The evaluation of data regarding rehabilitation practices provides reference values for comparison purposes among different rehabilitation centers to critically review protocols and efficiently improve each center. The aim of the present work was to present the main causes of admission to Rescate Wildlife Rescue Center for each taxonomic group, to determine the admission factors that influenced the release and mortality, and to determine the predictive factors of release and mortality of wildlife. To this end, a retrospective study was carried out based on 5785 admissions registered in the database of Rescate Wildlife Rescue Center in Costa Rica in 2020 and 2021. Statistical analysis consisted of sample characterization via the analysis of several categorical variables: species, order, class, age group, cause of admission, outcome, clinical classification and days in the hospital, and respective association with the mortality or release rate. Most of the rescue animals were birds (59.3%), then mammals (20.7%), reptiles (17.4%), and finally ‘others’ (2.6%). The main causes of admission were ‘captivity’ (34.9%), ‘found’ (23.3%), and ‘trauma’ (19.3%). Animals rescued due to ‘captivity’ and the classes ‘birds’ and ‘reptiles’ had the highest release rates. The causes of admission ‘trauma’ and ‘orphanhood’ and the class ‘birds’ had the highest mortality rates. In general, a greater number of days spent in the hospital and membership in the classes ‘reptiles’, ‘juveniles’, in need of ‘basic care’, or ‘clinically healthy’ were predictors of survival. In contrast, the age groups ‘infant’ and ‘nestling’ were predictors of mortality. These results demonstrate the value of maintaining, improving, and studying databases from wildlife rehabilitation centers, as they can provide useful information that can be used to enhance the allocation of economic resources, treatment methods, disease surveillance, public education, and regulatory decision-making, leading to a better understanding of threats to wildlife and subsequent implementation of conservation actions.

A 3- to 4-mo-old male ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) and a 6- to 8-mo-old female margay (Leopardus weidii) were brought in from the wild, held in captivity, and rehabilitated for 906 and 709 days, respectively, at the Rescate Wildlife Rescue Center in Costa Rica. During captivity, both cats were kept as isolated as possible from humans and fed appropriate live wild prey. After maturing and demonstrating the ability to capture and feed on live prey, the cats were radio-collared, released at a national wildlife refuge previously assessed for predator and prey occurrence, and monitored. After 54 days, the ocelot was trapped while preying on chickens in a nearby community, and after 20 days, the margay was found dead, likely due to ocelot predation. Avoiding habituation to humans, assuring hunting abilities, and assessing release sites likely is not sufficient to assure successful release of these species, and more experimental releases with innovative and detailed protocols and monitoring are needed.

Background: Spirocerca lupi is a nematode that infects domestic dogs and wild carnivores. Methods: This study retrospectively analyzed postmortem records between 1989 and 2024 to assess S. lupi -associated lesions in coyote necropsies. In addition, it conducted molecular characterization of 18S rRNA and cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 ( cox1 ) gene fragments of larvae found at necropsies. Fecal samples from free-ranging coyotes were molecularly examined for S. lupi 18S DNA. Results: Of the 39 coyote cases, 33 (84. 6%) presented S. lupi -associated lesions. A significant association was observed between the presence of Spirocerca nematodes and the development of esophageal granulomas and aortic aneurysms. In addition, an atypical case of spinal cord invasion was documented, representing the first reported occurrence of this condition in coyotes. Out of all fecal samples tested, 4.6% were positive for S. lupi infection. Conclusions: The obtained cox1 sequence revealed a complete similarity to S. lupi isolated from the Andean fox Lycalopex culpaeus from Peru, suggesting its transmission between wild canid populations. These findings indicate that coyotes play a significant role in S. lupi transmission dynamics and highlight the need for further research on the ecological interactions between domestic and wild canids in Costa Rica. Graphical

Cylicospirura is a genus of spirocercid nematodes infecting felids around the globe. Eleven species have been characterised, with C. felineus and C. subaequalis being reported in jaguarundis, Herpailurus yagouaroundi , from Brazil. Herein, we described spirocercid reddish worms collected from three jaguarundis from Costa Rica by using hierarchical clustering and dendrogram plots of morphological characters reported from our specimens and compared to other Cylicospirura spp., histopathological observations of associated lesions, and phylogenetic analyses of both mitochondrial and ribosomal loci. Nematodes were found within stomach nodules located in the submucosa causing a pyogranulomatous, multifocal, nodular, and sclerosing gastritis. In addition, the collected worms differed from their congeners by having a longer body and smaller muscular and glandular oesophagus, subsequently showing lower total oesophagus to body length percentage and ratio of glandular to muscular oesophagus. Cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 and internal transcribed spacer 1 analyses revealed that worms were 8.33 to 8.66% different from C. felineus, C. subaequalis , or C. petrowi and 15.2 to 15.4% different from C. petrowi , respectively. Moreover, sequences derived from collected worms clustered separately from other Cylicospirura spp. available in GenBank® in the phylogenetic trees. By using an integrative taxonomy approach, the nematodes collected from stomach nodules of jaguarundis were described as a new taxon, for which the name Cylicospirura wishkai sp. nov. is proposed.

An adult female great curassow ( Crax rubra) and an adult female crested guan ( Penelope purpurascens) were examined post-mortem and found to harbour trematode flukes in their pulmonary air sacs and coelom, with severe pathological changes. Seven trematode specimens (four from C. rubra and three from P. purpurascens ) were stained with hydrochloric acid–carmine for optical microscopy, while four specimens (two from each bird species) were submitted to molecular analysis. Morphological and molecular analyses identified the specimens as Circumvitellatrema momota. Phylogenetic analysis showed that C. momota from different geographical origins constitutes a single species within the subfamily Cyclocoelinae and is clearly distinct from other cyclocoelid genera. This is the first documented case of C. momota infecting members of the Cracidae family. These findings highlight the importance of monitoring parasitic infections in captive and free-ranging cracids under conservation programmes.