• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.52 no.1
• /
• pp.21-26
• /
• 2014

Dirofilaria immitis (heartworm) infections affect domestic dogs, cats, and various wild mammals with increasing incidence in temperate and tropical areas. More sensitive antibody detection methodologies are required to diagnose asymptomatic dirofilariasis with low worm burdens. Applying current transcriptomic technologies would be useful to discover potential diagnostic markers for D. immitis infection. A filarial homologue of the mammalian translationally controlled tumor protein (TCTP) was initially identified by screening the assembled transcriptome of D. immitis (DiTCTP). A BLAST analysis suggested that the DiTCTP gene shared the highest similarity with TCTP from Loa loa at protein level (97%). A histidine-tagged recombinant DiTCTP protein (rDiTCTP) of 40 kDa expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) showed immunoreactivity with serum from a dog experimentally infected with heartworms. Localization studies illustrated the ubiquitous presence of rDiTCTP protein in the lateral hypodermal chords, dorsal hypodermal chord, muscle, intestine, and uterus in female adult worms. Further studies on D. immitis-derived TCTP are warranted to assess whether this filarial protein could be used for a diagnostic purpose.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
• /
• v.24 no.1
• /
• pp.112-118
• /
• 2018

The purpose of this study is to analyze endangered species laws and systems in China from the viewpoint of the importance of protecting biodiversity and to propose suggestions for existing wildlife protection laws in China to improve efficacy. Since the People's Republic of China Wildlife Protection Act was promulgated and enforced in 1988, China has found that urgent amendments are necessary because of neglected management of the act. The content of the Wildlife Protection Act of China is not only monotonous and unsystematic, but also needs modification and supplementation because it is pre-modern and does not meet current demands. In comparison with other countries, the purpose of China's legislation, supervision system, scope of protection and public participation system differ. China's Wildlife Protection Act is also hindered by confusion in the legislative protection system, lack of an administrative compensation system, difficulties in implementation, deterioration of legal efficiency, lack of content and operations, and lack of a list of species that should be is protected. This paper proposes measures for improvement to solve this confusion in the legislative system for the endangered species protection law to establish a legal system suitable for the current situation in China.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
• /
• v.35 no.1
• /
• pp.33-37
• /
• 2012

As people's interest about wildlife animal increases, more wildlife animal centers are developing. In South Korea, currently 120 mammal species live, and 22 of them are designated as endangered species. It is important to protect these natural treasures and endangered species, because they are being harmed by human industrial activity. For example, road expansion and poaching have led to the destruction of wildlife animal habitats, which is increasing year by year. Nevertheless, data regarding the systematic treatment of wild animals that are in distress is lacking, and it is a reality that analysis of such data is also lacking. The Kangwon Wildlife Rescue Center investigates these types of distress experienced by mammals. By analyzing the shape of the wild animals killed or injured, the center seeks an efficient and systematic way to manage such distress. The data collected from the Wildlife Animal Center from September 2007 to August 2010 includes 195 different cases, and the animals point of rescue. There are 16 species, including 87 water deer (Hydropotes inermis), 39 raccoons (Nyctereutes procyonoides), 20 roe deer (Capreolus pygargus bedfordi), 10 goral (Nemorhaedus goral), 7 siberian weasels (Mustela sibirica), 6 otters (Lutra lutra) and etc. Within the first year (September 2007 to August 2008), the number of mammals rescued was 46. In the second year (September 2008 to August 2009), 60 animals were rescued. in the third year (September 2009 to August 2010), the Wildlife Animal Center had 89 animals. We can see that these numbers are increasing, which shows that people are interested in the well-being of these animals because they are reporting animal injuries more and more. The mains form of distress caused by humans are from car accidents 67 (34.4%). Traps, and other hunting tools used by poachers are responsible for 25 (13.0%). Also, human industrial activity thus indirectly led to the starvation 25 (13.0%). and the orphaning of young animals 37 (19.0%).

