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www.rspca.org.uksciencegroupwildlife26Sciencegroupreviewof2012RepresentationonexternalcommitteeslAnimalWelfareNetworkWales.lBritishWildlifeRehabilitationCouncilBWRCSteeringCommittee.lInternationalWildlifeRehabilitationCouncilIWRC.lMarineAnimalRescueCoalitionMARC.lSpeciesSurvivalNetworkSSNBoard.lTheDeerInitiative.lTheMammalSociety.EngagingwithdecisionmakersScientificstafffromtheRSPCAswildlifedepartmentpromotetheSocietysagreedpoliciesaimsandobjectivesthroughadvocacytostatutorybodiesandotherorganisationsatthehighestlevel.Theyaremembersofmanynationalandinternationalcommitteesandworkinggroupsandalsohavekeyinputintoarangeofconsultationsbothtogovernmentandnon-governmentalbodiesonawiderangeofwildlifeissues.Belowisasmallselectionofthecommitteesmeetingseventsandconsultationsinwhichwildlifestaffhaveparticipatedduring2012.RSPCASTAPELEYGRANGEWILDLIFECENTREMonitoringstressandpost-releasesurvivalinfoxcubsAswildliferehabilitatorswemusthaveconfidenceinourrehabilitationprotocolssothatwearereleasingfitandhealthyanimalsthatcansurvivebackinthewild.BetweenJanuary2006andDecember2011RSPCAStapeleyGrangereceived754redfoxesVulpesvulpes289adultsimmatureand465juvenilesorphans.Overthissixyearperiod58adultsand262juvenilesorphanswerereleasedbacktothewild.Beforetakinginapparentlyabandonedcubseveryeffortismadetoleavecubsinthewildsothattheyhaveagoodchanceofbeingreunitedwiththeirparents.ThisRSPCApolicyensuresthateveryrescuedcubistrulyanorphan.Thereturnoforphanedcubscantakeuptosevenmonthswhichisbothexpensiveandlabourintensivehoweverlittleevidenceisavailableastohowwellthesesoftreleasedcubsdofollowingrelease.OverthenextfouryearsandinconjunctionwithManchesterMetropolitanUniversityRSPCAStapeleyGrangewillberunningthreeprojectsallofwhichrelatetofoxrehabilitation.1Monitoringstresslevelsoffoxcubsduringrehabilitationbymeasuringcortisollevelsinfaecalsamplestheselevelsactasindicatorstostress.2AssessingusingbehaviouralsoftwaretheimpactofourGSMcollarsonourjuvenilefoxestoensuretheyareunhinderedwhenreturnedtothewild.3Monitoring28rehabilitatedfoxcubsusingGSMcollarsforuptofourmonthspost-release.In2012fourfoxcubswerecollaredusingGSMcollars.Initialdatafromtwoofthecollaredfoxesshowthattheyareadaptingwellaftereightweeksandhaveappearedtohavefoundandsettledinnewlocationssomedistancefromtheirinitialreleasesites.WhilstonecollarwasremotelydroppedafteroneweektheotherhasbrokenandnowonlyworksusingVHFmodewhichisbeingtrackedbytheRSPCAStapeleyGrangeteam.LymeborreliosisorLymediseaseisacommonvector-bornediseaseofhumanbeings.Italsooccursindomesticanimals.LymeborreliosisiscausedbyagroupofcloselyrelatedBorreliaspeciesspirochaetebacteriawhicharetransmittedbetweenhostsbyIxodidticks.AlthoughvariousspeciesofwildmammalsandbirdsarethereservoirhostsforBorreliaspeciesdiseaseinwildlifeappearstoberare.InordertoimproveourunderstandingoftheepidemiologyofLymeborreliosisweundertookapilotstudyfundedbytheUniversityofBathtogatherinformationonthetickspeciespresentonwildanimalsinsouth-westEnglandandtheBorreliaspeciestheycarry.Seventy-fivetickswerecollectedopportunisticallyfrom15nativewildanimalseightEuropeanhedgehogsErinaceuseuropaeusfiveEurasianbadgersMelesmelesoneredfoxVulpesvulpesandoneroedeerCapreoluscapreolus.Thetickswerepreservedin70percentalcoholandsubmittedforspeciationandanalysisforthepresenceofBorreliaspecies.Tickswereidentifiedtospecieslevelbymicroscopyaccordingtomorphologicalcriteria.DNAwasextractedfromeachtickandBorreliaspecieswereidentifiedbyPCR.57Ixodeshexagonushedgehogticks16IxodescanisugadogorfoxticksandtwoIxodesricinussheepordeertickswereidentified.BorreliaspeciesDNAwasidentifiedin31ofthe75ticksexamined41percent.23Borrelia-positiveticks16I.hexagonusandsevenI.canisugawererecoveredfromfivebadgersfiveBorrelia-positiveI.hexagonuswererecoveredfromfouroftheeighthedgehogstwoBorrelia-positiveI.canisugawererecoveredfromthefoxandoneBorrelia-positiveI.ricinuswasrecoveredfromtheroedeer.TheBorrelia-positivesampleswereidentifiedtospecieslevelasfollows14BorreliagariniisevenBorreliavalaisianaoneBorreliaafzeliioneBorrelialusitaniaeandeightsamplesthatwerenottyped.RSPCAWESTHATCHWILDLIFECENTREPrevalenceofBorreliainfectioninticksfromwildlifeinsouth-westEnglandLeeStewartRSPCAStapeleyGrange