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Article History

Received: 29 November 2021

Accepted: 28 February 2022

First Online: 9 March 2022

Declarations

:

: This study was carried out with the approval of the High Commission for Water, Forests, and the Fight against Desertification of the Kingdom of Morocco (hereafter abbreviated HCEFLCD), in the frame of two partnership agreements for the conservation of wild desert carnivores, between the Rabat Zoological Park and the “Parc des Félins” zoological park, France, in 2015, and between the HCEFLCD, Rabat Zoological Park, Panthera France, and Kölner/Cologne Zoo, Germany. This study fell under the research permits No. 08/2015 of 09/03/2015, No. 08/2017 of 30/03/2017, and No. 28/2018 of 20/07/18 by the HCEFLCD.

: All live sand cat capture and handling techniques used by the authors complied with the highest standards of animal welfare and followed the ethical standards of the Ethical Treatment of Animals in Applied Animal Behaviour Research of the ISAE. More specifically, our methods of capture and handling did not injure or caused excessive stress to the animals and during their anaesthesia measures were taken to ensure that the animals were protected from predation and temperature drop until their recovery.

: The authors declare no competing interests.

: Apart from the authors, the funding sources were not involved in the study design; in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; in the preparation of the manuscript; nor the decision to submit the article for publication.