AUTHOR=van As Michelle , Smit Nico J. , Wolmarans Nico J. , Wepener Victor 

TITLE=First record of organochlorine pesticides in blood of wild and captive African leopards, Panthera pardus pardus (Linnaeus, 1758)

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Environmental Science

VOLUME=Volume 10 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/environmental-science/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2022.938453

DOI=10.3389/fenvs.2022.938453

ISSN=2296-665X

ABSTRACT=Compared to aquatic ecosystems, limited information exists on organochlorine accumulation in terrestrial ecosystems, and this is specifically true for terrestrial carnivores that have received limited attention in terms of studies on pollutant bioaccumulation. The African Leopard, Panthera pardus pardus (Linnaeus, 1758), is a popular focal species for research by ethologists and ecologists, but a noticeable knowledge gap exists with regards to toxicological aspects. To address this gap, the aim of this study was to determine baseline organochlorine pesticide (OCP) concentrations in blood of live wild and captive leopards in South Africa, and to explore the relationship between OCP levels and different conservation management strategies. Peripheral blood samples of captive and wild leopards, representing regular and melanistic individuals within the captive population, were collected while under sedation. The ΣOCP concentrations in blood serum were detected by means of GC­ECD. Statistical relationships among pesticide content in leopards from three geographical areas, different sexes, age groups and conservation status were examined. Captive leopards from this study had a slightly higher mean ΣOCP concentration (901 pg/ml) than wild leopards (768 pg/ml), and captive females had lower mean levels of ΣOCPs (797 pg/ml) than males (1058 pg/ml). Melanistic leopards had higher mean ΣOCP concentrations (1038 pg/ml) than their regular counterparts (810 pg/ml) and adult individuals had higher concentrations of ΣOCPs (856 pg/ml) than sub adults (838 pg/ml). OCPs accumulated in the following order DDTs (27%) > HCHs (21%) > Heptachlors (15%) > CHLs (15%) > Drins (14%) > HCBs (8%). Differences in OCP composition profiles of resampled captive individuals were also found. This is the first report on OCP concentrations from leopards in Africa and highlights the need for this parameter to be considered in terms of the conservation management of healthy populations.