• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.467-473
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• 2019

The amputation of body parts of wild animals can affect their activities in the wild and the behavior of mothers raising their cubs can cause behavioral characteristics in their offspring. In 2017, an Asiatic black bear was caught in a snare at the Jirisan National Park and had a right forefoot amputation. It was released into the wild the same year and gave birth to two cubs. The seasonal analysis of the behavioral rites of five females who gave birth in the same year as this individual showed specific home ranges, activity altitudes, and movement distances compared to other populations. Physical disabilities in the mother could lead to difficulties in food activity, hibernation, and cub-rearing, but the bear's maternal instincts helped to overcome difficulties in the wild and ensure the cubs' survival. It also became a special experience in the process of promoting the restoration of Asiatic black bears at Jirisan National Park. Although the Asiatic black bear's cubs, which grew up in difficult conditions compared to other populations, are not currently causing problems, continuous monitoring will help determine the success of the disabled mother cub-rearing study. Furthermore, these case studies will be used to establish long-term management directions and plans for conflicts with people from various perspectives.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.306-313
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• 2019

It is important to identify the most suitable anesthetic agent that has minimal side effects to be able to control and perform surgeries on bears. In this study, we examined and compared the induction and recovery times as well as the physiological changes occurring during anesthesia induced by medetomidine-zolazepam/tiletamine (MZT) and xylazine-zolazepam/tiletamine (XZT) at general anesthesia for laparoscopic salpingectomy in 326 female Asiatic black bears. The body temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, and levels of PaO₂ and EtCO₂ were the physiological changes measured during surgical procedures in female bears after anesthesia. In addition, the levels of pO₂, pCO₂, and sO₂ were measured using a portable blood gas analyzer. To induce recovery from anesthesia, bears anesthetized with MZT were intravenously administered atipamezole and bears anesthetized with XZT were intravenously administered yohimbine. The combination MZT, at dosages of 0.019 ± 0.001 mg/kg for medetomidine and 1.4 ± 0.1 mg/kg for ZT, or the combination XZT, at dosages of 2.0 ± 0.1 mg/kg for xylazine and 3.0 ± 0.1 mg/kg for ZT, proved to be reliable and effective in anesthetizing Asiatic black bears for a 40-min handling period for routine clinical procedures. The average anesthesia induction times were 16.5 ± 0.95 min for the bears in the MZT group and 12.0 ± 0.44 min for those in the XZT group. A significant difference was noted between the two drugs (P < 0.001) in terms of the average anesthesia induction time. The anesthesia induction time was shorter for bears with lower body weights than those with higher body weights (P < 0.05). The recovery time of MZT was significantly faster than that of XZT (11.3 ± 0.45 min vs. 18.5 ± 0.83 min) (P < .001). The bears anesthetized with MZT exhibited lower cardiopulmonary suppression than those anesthetized with XZT (P < 0.05). The body temperatures and EtCO₂ of bears in the M ZT group were significantly lower than those in the XZT group as time progressed after anesthesia (P < 0.05). The average pO₂ before the bears were supplied with oxygen was 64.8 ± 3.7 mmHg, but it increased to 211.5 ± 42.5 mmHg afterwards (P < 0.001). In conclusion, our results indicate that bears anesthetized with MZT have longer anesthesia induction time, shorter recovery time, slower heart and respiratory rates, and lower body temperatures and EtCO₂ than those anesthetized with XZT. These findings suggest that XZT is preferable to MZT, warranting further research on its uses and clinical responses in bears.