Scapin Paola, Ulbano Massimo, Ruggiero Chiara, Balduzzi Andrea, Marsan Andrea, Ferrari Nicola, Bertolino Sandro
Clinica Veterinaria San Martino, 16132 Genova, Italy.
Department of Earth, Environmental and Life Sciences (DISTAV), Università degli Studi di Genova, 16132 Genoa, Italy.
J Vet Med Sci. 2019 Apr 27;81(4):641-645. doi: 10.1292/jvms.18-0319. Epub 2019 Mar 1.
We report a successful surgical sterilization procedure for population control of 324 male and female free-ranging grey squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) in Genoa (Italy). We describe the clinical procedure from the trapping of the animals to their surgical sterilization and release in another part of the city. Live-trapped squirrels were transported to the veterinary clinic within 1-2 hr of capture and maintained in a hospitalization room reserved for them. The waiting period before surgery was kept below 12 hr. The developed procedure has resulted in a survival of 94% of trapped squirrels from surgery to animal release. Sterilized squirrels started to feed in a very short time (1.0-1.5 hr), and after 2-3 days, it was possible to release them in a new area. Amoxicillin was used as a long-acting postoperative antibiotic to reduce the period of captivity. The successful surgical procedure described here can provide an important additional tool for the management of introduced populations of squirrels. We showed that the surgical sterilization of some hundred squirrels is clinically possible and could be included in management strategies aimed at removing critical populations of these species. Moreover, the data allow dosages and operational times in order to provide economic viability assessment of future population control measures.
我们报告了在意大利热那亚对324只自由放养的灰松鼠（Sciurus carolinensis）进行手术绝育以控制种群数量的成功案例。我们描述了从捕获动物到进行手术绝育并将其放归城市另一区域的临床过程。活体捕获的松鼠在捕获后1 - 2小时内被运送到兽医诊所，并安置在为它们预留的住院病房。手术前的等待时间保持在12小时以内。所制定的程序使94%被捕获的松鼠从手术到放归均存活下来。绝育后的松鼠在很短时间内（1.0 - 1.5小时）就开始进食，2 - 3天后，就可以将它们放归到新的区域。阿莫西林被用作长效术后抗生素以缩短圈养时间。这里描述的成功手术程序可为引入的松鼠种群管理提供一个重要的额外工具。我们表明，对数百只松鼠进行手术绝育在临床上是可行的，并且可以纳入旨在清除这些物种关键种群的管理策略中。此外，这些数据提供了剂量和操作时间，以便对未来种群控制措施进行经济可行性评估。
