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Conservation programs

Zoos like sentinels

We invite you to learn more about Zoos as sentinels for the sanitary management of wild animals

Ex situ conservation has become a fundamental tool for the protection and recovery of wild populations over the past 30 years. Among the most important contributions of this strategy are programs for the reproduction of endangered species, education about threatened species and ecosystems, and scientific research. This last role has grown considerably, focusing on generating evidence-based results on wild species in areas of knowledge with little proven information, such as responses to different anesthesia protocols, nutrition and dietary formulations, physiological values such as hematology and blood chemistry, epidemiology and susceptibility to infectious agents.

Within this last area of knowledge, Buin Zoo he began his journey in conservation and research 15 years ago with the launch of the project “Zoos as sentinels for the sanitary management of wild animals”. The general objectives of this project were to identify the importance of infectious agents in the management of wild mammals in Chile and to evaluate the usefulness of preventive medicine programs based on scientific evidence in the management of these animals.

Thanks to the alliance with important Chilean and foreign academic institutions, and within the framework of scientific collaborations and undergraduate and postgraduate theses, novel actions and findings were achieved for veterinary sciences applied to conservation, including:

  • Creation of a bank of samples of wild species: This bank includes different types of tissues (blood, serum, faeces, frozen organs and in formalin) and has samples of more than 1,500 animals, available for new collaborations that fulfill the mission of the project.
  • Scientific publications: Thanks to the data obtained, 12 scientific articles have been published in journals of high international prestige. The discovery of Old World camelids as reservoirs of MERS-CoV, one of the most important emerging diseases of the century, stands out. This publication in the prestigious Lancet Infectious Diseases has more than 600 citations to date.
  • Evaluation of preventive medicine protocols: A protocol was evaluated to safely protect wild populations of Chilote or Darwin foxes in the event of a canine distemper outbreak, using vaccines available in Chile. Bovine viral diarrhea and malignant catarrhal fever were also identified as important diseases for the health and conservation of pudús, and canine distemper was identified as a new threat to the health of maned wolves.

These results highlight the importance of ex situ conservation and collaborative effort in the protection of wildlife. Buin Zoo will continue to work hard to preserve and protect these species and their natural habitats, ensuring their long-term sustainability.

Publications/Dissemination

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WoS scientific publications

  1. SAGGESE MD, PEDROSA F, LUJÁN-VEGA C, KEENAN LD, MATTIELLO R, SOLER-TOVAR D, HIDALGO E. Avian medicine in Latin America. J Avian Med Surg. 2012 Dec; 26 (4) :258-65.

  2. REUSKEN, CB.; HAAGMANS, BL.;, MÜLLER, MA.; GUTIERREZ, C.; GODEKE, GJ.; MEYER, B.; MUTH, D.; RAJ, VS.; VRIES, LS.; CORMAN, VM.; DREXLER, JR.; SMITS, SL; EL TAHIR; YE.; DE SOUSA, R.; VAN BEEK, J.; NOWOTNY, N.; VAN MAANEN, K.; HIDALGO-HERMOSO, E.; BOSCH, BJ.; ROTTIER, P.; OSTERHAUS, A.; GORTÁZAR-SCHMIDT, C.; DROSTEN, C.; KOOPMANS, MP. 2013. Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus neutralizing serum antibodies in dromedary camels: a comparative serological study. Lancet Infect Dis. Oct; 13 (10) :859-66

  3. Rubio, A.; Hidalgo-Hermoso, E.; Bonacic, C. 2014. Hematology and serum biochemistry values of Culpeo fox (Lycalopex culpaeus) from Central Chile. J Zoo Wild Med Sep 45 (3) :589-93.

  4. Moreno-Beas, E.; Avalos, P.; Hidalgo-Hermoso E. 2015. Seroprevalence of nine Leptospira interrogans serovars in wild carnivores, ungulates and primates from a zoo population in a Metropolitan Region of Chile. J Zoo Wild Med. Dec 46 (4) :774-778.

