BIOTELEMETRIC MONITORING OF PHYSIOLOGICAL-FUNCTION IN GAUR (BOS GAURUS)

Biotelemetry transmitters were implanted in adult female gaur (Bos gau rus) at the Bronx Zoo/Wildlife Conservation Park to establish baseline heart rate and body temperature value ranges in unrestrained animals and to document changes in these physiological functions when animals were exposed to different environmental conditions. Heart rate and bod y temperature were monitored using similar, but distinct, telemetry sy stems. Mean heart rates for five gaur ranged from 49.3 to 57.7 beats/m in, and the mean body temperatures for two animals were 38.2 degrees C and 38.8 degrees C. Short-duration adversive stimuli caused brief thr ee-fold increases in heart rate, but baseline rates returned once the stressors were removed. Moving gaur to novel environments or pairing t hem with nonaffiliates also resulted in heart rate increases. Body tem perature was not affected by short-term stressors but was positively c orrelated with ambient temperature. The onset of ovulation may be pred ictable based on temperature spikes exhibited by the gaur at 19-22 day intervals.