Exposure of the endangered golden monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana) to heavy metals: a comparison of wild and captive animals

• Published in: Environmental science and pollution research international 2015-05, Vol.22 (9), p.6713-6720
• Main Authors: Liu, Qiang, Chen, Yi-ping, Maltby, Lorraine, Ma, Qing-yi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Animals, Zoo; anthropogenic activities; Anthropogenic factors; Aquatic Pollution; arsenic; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; breeding; cadmium; captive animals; China; chromium; coal; cobalt; Colobinae; combustion; Copper; diet; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Endangered & extinct species; Endangered animals; Endangered Species; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Environmental impact; Environmental Monitoring; Environmental Pollution; Environmental quality; Environmental science; Exposure; Feces; Feces - chemistry; Female; Food contamination & poisoning; Haplorhini; Heavy metal content; Heavy metals; Incineration; Lead; Male; manganese; Mercury; Metal concentrations; Metals; Metals, Heavy - analysis; monkeys; Monkeys & apes; Mountains; nickel; Pandas; Pollutants; Pollution control; Pollution sources; Principal Component Analysis; Research Article; seasonal variation; Seasonal variations; Studies; waste incineration; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollution Control; Wildlife conservation; zinc
• ISSN: 0944-1344; 1614-7499
• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-014-3877-5

Golden monkeys are endemic to China and of high conservation concern. Conservation strategies include captive breeding, but the success of captive breeding programs may be being compromised by environmental pollution. Heavy metal exposure of wild and captive golden monkeys living in the Qinling Mountains was assessed by measuring fecal metal concentrations (As, Cd, Cr, Co, Cu, Mn, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn). Captive monkeys were exposed to higher concentrations of As, Hg, Pb, and Cr than monkeys living in the wild, while high background levels of Mn led to high exposure of wild monkeys. Seasonal variations in metal exposures were detected for both wild and captive monkeys; possible reasons being seasonal changes in either diet (wild monkeys) or metal content of food (captive monkeys). Coal combustion, waste incineration, and traffic-related activities were identified as possible sources of heavy metals exposure for captive animals. Efforts to conserve this endangered primate are potentially compromised by metal pollutants derived from increasing anthropogenic activities. Providing captive animals with uncontaminated food and relocating captive breeding centers away from sources of pollution will reduce pollutant exposure; but ultimately, there is a need to improve environmental quality by controlling pollutants at source.