Is blood collected from shot Iberian ibex (Capra pyrenaica) useful for monitoring their physiological status?

Blood samples were analysed from 175 shot Iberian ibexes, and good-quality samples were obtained in more than 56% of cases. Sixty-eight of these samples from healthy animals were then used to characterize standard values for the species. Values for 10 blood parameters [monocytes, cholesterol, creatinine, albumin, beta-globulin, gamma-globulin, albumin/globulin (A/G) ratio, calcium (Ca), phosphates and iron (Fe)] from shot ibexes did not differ from those obtained from healthy captured and physically restrained animals. Blood samples from mange-infested ibexes (n=31) were also analysed and showed higher values for eosinophils and gamma-globulin than samples from healthy animals, but lower values for cholesterol, direct bilirubin, albumin, alpha-2-globulins and chloride. Values from blood parameters can provide useful information about the health and nutritional status of animals, and blood values may thus provide a complementary source of information for animals shot in Andalusia that will prove to be useful for monitoring the physiological status of ibex populations. The protocol described here provides guidelines for quick sample collection after an animal’s death and standardized instructions for sample storage, transport and analysis.