{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,30]],"date-time":"2026-07-30T10:33:23Z","timestamp":1785407603238,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":32,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"14","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,15]],"date-time":"2026-07-15T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1784073600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Trakia University","award":["4408538"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["4408538"]}]},{"award":["4408538"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["4408538"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/04p2cym91","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Animals"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The present study describes a rare and extreme case of prolonged survival in domestic sheep (Ovis aries) under severe natural conditions, designated as the \u201cMonyak\u201d case (March 2026, Eastern Rhodope Mountains, Bulgaria). A 90-day period of complete isolation involving two adult ewes and a subsequently born lamb on an inaccessible rocky ledge, with very limited access to sources of food or water, was documented. Clinical assessment performed immediately following rescue revealed profound dehydration and cachexia accompanied by multisystemic abnormalities suggestive of a prolonged catabolic state. Biochemical analysis demonstrated marked azotemia, characterized by elevated serum urea and creatinine concentrations, which may indicate reduced renal perfusion and intensified protein catabolism. Electrolyte disturbances, including hypernatremia and hyperchloremia, were compatible with severe dehydration and substantial disruption of water\u2212electrolyte homeostasis. Furthermore, increased total serum protein concentration and hematocrit values were observed, consistent with pronounced hemoconcentration. The metabolic profile demonstrated alterations in glucose homeostasis together with enhanced ketogenesis, findings compatible with an adaptive metabolic response to sustained energy deprivation. Elevated serum activities of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT), accompanied by increased cortisol concentrations, may reflect hepatocellular stress and activation of the hypothalamic\u2013pituitary\u2013adrenal (HPA) axis associated with chronic physiological stress. Hematological evaluation revealed neutrophilia and lymphopenia, constituting a leukocyte pattern compatible with a stress leukogram and suggestive of endogenous glucocorticoid stimulation. Morphological examination of peripheral blood smears demonstrated pronounced echinocytosis and increased relative cellular density secondary to plasma volume depletion associated with dehydration. Additionally, neutrophilic hypersegmentation was observed, consistent with chronic physiological stress and cellular exhaustion. Ethological assessment suggests that maternal behavior and instinctive maternal care played a pivotal role in ensuring neonatal survival under conditions of extreme resource scarcity and sustained environmental stress. In conclusion, the \u201cMonyak\u201d case provides a unique natural model for investigating the physiological, metabolic, and behavioral adaptive mechanisms of ruminants subjected to prolonged starvation, dehydration, and chronic stress. The findings contribute valuable insights to veterinary physiology, clinical pathophysiology, and ethology, with potential implications for understanding the limits of adaptive capacity and survival under extreme environmental conditions.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ani16142198","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,16]],"date-time":"2026-07-16T01:05:07Z","timestamp":1784163907000},"page":"2198","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["90-Day Survival of Domestic Sheep (Ovis aries) in a Rock Trap: The Case \u201cMonyak\u201d"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Rusko","family":"Petrov","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Section Ecology and Zoology, Department of General Animal Husbandry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Trakia University\u2014Stara Zagora, 6000 Stara Zagora, Bulgaria"},{"name":"Green Balkans\u2014Stara Zagora NGO, 26 Konstantin Irechek Str, 6000 Stara Zagora, Bulgaria"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0007-8589-8567","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mirela","family":"Kazakova","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Section Cytology, Histology and Embryology, Department of Veterinary Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Trakia University\u2014Stara Zagora, 6000 Stara Zagora, Bulgaria"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8862-404X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mehmed","family":"Halil","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Section Veterinary Hygiene, Ethology and Animal Welfare, Department of General Animal Husbandry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Trakia University\u2014Stara Zagora, 6000 Stara Zagora, Bulgaria"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,15]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Mihailova, Y., Rusanov, K., Rusanova, M., Vassileva, P., Atanassov, I., Nikolov, V., and Todorovska, E. 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