Pathological findings in 61 free-ranging leopards (Panthera pardus) from the Greater Kruger National Park, South Africa. Part Two: non-parasitic conditions

Few reports on diseases in free-ranging leopards (Panthera pardus) are available. A retrospective review of tissues from free-ranging leopards from the Greater Kruger National Park, South Africa, that were submitted for histological examination was conducted. Non-parasitic lesions were recorded in 61 free-ranging juvenile to elderly leopards. They had died or been euthanized between 1998 and 2023. Parasitic conditions in these leopards have been reported separately. Traumatic injury was common (41%). Respiratory tract conditions included pneumoconiosis (36%) and tuberculosis (23%), presumed to be due to Mycobacterium bovis infection in this endemic area. Classic granulomata were not present in the paucibacillary histiocytic lung lesions. Coronary arteriosclerosis, present in 36% of leopards, may be age-related, together with glomerulopathy (26%), adrenal gland corticomedullary fibrosis (8%), thyroid gland epithelial lipofuscinosis (n = 3), inactive ovaries (n = 2), obsolescent glomeruli (n = 1), pancreatic nodular hyperplasia (n = 1), bile duct carcinoma (n = 1) and cutaneous fibroma (n = 1). Mild tissue inflammation including interstitial nephritis (34%) and periportal hepatitis (28%) was often recorded. Tuberculosis and rabies were the only diagnosed infectious diseases recorded in this series of leopards, 85% of which were euthanized due mainly to the perceived risk they posed to humans rather than clinical illness. Apart from these diseases and trauma, most of the lesions noted in these animals were likely incidental in free-ranging animals. Lack of information on population dynamics and disease status in the free-ranging leopard population means that the true prevalence of these conditions is not known.