Capture Myopathy in a Free-flying Greater Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis tabida) from Wisconsin

Abstract

Capture myopathy has been reported Frequently in wild mammals (Bartsch et a!., 1977, Vet. Pathol. 14: 314-324). There are, however, fewer reports of this disease in wild birds (Young, 1967, mt. Zoo Yearb. 7: 226-227; Bantsch et al., 1977, op. cit. ; Henschel and Low, 1978, S. Afr. J. Sci. 74: 305-306; Wobeser, 1981, Diseases of Wild Waterfowl, Plenum Press, Nc’s’s’ York, 300 pp.). We are reporting a case of skeleta! muscle necrosis in a greater sandhill crane found dead 5 days after its capture, radio-tagging, and release. We believe this is the first case of capture myopathy to be reported for this species. During a disease and parasite survey and migration study of sandhill cranes in 1976 and 1977 in Wisconsin, 130 cranes were captured by rocket-netting. Ten of these cranes ‘svere fitted with radio transmitters, nine of which ‘s’s’ere tracked for a duration of from 48 days to oven 16 mo (Melvin, 1978, MS. Thesis, Univ. of Wisc., Stevens Point, 80 pp.). The subject sandhill crane was the tenth bird fitted ‘svitis a transmitter; it was an immature female ‘s’s’cighing 5.25 kg at capture. Blood samples were collected, tracheal and cloacal swabs were taken, and the bind was fitted with a transmitter and banded with a USFWS leg band before its release. The total time of restraint of this cranse ‘s’s’as about 1 hr. Telemetry observations indicated that the crane remained within 0.5 km of the banding site for the 4 days following its release, whereas the other cranes similarly captured, radio-tagged, and released, moved musch greater distances. On the fifth day, no movement was detected and the carcass was subsequiently lo-