Ocular Lesions in Birds of Prey in Portugal: A Retrospective Study
In wildlife rehabilitation centers, thousands of animals are treated annually, with a substantial proportion being birds of prey. Since vision is essential for the survival of these species, this study focused on investigating the causes of ocular injuries in raptors admitted to four rehabilitation...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2024-10-01
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| Series: | Birds |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-6004/5/4/43 |
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| author | Lucas Ribeiro Maria Casero Carolina Nunes Mariana Ribeiro Roberto Sargo Filipe Silva Elisete Correia Maria de Lurdes Pinto |
| author_facet | Lucas Ribeiro Maria Casero Carolina Nunes Mariana Ribeiro Roberto Sargo Filipe Silva Elisete Correia Maria de Lurdes Pinto |
| author_sort | Lucas Ribeiro |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In wildlife rehabilitation centers, thousands of animals are treated annually, with a substantial proportion being birds of prey. Since vision is essential for the survival of these species, this study focused on investigating the causes of ocular injuries in raptors admitted to four rehabilitation centers across mainland Portugal from 2017 to 2021. Of the 2207 birds admitted during this period, 156 (7%) presented ocular injuries. Hyphema (28.2%) and corneal ulcers (20.5%) were the most prevalent injuries, often occurring together or alongside lens luxation. Nocturnal raptors showed a higher prevalence of these injuries (76.9%) compared to diurnal raptors (23.1%). A significant association was found between ocular injuries and causes of admission, particularly with ocular hemorrhages and multiple injuries in the eye. Despite the severity of the ocular injuries, the release rate remained relatively high at 51%, underscoring the critical role of comprehensive ocular examinations and vision assessments in guiding treatment decisions and discharge decisions. This study highlights the need for further research with larger samples to better understand the impact of ocular injuries on the rehabilitation success of wild birds in Portugal. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-fa4d135a88da4ff2bda372ec3f9c718f |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2673-6004 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Birds |
| spelling | doaj-art-fa4d135a88da4ff2bda372ec3f9c718f2024-12-27T14:14:25ZengMDPI AGBirds2673-60042024-10-015463764710.3390/birds5040043Ocular Lesions in Birds of Prey in Portugal: A Retrospective StudyLucas Ribeiro0Maria Casero1Carolina Nunes2Mariana Ribeiro3Roberto Sargo4Filipe Silva5Elisete Correia6Maria de Lurdes Pinto7Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, 5000-811 Vila Real, PortugalWildlife Rehabilitation and Research Center (RIAS), 8700-194 Olhão, PortugalWildlife Rehabilitation Center of Santo André (CRASSA), 7540-107 Santiago do Cacém, PortugalCenter for The Study and Recovery of Wild Animals (CERAS), Quercus ANCN, 6000-284 Castelo Branco, PortugalWildlife Rehabilitation Center (CRAS) and Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, 5000-811 Vila Real, PortugalWildlife Rehabilitation Center (CRAS) and Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, 5000-811 Vila Real, PortugalCenter for Computational and Stochastic Mathematics (CEMAT), Department of Mathematics, Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, 1049-001 Lisboa, PortugalAnimal and Veterinary Research Center and AL4AnimaLS, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, 5000-811 Vila Real, PortugalIn wildlife rehabilitation centers, thousands of animals are treated annually, with a substantial proportion being birds of prey. Since vision is essential for the survival of these species, this study focused on investigating the causes of ocular injuries in raptors admitted to four rehabilitation centers across mainland Portugal from 2017 to 2021. Of the 2207 birds admitted during this period, 156 (7%) presented ocular injuries. Hyphema (28.2%) and corneal ulcers (20.5%) were the most prevalent injuries, often occurring together or alongside lens luxation. Nocturnal raptors showed a higher prevalence of these injuries (76.9%) compared to diurnal raptors (23.1%). A significant association was found between ocular injuries and causes of admission, particularly with ocular hemorrhages and multiple injuries in the eye. Despite the severity of the ocular injuries, the release rate remained relatively high at 51%, underscoring the critical role of comprehensive ocular examinations and vision assessments in guiding treatment decisions and discharge decisions. This study highlights the need for further research with larger samples to better understand the impact of ocular injuries on the rehabilitation success of wild birds in Portugal.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-6004/5/4/43ophthalmologyraptorswildlife recovery centers |
| spellingShingle | Lucas Ribeiro Maria Casero Carolina Nunes Mariana Ribeiro Roberto Sargo Filipe Silva Elisete Correia Maria de Lurdes Pinto Ocular Lesions in Birds of Prey in Portugal: A Retrospective Study Birds ophthalmology raptors wildlife recovery centers |
| title | Ocular Lesions in Birds of Prey in Portugal: A Retrospective Study |
| title_full | Ocular Lesions in Birds of Prey in Portugal: A Retrospective Study |
| title_fullStr | Ocular Lesions in Birds of Prey in Portugal: A Retrospective Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ocular Lesions in Birds of Prey in Portugal: A Retrospective Study |
| title_short | Ocular Lesions in Birds of Prey in Portugal: A Retrospective Study |
| title_sort | ocular lesions in birds of prey in portugal a retrospective study |
| topic | ophthalmology raptors wildlife recovery centers |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-6004/5/4/43 |
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