Basic hematological values in some wild ruminants in captivity

Analyses of hematological parameters were carried out on eight axis deer (C ervus axis), 12 fallow deer (Cervus dama), 16 red deer (Cervus elaphus hipp elaphus), three sambar (Cervus unicolor), nine Pi re David deer (Elaphurus davidianus), 20 European bison (Bison bonasus), seven nilgai (Boselaphus tr agocamelus), eight mouflon (Ovis musimon), four white-bearded gnu (Connocha etes taurinus) and six barbary sheep (Ammotragus lervia). The following par ameters were determined: packed cell volume, hemoglobin concentration, red blood cell number, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, me an corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, leukocyte number and differential leukocyte count. Some degree of interspecific variability was found in the artiodactyls for these hematological parameters. An inverse relationship be tween mean corpuscular volume and red blood cell number is described, and s pecific values for these parameters are given for the four subfamilies. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.