First Report on the Copro-parasitology of Striped Hyena, African Golden Wolf and Red Fox in Chrea National Park, (Algeria)

This work is carried out in the Chrea National Park, located 50 km southwest of Algiers, classified as a biosphere reserve in 2002 as part of the UNESCO program. The coprological study is carried out by the analysis of the excrements (48 samples) of the red fox, the African golden wolf and, for the first time in Algeria, the striped hyena. The excreta collection was done in several stations (Oued el Marja, Tiberkent, Bni-selmen, Tamesguida). The faecal samples were collected between February and the end of May 2018. The faeces are brought back to the laboratory, measured, weighed, and decorticated for prey identification and parasitological analysis. Parasitological diagnosis revealed the presence of helminth eggs and oocysts of coccidia or even protozoan cysts in the samples. Overall, 7 genera of parasitic species were identified infesting both red fox and the African golden wolf faeces while only 5 were recovered from the faeces of the striped hyena. The results showed that the nematodes (Ankylostoma spp., Toxocara Canis, Strongylus spp.) were the most commonly found parasites in these mammals. The diet composition of the three species was mainly composed of micromammals, invertebrates, birds, and plants.