Jiří Kamler

An assessment of the applicability of photo trapping to estimate wild boar population density in a forest environment

Abstract. Wild boar is an autochthonous animal species of the Czech Republic that has significantly increased its population density in recent years. There are concerns that there is an associated negative impact upon agricultural crop production however, objective methods for sustainable management of wild boar, especially for estimation of its population density and intensity of regulation are still lacking. Wild boar differs markedly from the other free-living ungulates in its spatial activity and food selection, which limits applicability of the experiences and methods used for other species. Two methods of wild boar population censusing in a forest environment were tested in this study. The density of wild boar was evaluated in an area of 2256 ha, circumscribed by both natural and man-made barriers that restrict wild boar migration. Wild boar abundance was estimated using traditional snow-track counting and photo trapping data analysis. Both field methods were used in the winter season 2009-2010. Wild boar abundance as assessed by snow-track counting was 6.3 ind./km2 and by phototrapping 6.8 ind./km2. The results have revealed that if correctly performed, both of the tested methods are applicable to estimate wild boar abundance. Photo trapping seems to be more accurate; it requires special equipment and is time-consuming, however, it provides additional information on the structure of the population and requires less experience to undertake. Combination of several methods is advisable.

Needles in faeces: an index of quality of wild ungulate winter diet

Abstract. Norway spruce is a wide-spread food resource and its utilisable biomass exceeds the needs of herbivores. Needles seem to be a generally ignored food component in temperate forests that is consumed only when there are no better food sources. It is used especially during winters with deep snow cover. The aim of this study was to test presumption of needles as nutritive poor component of ungulate diets through botanical diet analyses and chemical nutrition estimation (content of crude protein and metabolizable energy volume in faeces) and elaborate the calibration curve on indirect estimation of quality food resources for ungulates in environment (NIRS needle content in faeces). High content of spruce needles corresponded well with a low quality winter diet of wild ungulates and may reflect animal nutritional constraints. As a consequence, the content of spruce needles may be used as an easy index of animal performance in a particular environment in forested area with coniferous forests in temperate zone. Needle content can be determined from the faeces by near infrared spectrophotometer and this easy technique can be recommended as indicator of the food resources quality for ungulates.

The Effect of Low- and High-Fiber Diets on the Population of Entodiniomorphid Ciliates Troglodytella Abrassarti in Captive Chimpanzees (Pan Troglodytes)

Troglodytella abrassarti is an intestinal entodiniomorphid ciliate commonly diagnosed in the feces of wild and captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). Entodiniomorphids could be considered to have a mutualistic relationship with the great apes, in that the ciliates benefit from the intestinal ecosystem of the host, while also contributing to the fiber fermentation process. We examined the effect of diet on the infection intensities of T. abrassarti in two captive chimpanzees in the Liberec Zoo, Czech Republic. The chimpanzees were fed a low‐fiber diet (LFD) with 14% neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and a high‐fiber diet (HFD; 26% NDF) for 10 days with one transition, and two 10‐day adaptation periods. Fecal samples were examined coproscopically with the merthiolate‐iodine‐formaldehyde concentration (MIFC) technique, in order to quantify the number of ciliates per gram of feces. A significant trend of increasing T. abrassarti numbers was observed when the animals were fed the LFD, compared to when they were fed the HFD. Our results suggest, however, that infection intensities of T. abrassarti in captive chimpanzees are not influenced primarily by the amount of fiber in the diet, but rather by the dietary starch concentration (HFD: 1%; LFD: 8%). Am. J. Primatol. 74:669–675, 2012.

Comparison of three methods to evaluate wild boar diet

Abstract. Wild boar diet composition highly reflects the management of the species as well as the level of its damaging effect. For this reason we tried to prove similarity and reliability of three methods of wild boar diet analysis to find out their suitability in practical use. Gastrointestinal tracts of 27 wild boar specimens were sampled, with the stomach and faecal contents of each individual being analysed and compared. Stomach and faeces analyses were done by identification of food items under microscope and measuring their quantity volumetrically. The third method, so called “veterinary”, was the simplest one lying in the visual estimation of diet items percentage content diluted and spread in water on a tray. The similarity evaluation by qualitative and quantitative indices and additionally the generalised additive model confirmed that it is possible to identify all major food items which indicate the main diet strategy using all three analysis methods. All three tested methods were relevant in terms of basic features of quantitative and qualitative dietary assessment. The simple “veterinary” method, based on pure estimation, was proved to be suitable for field studies.

Prediction of Water Content in Game Trophies by near Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy

In this study, we tested the efficiency of near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy to assess the water content in roe deer skulls, which are used as hunting trophies, as their weight is an important entry for the calculation of their value (also the price paid by hunters). The omission of water content is one of the main problems in the evaluation of game trophies. Three female roe deer skulls were periodically analysed by a conventional method and scanned using a Nicolet Antaris spectrometer. Calibration was performed by partial least squares regression. The initial water content of the skulls ranged from 21.6 to 22.6%. NIR calibrations corresponded well to the conventionally estimated water content. The water content was best determined from the occipital bone (R2 = 0.99; SECV = 0.11%), less reliably from the frontal and temporal bones, while the poorest results were obtained from the upper jaw. The results are sufficiently accurate to recommend NIR spectroscopy for estimating the water content in game trophies.