Abstract: Während einer fünftägigen Gotthardüberquerung im Sommer 2016 haben drei Maultiere als Tragtiere mit einer Gepäcklast von je 80 kg rund 94,46 Kilometer und 3�364 Höhenmeter bewältigt. Die Leistungsanforderung wurde anhand der Erholungswerte der Vitalparameter Herzfrequenz, Atemfrequenz und Körpertemperatur, sowie durch kontinuierliche Herzfrequenzmessung während der Belastung evaluiert. Die Bestimmung der Glucokortikoid- Metabolit Konzentration im Kot diente zur Einschätzung des Stresslevels der drei Maultiere. Die Erholungswerte der Herzfrequenzen der drei Maultiere lagen während allen Trekkingetappen in einem Bereich, der nicht auf eine Leistungsüberforderung schliessen liess. Anhand der kontinuierlichen Herzfrequenzaufzeichnung bei einem der Maultiere konnte gezeigt werden, dass die physische Leistungsanforderung im Ausdauerbereich lag. Wie als normale physiologische Reaktion des Körpers nach einer fünftägigen körperlichen Belastung erwartet, stieg Stresslevel gemessen an den Glucokortikoid- Metaboliten im Kot gegen Ende des Trecks bei allen Maultieren an. In der vorliegenden Studie konnte gezeigt werden, dass die Maultiere während des Gotthardtrecks ausdauernd belastbar waren, ohne durch die Anstrengung beeinträchtigt zu sein, die schon historisch von Maultieren abverlangt wurde.[
Durant une traversée du Gothard de cinq jours pendant l�été 2016, trois mulets ont été employés comme animaux de bât pour porter une charge de 80 kg sur 94,46 km, avec un dénivelé de 3364 m. Les exigences de performance ont été évaluées à partir des valeurs de récupération des paramètres vitaux (fréquence cardiaque, fréquence respiratoire et température corporelle) et de la fréquence cardiaque durant l�effort. La concentration en métabolites glucocorticoïdes dans le crottin a permis d�estimer le niveau de stress des trois animaux. Durant toute la durée du trek, les valeurs de récupération de la fréquence cardiaque des trois mulets étaient comprises dans un intervalle n�indiquant aucun effort excessif. La mesure constante des pulsations cardiaques a montré que l�intensité des performances physiques de ces animaux ne sortait pas de leur zone d�endurance. Comme on pouvait s�y attendre, le niveau de stress mesuré par le biais des métabolites glucocorticoïdes a augmenté chez tous les mulets à la fin du trek, réaction physiologique normale du corps après un effort de cinq jours. La présente étude a montré que durant un trek sur le Gothard, les mulets ont fait preuve d�endurance et de résistance, sans altération due à l�effort que l�on exige traditionnellement de leur part.][Nell�estate del 2016 tre muli impiegati come animali da soma hanno attraversato il Gottardo portando un carico di 80 kg ciascuno e percorrendo in cinque giorni un percorso di circa 94,46 chilometri con un dislivello di 3364 metri. La prestazione è stata valutata sulla base dei valori di recupero dei parametri vitali (frequenza cardiaca, frequenza respiratoria, temperatura corporea) e misurando costantemente la frequenza cardiaca sotto sforzo. Il livello di stress dei tre muli è stato valutato in funzione della concentrazione di metaboliti glicocorticoidi riscontrata nelle feci. In tutte le tappe del trekking i valori di recupero della frequenza cardiaca registrati nei muli rientravano in un intervallo che non lasciava supporre un sovraccarico. Sulla base della registrazione costante della frequenza cardiaca di uno dei tre muli è stato possibile dimostrare che l�intensità dello sforzo fisico non superava il loro intervallo di resistenza. Come previsto, verso la fine del trekking la concentrazione di metaboliti glicocorticoidi nelle feci di tutti e tre i muli indicava un aumento del livello di stress; si tratta di una reazione fisiologica normale dopo uno sforzo fisico di cinque giorni. Questo studio ha dimostrato che lo sforzo sopportato dai muli per portare un carico attraverso il Gottardo, un compito da secoli richiesto a questi animali, rientrava nel loro intervallo di resistenza e non ha avuto ripercussioni negative sul loro fisico.][In the summer of 2016, three pack mules, each carrying a load weighing 80kg, accompanied a 94.46km trek across the Gotthard Pass with a total altitude difference of 3,364m. The mules� performances were evaluated by measuring vital recovery parameters such as heart- and respiratory rates and body temperature, and by continuous heartrate monitoring during the trek. The stress levels of the animals were estimated by determining glucocorticoid metabolite levels in their faeces. Throughout the trekking days, recovery heartrates lay within a range which indicated that the animals were not being overworked. The continuous heartrate monitoring of one of the mules showed that its physical performance lay within the endurance zone. As expected, glucocorticoid metabolite levels were elevated in the faeces of all the mules � a normal physiological response after five consecutive days of exercise. The study shows the mules as being capable of performing at an endurance level during the Gotthard trek with no adverse affects on their health � a performance which was historically expected of the animals.]

