Abstract
The wild animals that occupy large territories were found to adapt less easily to captive environments compared to those with small home ranges. Among big cats, captivity posed a range of challenges, with stress emerging as central factor influencing overall welfare. Transition into captive environment was shown to alter both behavior and physiological processes, largely due to changes in their natural habitat, environmental complexity and diet. Several health issues reported in big cats including alopecia, gastrointestinal issues, neuromuscular disorders such as hindquarter paralysis were associated with underlying metabolic dysregulation. Metabolic health was recognized as critical component of overall well-being, closely linked to composition and diversity of the gut microbiota. The host metabolic processes were significantly influenced by microbial communities, which exhibited considerable plasticity in response to environmental conditions. Despite these, dominant phyla identified in the gut of big cats were Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, and Fusobacteria, which remained consistent with those commonly observed across mammals. By integrating metabolic health biomarkers with gut microbiota diversity in big cats, the present study aimed to elucidate the relationship between diet, health and environment. This approach provided valuable insights into mitigating captivity associated with health issues and contributed to improved management strategies and support conservation efforts.
Article History
Received: Oct 23, 2025; Accepted: Jun 13, 2026; Published: June 30, 2026.
Recommended Citation
Saman, J.,
Sharif, S.,
Nisar, B.,
& Naz, S.
(2026).
Metabolic Markers and Gut Microbiota in Big Cats: A Relationship Between Diet, Health and Environment,
Journal of Bioresource Management, 13
(2).