  5. Marchant P, Hidalgo-Hermoso E, Espinoza K, Retamal P. 2016. Prevalence of Salmonella enterica and Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli in zoo animals from Chile. 2016. J Vet Sci. 17 (4) 583-586.

  6. Diaz-Ayala N, Hidalgo-Hermoso E, Cabello-Araya C, Carvallo-Chaigneau F. 2016. Infection with Toxoplasma gondii in a red kangaroo (Macropus rufus) and a Patagonian mara (Dolichotis patagonum) in captivity. Rev Bras Parasitol Vet. Oct-Dec; 25 (4) :523-526.

  7. Salgado, R., Hidalgo Hermoso, E., Pizarro Lucero, J. 2018. “Detection of persistent pestivirus infection in pudú (Pudu puda) in a captive population of artiodactyls in Chile”. BMC Veterinary Research 14 (1)

  8. Hidalgo-Hermoso E., Mathieu-Benson C., Celis-Diez S., Soto-Guerrero P., Carmona-Schmidt S., Cabello-Stom J. and Ortiz-Tacchi C. 2019. “Safety and serological response to multivalent canine distemper virus vaccine in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes)”. J Zoo Wild Med. Jun 13; 50 (2) :337-341. doi:10.1638/2018-0135.

  9. Vergara-Wilson V, Hidalgo-Hermoso E, Sanchez CR, Abarca MJ, Navarro C, Celis-Diez S, Soto-Guerrero P, Diaz-Ayala N, Zordan M, Cifuentes-Ramos F, Cabello-Stom J. Canine Distemper Outbreak by Natural Infection in a Group of Vaccinated Maned Wolves in Captivity. Pathogens. 2021 Jan 8; 10 (1) :51. doi:10.3390/pathogens10010051.

  10. Hidalgo-Hermoso, E., Cabello, J., Novoa, I., Celis, S., Ortiz, C., Kemec, I., Lagos, R., Verasay, J., Mansell-Venegas, M., Moreira-Arce, D., Vergara, P.M., Millán, J., Esperón, F. (2022). Molecular detection and characterization of hemoplasmas in the Pudu (Pudu puda), a native cervid from Chile. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 58, 8-14. doi:10.7589/JWD-D-21-00057.

  11. Raúl Muñoz, Ezequiel Hidalgo-Hermoso, Fernando Fdres, Raúl Alegría-Morán, Sebastian Celis, Carolina Ortiz-Tacci, Ignacio Kemec, Myra Mansell, Juan Verasay, Galia Ramírez-Toloza. Serological prevalence and risk factors of Toxoplasma gondii in Zoo Mammals in Chile, Preventive Veterinary Medicine. Volume 194, 2021.

  12. Sanchez, C.R.; Hidalgo-Hermoso, E. Mycobacterium tuberculosis sensu stricto in African Apes, What Is Its True Health Impact? Pathogens 2022, 11, 484. < https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens11050484 >

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Current and past researchers who have collaborated with the Huemul Conservation Program (2018-2024)

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  • Marion Koopmans DVM PhD Erasmus MC. Netherlands.
  • Cristian Bonacic MV PhD Catholic University
  • Pedro Avalos. MV MSc University of Chile
  • Patricio Retamal MV PhD University of Chile
  • Francisco Carvallo MV PhD Virginia Tech. USE
  • Carlos Sanchez DVM Oregon Zoo
  • Martín Zordán MV World Association of Zoos and Aquariums
  • Jose Pizarro-Lucero. Biochemist MSc University of Chile
  • Christian Mathieu-Benson MV Msc Agricultural and Livestock Service
  • Galia Ramírez-Tolosa MV PhD University of Chile
  • Raúl Alegría-Morán MV PhD Santo Tomás University
  • René Ortega MV PhD University of Concepción
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