Abstract: Early developmental environment can have profound effects on individual physiology, behaviour, and learning. In birds and mammals, social isolation during development is known to negatively affect learning ability; yet in other taxa, like reptiles, the effect of social isolation during development on learning ability is unknown. We investigated how social environment affects learning ability in the family-living tree skink (Egernia striolata). We hypothesized that early social environment shapes cognitive development in skinks and predicted that skinks raised in social isolation would have reduced learning ability compared to skinks raised socially. Offspring were separated at birth into two rearing treatments: (1) raised alone or (2) in a pair. After 1 year, we quantified spatial learning ability of skinks in these rearing treatments (N = 14 solitary, 14 social). We found no effect of rearing treatment on learning ability. The number of skinks to successfully learn the task, the number of trials taken to learn the task, the latency to perform the task, and the number of errors in each trial did not differ between isolated and socially reared skinks. Our results were unexpected, yet the facultative nature of this species' social system may result in a reduced effect of social isolation on behaviour when compared to species with obligate sociality. Overall, our findings do not provide evidence that social environment affects development of spatial learning ability in this family-living lizard.

Abstract: One of the most important human social skills is the ability to recognize faces. Humans recognize familiar faces easily, and can learn to identify unfamiliar faces from repeatedly presented images. Sheep are social animals that can recognize other sheep as well as familiar humans. Little is known, however, about their holistic face-processing abilities. In this study, we trained eight sheep (Ovis aries) to recognize the faces of four celebrities from photographic portraits displayed on computer screens. After training, the sheep chose the 'learned-familiar' faces rather than the unfamiliar faces significantly above chance. We then tested whether the sheep could recognize the four celebrity faces if they were presented in different perspectives. This ability has previously been shown only in humans. Sheep successfully recognized the four celebrity faces from tilted images. Interestingly, there was a drop in performance with the tilted images (from 79.22 ± 7.5% to 66.5 ± 4.1%) of a magnitude similar to that seen when humans perform this task. Finally, we asked whether sheep could recognize a very familiar handler from photographs. Sheep identified the handler in 71.8 ± 2.3% of the trials without pretraining. Together these data show that sheep have advanced face-recognition abilities, comparable with those of humans and non-human primates.

Abstract: Basic Commercial Court in Ankara wanted a report from our department of forensic medicine about two injury cases due to animal vehicle collision. The reports should include the disability rate and the duration of unfunctionality. After the examination we prepared the reports. Both vehicle collisions happened due to free ranging horse crossing the motorway. Both cases had different types of injury due to trauma. Vehicle collision due to horse crossing the motorway is rarely met in Turkey.
Our first case is a man that had upper extremity and facial injury. He uses prothesis due to ear amputation. He has a scar tissue on the right side of his face and left forearm. The other case is three-years-old boy that had cranial bone fracture and cranial hematoma. He has also hemiparesis of the right side of body. Both cases have neurologic sequels but they have no psychiatric sequels.
In literature, animal vehicle collisions involve lots of animal species such as kangaroo, deer, camel and moose. Animal vehicle collision involving the horses is rarely met. Forensic medicine specialists should state the causal link between traumatic events and disabilities in order to help justice. Our aim to present the current two cases is investigation of injuries of animal related collision and makes forensic medicine specialists pay attention to the subject of preparing reports about such cases.

Abstract: Wolf choruses ( Canis lupus ) are complex, multicomponent signals, composed by a series of different vocalizations emitted by a pack. Although howls, the main component, have been highly studied, poor attention has been drawn upon the other vocalizations of the chorus. In this study, we investigate the structure of the chorus by means of the analysis and the quantification of the different components, taking advantage both of the digital sound recording and analysis, and of the modern statistical methodologies. We provide for the first time a detailed, objective description of the types of call emitted during the wolf howlings, combining spectrographic examinations, spectral analyses and automated classifications, with the aim to identify different types of call. Our results show that wolf choruses have a rich, complex structure, that reveals six other types of call, to be added to those howls already described in literature. Wolf choruses are typically composed by other three different types of calls: the bark, i.e. relatively long calls characterized by low frequencies and the presence of harsh components (deterministic chaos); the whimper, characterized by a harmonic structure and a very short duration; and the growl, a call with a noisy structure, low frequencies but relative long duration. Although further investigations are necessary to understand the meaning of the different calls, this research provides a basis for those studies that aim to compare wolves and other canids vocal behaviour.