Data driven decision making in a complicated addra gazelle (Nanger dama) hand-rearing case

Citation

Treiber KH, Peck R, Marsicano M, Heyde J, Bezjian M, and Flacke G. 2025. Data driven decision making in a complicated addra gazelle (Nanger dama) hand-rearing case. In Treiber K, Brooks M, D’amato-Anderson J, Nylander J, Eds. Proceedings of the Sixteenth Conference on Zoo and Wildlife Nutrition, AZA Nutrition Advisory Group, Oklahoma City, OK

Abstract

In 2023, an otherwise healthy 7-day old Addra gazelle calf was pulled for hand-rearing to treat a leg injury. The animal required frequent medical treatments for two months. Hospital, animal care, and nutrition teams worked together to manage the calf’s health and recovery. Medical treatment progressed as expected and the leg was repaired. However, the calf struggled to consistently consume formula throughout most of the hand-rearing, resulting in poor growth, low body condition, and, ultimately, failure to thrive resulting in euthanasia one month after medical treatment was completed. Throughout hand-rearing, data was collected on consumption and growth rate to inform decision making through ongoing difficulties. This case may offer insight into what indicators are meaningful in assessing hand-rearing cases to optimize wellbeing decisions.

TreiberAddraHandrearZNF2025HRLightning.pdf     342 KB