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
• /
• v.47 no.4
• /
• pp.211-218
• /
• 2023

Background: Traditional wildlife monitoring has often relied on invasive techniques posing risks to species and demanding substantial resources. To address this, camera traps emerged as non-invasive alternatives, albeit primarily tailored for larger mammals, posing limitations for small mammal research. Thus, the Mostela, an innovative tool designed to overcome these challenges, was introduced to monitor small mammals in South Korea. Results: The Mostela was deployed at two study sites in South Korea, yielding compelling evidence of its efficiency in capturing small mammal species. By analyzing the collected data, we calculated the relative abundance of each species and elucidated their activity patterns. Conclusions: In summary, the Mostela system demonstrates substantial potential for advancing small mammal monitoring, offering valuable insights into diversity, community dynamics, activity patterns, and habitat preferences. Its application extends to the detection of endangered and rare species, further contributing to wildlife conservation efforts in South Korea. Consequently, the Mostela system stands as a valuable addition to the toolkit of conservationists and researchers, fostering ethical and non-invasive research practices while advancing our understanding of small mammal populations and ecosystems.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
• /
• v.17 no.2
• /
• pp.93-108
• /
• 2014

The inventory list of wildlife species inhabiting or distributing in Gyeonggi Province was made by compiling species data from precedent surveys, 10 national level nature surveys, 1 survey that Gyeonggi-do conducted, and 46 local surveys presented in scientific journals. Total 2,913 wildlife species including 2,041 vascular plants, 39 mammals, 304 birds, 34 herptiles, 145 fish, and 350 benthic macro-invertebrates were listed in the inventory. It explains 47% of nationwide total species in vascular plants, 31.5% in mammals, 58.2% in birds, 65.4% in herptiles, 12.2% in fish. The total number of important species including endangered species, national monuments, national red lists, etc. was 628 species, accounting for 21.6% of all listed species in Gyeonggi Province. More than 90% of endangered bird species, almost half of endangered fish and herptile species were found in Gyeonggi Province. In particular, abundant bird diversity and inhabitation of many endangered bird species were identified in Gyeonggi Province. Species diversity was greater in the northern area adjacent to the Demilitarized Zone and the eastern forest area. The distribution of the important species such as national endangered species was more distinct in these areas, especially in Gapyeong and Yeoncheon Counties. The inventory list compiled in this study implicates the level of management for biological resources and can provide information for policy decisions regarding new survey sites, protection management of specific species and areas, management practices by spatial characteristics. It should be more compiled and updated with survey data to be utilized as basic indices for local biodiversity strategies and management of biological resources.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
• /
• v.43 no.4
• /
• pp.385-389
• /
• 2019

Knowledge of abundance, or population size, is fundamental in wildlife conservation and management. Camera-trapping, in combination with capture-recapture methods, has been extensively applied to estimate abundance and density of individually identifiable animals due to the advantages of being non-invasive, effective to survey wide-ranging, elusive, or nocturnal species, operating in inhospitable environment, and taking low labor. We assessed the possibility of using coat patterns from images to identify an individual leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis), a Class II endangered species in South Korea. We analyzed leopard cat images taken from Digital Single-Lense Relfex camera (high resolution, 18Mpxl) and camera traps (low resolution, 3.1Mpxl) using HotSpotter, an image matching algorithm. HotSpotter accurately top-ranked an image of the same individual leopard cat with the reference leopard cat image 100% by matching facial and ventral parts. This confirms that facial and ventral fur patterns of the Amur leopard cat are good matching points to be used reliably to identify an individual. We anticipate that the study results will be useful to researchers interested in studying behavior or population parameter estimates of Amur leopard cats based on capture-recapture models.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.60 no.6
• /
• pp.423-427
• /
• 2022

The long-tailed goral, Naemorhedus caudatus (Mammalia: Bovidae), is one of the endangered animals in the Republic of Korea (Korea). Sarcoptic mange mites infested in diverse species of mammals, including humans, but no case has been reported in long-tailed gorals. We report 2 cases of mange mite, Sarcoptes scabiei, infestation in longtailed gorals. Mange mites were sampled in the skin legions of the 2 long-tailed gorals, which were rescued in 2 different regions, Uljin-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do and Cheorwon-gun, Gangwon-do, Korea. Our results showed that the ectoparasite was the itch mite that burrowed into skin and caused scabies on the morphological inspection and placed within the phylogenetic relations of the species. The present study confirmed for the first time in Korea that mange mites are pathogenic scabies of long-tailed goral. Closer surveillance of this pathogenic ectoparasite in zoonotic and infectious ecosystems is warranted.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
• /
• v.59 no.11
• /
• pp.24.1-24.14
• /
• 2017

