Abstract

Aim: The study was undertaken to monitor the health of captive Royal Bengal tigers, Panthera tigris tigris, in Arignar Anna Zoological Park in Tamil Nadu, India through haematological and serum biochemical analysis.
Methods: The study was conducted between November 2022 and July 2023. Blood samples were collected from tail vein (Dorsal coccygeal vein) or the medial saphenous vein of nine tigers during regular vaccination. Haematological and serum biochemical parameters were analyzed using ‘Mindray’ (Model: BC-2800 vet.) and IDEXX Catalyst One, respectively.
Results: Most of the haematological parameters were within the reference range in all the nine tigers. Some parameters showed significant variations. The total WBC count was low (5.9x103/μl) in a 20-year-old white tiger. Platelet count was significantly low (71 x103/μl) in an 8-year-old white tiger. The platelet count was significantly high (334 and 318 x103/μl) in two 9-year-old normal tigers, Deva and Sunitha, respectively. Among the serum parameters, Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN), cholesterol and Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT) were beyond the reference limits in a few individuals. An 18-year-old normal tiger had a high cholesterol value of 371 mg/dL and a high BUN value of 60 mg/dL, which were significant compared to other individuals. Symmetric Dimethylarginine (SDMA) was within the reference interval.
Conclusion: The results of the present study helped the veterinarians to choose the correct appropriate treatment to adopt.

Key words: Blood cell counting; health monitoring; haemoglobin; Symmetric Dimethylarginine; creatinine; blood urea nitrogen