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Prevalence of Gastrointestinal Helminth Parasites of Himalayan goral (Naemorhedus goral) in Kazinag National Park, Jammu and Kashmir, India

Background: Natural populations of ungulates are threatened by pathogens and parasites with gastrointestinal parasites being the most widespread. Parasitic infestation is one of the major problems in the management and a growing concern for the conservation of threatened wild animal species. The current study was undertaken to evaluate prevalence of gastrointestinal helminth parasites in Himalayan goral (Naemorhedus goral) in Kazinag National Park (KNP) of Kashmir.Methods: From May 2018 to June 2020, a total of 463 fresh faecal samples of Himalayan goral were collected from Kazinag National Park. The samples were processed by the standard sedimentation and floatation techniques.Result: Out of 463 faecal samples examined, 236 were found infected with GIT helminthes. In the present study five helminth species were found including, four nematodes [Haemonchus contortus (35.70%), Trichuris ovis (23.40%), Strongyloides spp. (20.80%) and Trichostrongylus spp. (12.30%)] and one cestode [Moneizia expansa (8.00%)]. Based on the severity of infection, 80.6% of goral positive samples were severely infected (epg greater than 1,500), 9.4% heavily infected (epg = 1,100-1,500), 3.3% moderately infected (epg = 800-1,000) and 6.8% mildly infected (epg = 500). Epidemiological prevalence of GIT helminthes in goral was profoundly influenced by different seasons. The maximum helminth infection was observed in summer season and minimum in winter (p = 0.03). Mixed infection was observed in 206 fecal samples with a prevalence of 47.24%.