142 NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



Parasitic Diseases; Intestinal Parasites. — Owing to our fre- 

 quent and systematic employment of parasiticides and vermifuges, 

 it has been possible to reduce to a minimum the deaths formerly 

 induced by intestinal parasites. With the exception of two Cali- 

 fornia sea lions that died from parasitic gastritis soon after their 

 arrival at the Park, the deaths from parasites were among such 

 small mammals as foxes, porcupines, and marsupials. 



Verminous Broneho-pneumonia in Elk.- — Broncho-pneumonia, 

 caused by bronchial filaria, has always been a most serious factor 

 in the deaths occurring in the elk herd. That there have been no 

 deaths among these animals during the past year can be attrib- 

 uted: (i) To the fact that they have been taken from the infected 

 range and kept upon macadamized corrals, where their food sup- 

 ply has been under the absolute control of the keeper; (2) also to 

 the important fact of the cutting off of one cycle of the parasite's 

 existence; for, since parasites like bronchial HI aria must pass a 

 certain stage (embryonic) of their existence in water or wet 

 ground, these conditions must be changed before we can hope to 

 get rid of such parasitic invasions. 



Gastro-enteritis. — While gastro-enteritis still continues to oc- 

 cupy much of our attention, we feel that, especially during the 

 past year, we have made much progress with this disease. Among 

 the mountain sheep, where it has been most troublesome, the etio- 

 logical factors are well understood, and without improved facili- 

 ties for the treatment of the disorder we have been able to greatly 

 reduce the loss from this disease, and with the improvements 

 planned in the near future will eventually reduce the deaths from 

 this affection still more. 



W^e have found that the percentage of mortality for this disease 

 is about the same as in domestic animals. Some of the milder 

 cases, when discovered early and treated, recover within four or 

 five days, but in violent cases death occurs at an early date. 

 More commonly, however, the disease continues for ten to fifteen 

 days before terminating in recovery or death. Several cases were 

 lost which had merged into a chronic form lasting for several 

 months, finally ending in a condition of anaemia and marasmus. 



Of the many intestinal antiseptics and astringents used in the 

 treatment of this disorder among these particular animals, it has 

 been our experience that a much greater amount of success has 

 been gained by the use of liquid agents rather than powdered 

 ones. In the case of powders mixed with the food, if rumination 

 is suspended — which is usually the case with animals suffering 

 from this disorder — the medicine lies in the multiplex stomach 



