Question

Wildlife of Rajasthan on 250 words

Answer 1

Even though Rajasthan has hostile terrain and conditions but has abode of a number of mammals and birds. Due to vast size and latitudinal variations above the sea level of 1,700m there is a varied vegetation. It provides semi green forests (Mount Abu) to dry grasslands of the desert). It also provides dry deciduous thorn forest (Aravali) to wetlands (Bharatpur). The Sanctuaries attracts herds of species from all over to their temporary habitat that provides comfortable subsistence. Rajasthan is also the habitat of tigers and many endangered species.
The leopard is also found here in forests and in open degraded forest areas adjoining towns and villages of Godwar. Some of the common species of animals found here are village dogs, asses, calves and goats.[1]

Answer 2

In September 2018, Translational Animal Science published a short supplement article on the effects of using Depo-Provera in reindeer bulls (to attempt to prevent aggression during breeding) on neural activity. Reindeer are managed across the globe for the premium price of their meat (venison) among consumers. Unfortunately, managing reindeer bulls during the breeding season (called the rutting season) can be challenging. Management can be dangerous because during this time bulls generally have a decreased fear and increased aggression. These behaviors are thought to be brought on by decreased activation of the central amygdala, which is responsible for recognizing environment threats such as predators. The central amygdala generally causes alerting, fear, and initiates a state of arousal towards particular stimuli in the environment. Anecdotally, Depo-Provera, which is a progesterone agonist, has been used to improve management and decrease aggression, but its effects on reproductive signaling have not been studied.

This study’s objective was to determine the effects of Depo-Provera (medroxyprogesterone acetate) on neural activity in the amygdala of reindeer bulls during the breeding season (rut). In this study, 8 reindeer bulls were used. Approximately 2 weeks before the rut began, half of these bulls were given a single intramuscular injection of Depo-Provera (400 mg), while the other half were untreated. An equal number of bulls were then euthanized and their brains collected in the early rut (n = 4) and full rut (n = 4). Immunohistochemistry was then used to detect neural activity in the amygdala.  

The results of this study showed that bulls in full rut treated with Depo-Provera had increased neural activity in the central amygdala. Conversely, neither the medial or corticol amygdala nuclei were affected by treatment with Depo-Provera, deep versus full rut, or their interaction. Overall, this study demonstrates that treating bulls with Depo-Provera seems to increase neural activity within the central amydgala. Therefore, it seems likely that this treatment can diminish aggression and positively alter reindeer bull behavior during the breeding/rutting season.

To view the full article, visit Translational Animal Science.

Interpretive Summary: Meat from red deer (Cervus elaphus) and reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus