About this Research Topic
In this Research topic, we would like to highlight the need for better methods to identify health and welfare issues in wild animals. The development and validation of new diagnostic methods from different matrices (blood, saliva, urine, faeces, hair, or tissues) for the early identification of stress and other stress-related health issues, will be determinant in the prediction of early alterations in animal welfare. This approach will prevent its decline, or at least reduce the degree of discomfort, applying environmental enrichment techniques that would promote high welfare standards. All these topics would be very relevant to improve and guarantee animal welfare and health in wildlife species.
The purpose of this Research Topic is to collect the latest knowledge in the field of wildlife health and welfare evaluation and diagnosis. Potential topics would be:
- Development and implementation of the Grimace scale adapted to different wild species.
- Use of -omics techniques in the early identification of stress biomarkers.
- Use of -omics techniques in the early identification of biomarkers of health loss related to stress.
- Development of new methods/assays and analytical validations in the identification of biochemical markers as indicator parameters of alteration of animal welfare.
- Identification of biochemical markers of stress or pain in samples obtained through non-invasive or minimally invasive methods.
- Development and implementation of new environmental enrichment techniques adapted to wildlife.
- Studies on the influence of stress on reproduction and implications for biodiversity.
- Studies on the impact of animal welfare on the appearance of emerging zoonoses
- Studies on the evaluation of animal welfare in free-living animals in breeding and recovery centres or zoos.
Both research articles, short communications, review articles and case reports on wildlife will be accepted.
Keywords: wildlife, welfare, distress, stress, biochemical parameters
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.