Press releases

In general, herpes viruses are considered to be specific to a single species or group of related animals. Recent research findings from the German Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) contradict this assumption by showing that two equine herpes viruses (type 1 and type 9) have evolved an unusual broad host range. Despite favoring African herbivores these viruses can jump beyond their natural hosts, infecting polar bears and other distantly related species and causing fatalities. Interestingly, herpes virus type 9 (EHV-9) may use the African rhinoceroses as a possible natural host or reservoir. The findings were published in the scientific journal “PLOS ONE”...

For the first time, an international team of researchers has sequenced the complete genomes of eleven Przewalski’s horses, including all of the founding lineages and five historical, museum specimens dating back more than a century. They compared these to the genomes of 28 domesticated horses to provide a detailed look at the endangered animals, both past and present. The current study has recently been published in the Cell Press journal “Current Biology”...

White-tailed eagles detect and avoid the ingestion of large metal particles (larger than 8 mm) but ignore smaller metal particles whilst feeding on shot mammalian carcasses. Lead-based bullets split into numerous small metal fragments when penetrating an animal’s body, whereas lead-free rifle bullets either deform without leaving any particles in the tissue or fragment into larger particles. Thus, the use of lead-free bullets may prevent lead poisoning of scavengers. These findings have recently been discovered by scientists of the German Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) and are now published in the scientific journal “European Journal of Wildlife Research”...

Knut, the famous polar bear of the Berlin Zoological Garden (Germany) died of encephalitis, as diagnosed soon after his death. However, the cause of his disease has remained elusive until now. A team of scientists from the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) and the Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin has now solved the case: The polar bear suffered from an autoimmune disease of the brain. This non-infectious illness is called “anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis”, with symptoms in human patients similar to those displayed by Knut. Knut is the first wild or domestic animal in which this form of encephalitis has been demonstrated. The results were reported in the scientific journal “Scientific Reports”. The authors propose that errant immune responses may be associated with brain diseases more commonly than previously assumed.

White-tailed eagles represent no competition for fishermen. This has been shown by researchers of the German Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) based on the first field study about the foraging behaviour of the white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) in Northern Germany. Furthermore, the study, published in the “Journal of Ornithology”, allows important insights in the hunting behaviour and relevant conservation measures of this species.

A considerable amount of sturgeon caviar sold in Bulgaria and Romania is mislabeled or even counterfeit. These findings were discovered by scientists from the German Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) and the WWF Austria. The results of the market survey have just been published in the scientific journal “Journal of Applied Ichthyology”.

New scientific research could help to protect tigers (Panthera tigris) from extinction. The findings indicate that tigers should be classified as only two subspecies – up to now nine subspecies were previously recognized. This will have a significant impact on species conservation since management efforts and breeding programmes can now be organised in a simpler, more flexible and effective way. The results have been published in the scientific open access journal “Science Advances”.

Innovation in hormone research – A team of researchers from the Leibniz Institute of Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) and the University of Pretoria succeeded for the first-time in measuring metabolites of testosterone excreted in the faeces of spotted hyenas. This innovative non-invasive research method is essential to avoid disturbance of animals.