Hematologic and biochemical values for Spanish ibex (Capra pyrenaica) captured via drive-net and box-trap

Between October 2002 and September 2004, 70 free-ranging Spanish ibex (Capra pyrenaica) were captured in Catalonia, northeastern Spain, using two different physical methods, drive-net (n=26) and box-trap (n=44). Blood samples were taken to determine 20 hematologic and 23 biochemical variables. Values obtained fell within already published reference intervals, with the following exceptions: higher values for red blood cells (RBC), packed cell volume (PCV), white blood cells (WBC), eosinophil count, triglyceride concentration, creatine kinase (CK; in box-trap), chloride, sodium, alpha-1, alpha-2, and gamma electrophoretic fractions of serum proteins; and lower values for hemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), urea concentration, CK (in drive-net), albumin, and albumin:globulins ratio (A:G). Published values for aspartate aminotransferase (AST) concentration are both higher and lower than observed in this study. In our study, monocyte and eosinophil counts, as well as triglyceride and potassium concentrations, were lower in animals captured via box-trap than those captured via drive-net. Conversely, MCHC, neutrophil count, total bilirubin concentration, urea, and AST were higher in animals captured via box-trap. Hematologic and biochemical values obtained from Spanish ibexes show that the drive-net is a newer, less-stressful method of capture than the box-trap.