In this study serum biochemical values of dancing bears on the İstanbul region with regard to age and sex were investigated. Dancing bears were trained in summer seasons for dancing by their care givers while they were removed from this environment and a rehabilitation program was applied for them to be released to a semi-wild environment. For this purpose, a total of 18 (12 male, 6 female) dancing bears were confiscated from local trainers and brought to Uludağ University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Wildlife Research Center. The bears were divided into male and female groups for their sex. Meanwhile adult, young adult and cub groups were distingted from the point of view of their age. Blood samples were taken from V.iliaci before and after rehabilitation programme and vacuum tubes without anti-coagulant were used for this purpose. Levels of glucose, urea, uric acid, creatinine, total cholesterol, triglyceride, total protein, albumin, globulin, sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium, phosphate, magnesium and aspartate amino trasferase (AST), alanine amino trasferase (ALT), alkalene phosphatase (ALP), gamma glutamyl traspeptidase (GGT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase (CK), amilase enzyme activities in the blood sera were measured by using an auto analiser .Values concerning with pre and post rehabilitation programme were presented in the tables. Datas related to serum biochemical values of female and male groups for pre and post rehabilitation were shown in Table 1, whereas the same values for adult, young adult and cub groups were demostrated in Table 2 and 3.
Statistical significance among various groups were calculated and it has been provided evidence for the presence of a significant level of difference at post rehabilitation period for Mg level among male and female groups. Similarly, a significance for AST and LDH levels at pre rehabilitation period and urea, total protein, albumin, ALT (p<0.001) at post rehabilitation period was observed among adult, young adult and cub groups. Meanwhile no statistical significance was observed for the other parameters of sex and age groups.
In conclusion, it was suggested that sex has no significant influence on pre and post rehabilitation values, but contrary, age has statistical significance especially at post rehabilitation period. With this novel study, both detailed blood parameters were presented and that the biochemical values will be of importance besides their physiological and psychological status, when they were releated to their nature! environments.