Prevalence of Gastrointestinal Parasites of Goats Fed to Captive Animals at the University of Ibadan Zoolagical Garden, Nigeris

Abstract

Zoological gardens showcase wild animals for aesthetic, educational and conservation purposes. Parasitic diseases had been described to be a big threat to animals in captivity, leading to high mortality in some cases. This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites in goats fed to animals in the University of Ibadan Zoological Garden between May and September, 2011. Methods used include the Egg floatation and McMaster Egg Counting Technique for parasite egg identification and counts respectively while Petri Dish-Filter Paper Slant was for larval recovery. Descriptive Statistics and chi square was employed and significance was set at p < 0.05. Parasites recovered were Haemonchus contortus, Paramphistomum spp, Nematodirus spp, Trichostrongylus colubriformis, Trichuris caprice, Toxocara vitulorum and Strongyloides papillosus. By egg floatation technique, Trichostrongylus colubriformis was more prevalent [12 (10.8%)], compared to Haemonchus contortus [11 (9.91%)], while the least prevalence was observed for Strongyloides papillosus [2 (1.80%)]. The differences observed in parasite prevalence were statistically significant (χ²= 34.45).  The mean egg intensity and larvae recovery showed that the prevalence of Haemonchus contortus was significantly higher (2358.3±546; 66.9%; χ²= 109.97) than all other gastrointestinal helminths. This study highlights that Haemonchus contortus was the most prevalent gastrointestinal parasite in goats fed to animals in the University of Ibadan Zoological Garden.

Key words: Prevalence, Gastrointestinal parasites, Goats, Captive animals, Zoological Garden, Ibadan, Nigeria