Over the past decades, in vitro culture media have been developed to successfully support IVF embryo growth in a variety of species. Advanced reproductive technologies, such as somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), challenge us with a new type of embryo, with special nutritional requirements and altered physiology under in vitro conditions. Numerous studies have successfully reconstructed cloned embryos of domestic animals for biomedical research and livestock production. However, studies evaluating suitable culture conditions for SCNT embryos in wildlife species are scarce (for both intra- and interspecies SCNT). Most of the existing studies derive from previous IVF work done in conventional domestic species. Extrapolation to non-domestic species presents significant challenges since we lack information on reproductive processes and embryo development in most wildlife species. Given the challenges in adapting culture media and conditions from IVF to SCNT embryos, developmental competence of SCNT embryos remains low. This review summarizes research efforts to tailor culture media to SCNT embryos and explore the different outcomes in diverse species. It will also consider how these culture media protocols have been extrapolated to wildlife species, most particularly using SCNT as a cutting-edge technical resource to assist in the preservation of endangered species.

• Journal of Korean Society of Rural Planning
• /
• v.24 no.2
• /
• pp.21-29
• /
• 2018

Riparian management has become important as stream water quality as well as riparian ecosystem gain more public attentions. The objective of this study was to determine riparian widths based on the functions of nutrient removal and wildlife habitat protection and to apply for the Jinwee stream area as a preliminary case. Nitrogen and phosphorus filtration efficiencies were considered in water quality aspect, while the habitat radii of amphibian and reptiles were used for wildlife conservation purpose. In addition, observation of endangered species and human impact on wildlife disturbance in riparian area were also taken into account in determining riparian widths. The stream confluence zone was emphasized by doubling the riparian widths as the focal point for wildlife habitat conservation. As the results, three different levels of riparian widths were proposed depending on the major riparian functions and applied to the Jinwee stream section as the case study. The proposed method can be used to determine riparian width in other stream areas based on different functional focus, ie, water quality or riparian conservation purposes.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
• /
• v.101 no.1
• /
• pp.7-19
• /
• 2012

After having announced legislation for threatened or endangered species on the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants in 2005, the Korea Ministry of Environment proposed (in June 2011) amending the list, thereby delisting or reclassifying endangered species using new quantitative criteria for two levels (I and II), as well as status reviews. The new legislation included 40 species remained in their original endangered status, but 19 species were delisted, 5 species were proposed as candidates for delisting, 29 species were given a new endangered listing, and 3 species were proposed for an endangered listing in Korea. We assessed the threatened status of 98 plants using the IUCN Red List Criteria (version 3.1) at the global level, and compared the Ministry's revised criteria with the IUCN Red List Criteria and ESA criteria used in the USA. Most species proposed by the Ministry do not qualify as threatened and one of the major difficulties found in applying IUCN Red List Criteria at the global scale was a lack of knowledge on the status of species at broader geographic scales and the perceived difficulty this causes. Under the current classification process, many endangered species, such as Abeliophyllum distichum, Leontice microrhyncha, Echinosophora koreensis, Leontopodium coreanum, Iris odaesanensis, and Corylopsis coreana at global level were excluded here. Knowledge gaps and uncertainties mean that the number of taxa at high risk of extinction may be substantially greater than is currently understood. Due to a lack of information on its taxonomic status, currently there is controversy over the Red List status of Physocarpus insularis. Also, Caragana koreana, which was an invalidly published name, should be excluded here. Although the Korea Ministry of Environment insisted this procedure was conducted by applying the modified IUCN threat categories and definitions, this evaluation has been carried out based only on subjective views and misapplication of the IUCN Red List Criteria. The current listings by the Korea Ministry of Environment should be challenged. We suggest that broad species concepts on endemic species are applied and also criteria that adequately address the proper quantitative knowledge should be used. It is suggested that the highest priorities for the Red List should be given to endemic species at least in the Korean peninsula first at global scale.