, Natura Artis Mngistra, Arnsterdum, Netherlands

In April 1964 the Amsterdam Zoo received a pair of Cape Hunting dogs Lycaon pictzis from Okahandja Zoopark in South-West Africa. They are housed in an outdoor enclosure, 17 ni long and 5 m wide, with a sandy floor. The enclosure is overshadowed by high trees and is situated on the northern side of a three-storeyed building in which there is a closed indoor den adjoining the enclosure. The den has a surface area of 6 sq. m and it has a barred grating on one side which can be screened with metal sheets if total seclusion is desired. The Hunting dogs use the den for sleeping in at night; they are also fed in it.

Since its arrival at the zoo each animal eats about 14 kg of meat with bone daily. A mixture of vitamins and minerals specially made up for carnivorous animals (Carnicon, manu- factured by Trouw en Co, Putten, Netherlands) is added to the meat in the proportion of 20 g per kg meat. Particular attention is paid to see that the animals receive sufficient vitamins A and D, and a balanced proportion of the minerals calcium and phosphorus. The Hunting dogs are only occasionally given a whole chicken or whole pigeon.

28 CANIDS AND FELIDS IN CAPTIVITY

The male Hunting dog mated with the female for the first time in November 1964, the year that they arrived at the zoo. After two months gestation it became obvious that birth was imminent. In the meantime a number of preparations had been made. The indoor den was screened and in the outdoor enclosure a tunnel was dug, 1.5 m long and 0.6 m in diameter, for the female to rear her puppies in. When it was completed the artificial tunnel was immediately occupied by both animals. Every day they remained together inside the tunnel for several hours. At the beginning of January one or more pups were born in the tunnel. Birth was deduced from the female's return to a normal, slender shape; in addition, one young was seen by a keeper on one occasion. The gestation period was 69 days, slightly less than the 72-73 days reported by Cade (1967). Both animals remained in the hole all day. They only appeared in the afternoon when they were fed. The following day, however, the adult animals were found sleeping in the indoor den early in the morning and the young had disappeared. It is impossible to evaluate the effect of the low tempera- ture (about 3"c) at the time in this instance.

A new mating period occurred towards the end of August 1965 and several acts of copulation were observed. It was decided to design a completely new breeding box for the Hunting dogs, but it took so long to build that it was finished only one week before the birth was due to take place. Details of the new concrete breeding box are given in Figure I.

0.70rn IR concrete

Y I

Pi

longitudinal section

horirontal C- D

lonpiludinol ~ e r t i c a l section A-4

Figure I . Breeding box for Cape Hunt ing dogs Lycaon pictus at Amsterdam zoo.

C A N I D S A N D F E L I D S I N C A P T I V I T Y 29

The top of the box is roofed with three removable wooden covers which make it possible to look into each part of the box. The passage inside the box is made on a zig-zag pattern so that the central part is completely secluded from daylight and disturbance; moreover the warmth produced by the animals is also better preserved. In addition, the walls and the floor of the lying-in hole are covered with a heat insulating layer about I cm thick. The nest inside the hole was made from thin wood shavings and finely chopped straw.

Unfortunately the box was placed in the outdoor enclosure too late and the Hunting dogs did not accept their new home. They dug another hole underneath the box in the sandy earth of the enclosure. However, the birth took place in the indoor cage in a wooden box filled with straw, after a gestation period of about 69 days. Both animals were left together, day and night. During the first day we noticed that the female was not looking after the pups very well and that both parents were very restless. They dragged the young from place to place and some were left on their own in the outdoor enclosure. We there- fore decided to separate them from the adults. Eight were recovered alive, but three were in very bad condition and died of pneumonia within a few days. The remaining five were reared successfully by a foster mother, a lactating mongrel bitch.

At birth the eyes of the young were closed. Their fur was black and white. The yellow colour, so striking in the parents, was entirely lacking. Their birth weights ranged from 350 to 380 g. Their eyes opened on the 14th day by which time their weights ranged from 780 to 1,040 g. In the black parts of the fur spots of pale brown hair had appeared. These spots changed to yellow as they grew older. When they were three weeks old the young Hunting dogs started clambering around. They also cut their first teeth at this time. The keeper therefore offered them ground meat on the tips of his fingers to accustom them to the taste of meat. They continued to be suckled by the foster mother until they were five weeks old, when their teeth had become so sharp that they cut the dog’s teats. Suckling was stopped and consequently from the age of five weeks onwards the young were fed exclusively from a trough. They were fed with a mixture of equal quantities of milk and ground meat, with Carnicon and extra vitamin A, vitamin D and bonemeal added. Each kg of food contained among other ingredients: vitamin A 6,600 iu, vitamin D 3,500 iu, calcium 2,235 mg, and phosphorus 1,300 mg.

At five weeks the weight of the pups ranges from 2,080 to 2,460 g. After that the daily weight records ceased as the pups wriggled too much when they were put on the weighing scales. At the age of three months the five pups were moved into an outdoor enclosure beside that of their parents and separated from it by a wire fence. When they started run- ning about in the space of the enclosure it became apparent that they had weak ankle joints. The veterinarian treated them with injections containing a mixture of vitamin AD,, vitamin B-complex, and a liver extract. After three treatments, with an interval of several weeks between each, the animals had completely recovered.

Meanwhile both parents had grown accustomed to the permanent presence of the con- crete breeding box in their outdoor enclosure. A 250-watt heating lamp was installed in

30 C A N I D S A N D F E L I D S I N C A P T I V I T Y

the ceiling of the central part of the box. As the result a temperature about 15"c higher than the outdoor temperature (which was then near o'c) could be maintained, and the layer of straw on the floor of the box remained dry-a very important consideration in our rainy, damp climate, particularly during the winter.

In October 1966 the mating season started again and several acts of copulation were observed in the first week of that month. During the gestation period the female remained in the hole for several hours every day. At night both animals slept together in the indoor cage. On 18 December the female remained in the hole throughout the day and as soon as the male came near the entrance of the box she chased him away. The only time she left the box was in the afternoon when she came out for a few minutes to take some meat which she carried back with her into the box. Her body was quite slender again and her teats were swollen, obvious indications to us that she had given birth to one or more young. During the next four weeks the female only left the box for a few minutes at a time to run around, to defaecate or to take food. She always took the meat with her into the box.

When the pups were one month old they left the box for the first time. There were nine of them. During the first days, if they strayed too far from the entrance of the box, both parents would seize them by the scruff of the neck and take them back inside the box. Both parents regurgitated meat for the pups during this period. The pups fought over the food and bolted it down. In order to prevent serious fights from occurring we provided pIentifu1 food (more than was needed). The pups also ate fresh meat. In addition they received a mixture of ground meat and cow milk. The vitamin AD supply was twice as high as for the previous litter, and the calcium and phosphorus supplement was increased by 50 per cent. We were unable to prevent the parent animals from eating part of this food intended for the young.

At the time of writing (June 1967) the young were about six months old and very healthy without any infirmity. There did not appear to be any weakness of the joints-this may have been due, not only to the higher intake of vitamins and minerals, but also because the pups came into the sunlight daily from the age of four weeks.

R E F E R E N C E

CADE, c. E. (1967): Notes on breeding the Cape Hunting dog Lycnon pictrrs at Nairobi Zoo. Znt. Zoo. Yh. 7: 122-12.3.