208 H A N D - R E A R I N G

day with one drop of the multi-vitamin Hi Vite. On day 5 3 the cat was offered solid food, feline ZujPreeni, for the first time and readily accepted a small amount from the keeper’s fingers. This practice was continued for the next few days and on day 59 weaning began. At the seconJ and Fourth of its seven KMR feeds, the cat was offered, from a large spoon, a small quantity (one teaspoonful) of Zu/Preem. On day 64 this was increased to three times a day and the use ofthe nursins bottle was discontinued, the KMR and the Zu-Preem being given in small dishes. At this time the cat was becoming less interested in the KMR, sometimes refusins some that was offered, even when fed from it

bottle, and on day 95 no further KMR was offered. At the same time the amounts of Zu/ Preem were gradually increased and the number of fee& reduced (Table I).

Beginning day 119 the cat was offered a new- born mouse per day in addition to the Zui Preem. This was not accepted for the first two days but on the third a sniall mouse cut into pieces was consumed. Subsequently it accepted one mouse per day until day 138 when a whole dead chick was accepted. Chicks and mice have continued to supplement the Zu/Preem diet and a t the time of writing (ten months of age) the cat is receiving 100 g of Zu/Preetn, in two feeds, plus three chicks per day, s i r d a y per week.

It was necessary to stimulate clefkcation until day 77, the first spontaneous elimination occurring on day ~r and from then on with increasing frequency.

Behaoiour: The animal’s behaviour was generally calm and quiet until day 65 when it underwent a drastic change, the cat unexpectedly leaping from the keeper’s lap and dashmg around the room. From then on, while still gentle and docile, the animal showed a tremendous increase in activity and a great facility in jumping and climbing. Its vocal repertoire is basically similar to that of the domestic cat, although the meow resembles a twittering bird call and it purrs infrequently. It growls only when attacking its dead chick. Table 2 shows the weight gain during the first ten months and some landmarks in its development.

A C K N O W L E D G E M E N T S

I would like to thank the animal keepers involved in the fecding and care of these animals. The writing of this manuscript would have been impossible without their dedicated and conscientious recording of observa- tions. They are: Ann Harrell, Bernadine Foster, Marili Levin, Natalie White, Karen Seaman, Steve Taylor and Robert Leemon. I would also like to thank Mr Michael J. Crotty, Curator of Mammals, for hls guidance and helpful comments.

P R O D U C T S M E N T I O N E D I N TEXT KMR: a cat milk substitute manufactured by Borden Chemical Company, Norfolk, Virginia 23501, USA. Hi Vite : niulti-vitamin ~nanufactured by Evsco Pharmaceutical Corporation, Occanside, New York, USA. Zu/Preem Frozen Feline Diet: inanufactured by Hill’s Division Riviaiia Foods Inc., POI3 I@, Topeka, Kansas 66601, USA.

Manuscript submitted rq July 1975

Hand-rearing a Saiga antelope S n i p tdclr;itl

a t the Highland Wildlife Park

The first Saiga antelopi. Sniqti tnfnricli to be bred dt the Highland Wildlife Park were born on 17 May 1974, both our $7 giving birth within

the same hour, one to a single calf and the other to twins, Within two hours of birth, the twins were suckling but the other calf had not been

HAND-REARING 209

seen to move from the corner of the paddock and later when it attempted to suckle the mother avoided it. We separated mother and calf into a small shed but on being confined the adult attacked her young and as it was then 12

hours after the birth the calf was removed for hand-rearing .

We had an ample supply of fresh, untreated Jersey cows’ milk, which being richer than most domestic cows’ milk, we thought should suit the young antelope. The first feed consisted of 60 cc milk warmed to blood heat and was given from a small Pyrex feeding bottle fitted with a lamb’s teat. The calf struggled violently on being handled and any attempt to weigh or measurc it would almost certainly have caused injury. We found, however, that if the handler knelt with one hand resting on the floor it would nuzzle under his arm and take the bottle without being forcibly held. This was continued until day 4 when it was no longer necessary. After the first feed the calf passed soft, dark brown faeces but no further sign of faeces was seen until the third day when normal light brown pellets were passed. Bowel movements were normal from then onwards.

The calf was fed at four-hourly intervals, the first feed at 0800 and the last at 2400 hours. For the first three days of hand-rearing 80cc milk plus one quarter teaspoonful of Glucodin was given at each feed. The milk was gradually in- creased to 250 cc over days 4-7 and on day 8 half a teaspoonful of Farex was added and the Glu- c o b increased to one teaspoonful per feed. A pinch of salt was added once a day and a piece of rock salt which was left in the pen was licked frequently. As it seemed hungry, it was allowed as much milk as it wanted for a few feeds, taking as much as 3 3 0 cc at one time but as this obviously caused discomfort, we reverted to a maximum of zsocc per feed and increased the Farex to one heaped teaspoonful per feed.

Each day during the second week, a dish of dry food, consisting of crushed oats, flaked maize and calf weaner pellets was left in the pen and the calf was seen to eat from this on day 14, after which it was put out to graze for an hour or two every day. At three weeks finely chopped apples, carrot and banana were added but the apple and banana were never accepted. The milk feeds were gradually reduced until at three months it was receiving only three bottles a day and two feeds of cereal and carrot, with several hours grazing each day.

At five months the calf was strong enough to be aliowed Ioose with the sheep and deer in the Children’s Park and extended its diet to turnips, cabbage and bread. As this apparently did no harm, more variety was offered and at six months, when the bottle feeds were discontinued, it was eating bran, ewe nuts and a very small amount of wheat. Four crushed charcoal tablets were added to one dry fecd each day. As the summer grass died, it began to eat a little hay. At the time of writing the antelope is 11 months old and thriving. It is given two feeds a day consisting of a mixture of any of the following: crushed oats, flaked maize, bran, ewe nuts, calf nuts and wheat. Chopped carrot and turnip are added to one feed per day and hay is always available.

P R O D U C T S M E N T I O N E D IN THE TEXT

Calf nuts; calf’weaner pellets; ewe nuts: concentra- ted animal feed, manufactured by Angus Milling Co. Ltd, Scone, Perth, Scotland, Great Britain. Charcoal tablets: medicinal charcoal tablets 300 nig, manufactured by J. L. Bragg Ltd, 11 Tower Street, Ipswich, Suffolk IPI 3BE, Great Britain. Farex: baby cereal, manufactured by Glaxo Laborator- ies Ltd, Torr Lane, Plymouth, PL3 gUA, Great Britain. Glucodin: glucose with vitamin C, manufactured by Glaxo Laboratories Ltd.

Manuscript submitted I I April 1975