Leszek Drozd

Quality of Individual Roe Deer Males (Capreolus capreolus L.) During the 5-Month-Long Hunting Season: Possible Impact on the Reproduction Rate

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to assess changes in parameters (body weight, fat stores, antler weight, serum creatinine level) describing the condition of individual roe deer males (Capreolus capreolus) in subsequent months of the hunting season. The idea was if the current timing of the buck hunting season affects the quality of specimens obtained from the population, which may result in distorting its reproduction-related processes. The study included 443 carcasses of bucks harvested in the Lublin region (Central Poland) from 2006 to 2011. The average carcass weight in May and June was significantly higher than in the other months. Perirenal fat weight and the kidney fat index (KFI) decreased with the progression of the hunting season. With regard to the average level of serum creatinine in blood, there was no definite trend in the variation of this parameter during the hunting season. However, a significantly higher average antler weight was observed in May compared to June. The shooting of a large number of bucks in the first weeks of the hunting season may cause the elimination of the best individuals in the habitat, which have established and maintained their territory and are fully prepared for reproduction. This results in a complete disruption of the social structure of the local deer population. A solution to this problem could be uniform distribution of volume harvested during the whole hunting season or postponing the hunting season for bucks until September, when the estrus season has finished, and the strongest males have passed on their valuable genes to the population.

Proximate composition and physicochemical properties of European beaver (Castor fiber L.) meat.

The proximate composition of meat from young and mature European beaver and physicochemical properties during storage were investigated. The young beaver meat contains 20.52g of protein and 1.86g of fat in 100g, while mature animals 22.16g and 0.73g. Index of nutritional quality for protein ranged from 2.03 to 2.24. Storage had a greater impact on the physicochemical properties of beaver meat than animal age and muscle type. The meat of mature beavers was significantly (P<0.05) darker (L*=28.51) in comparison with young animals (L*=30.79) and contained significantly (P<0.01) more total pigments. However, the negative b* values (between -2.05 and -2.19) indicated a bluish tint on the surface of beaver meat. The significantly (P<0.05) lower drip loss and cooking loss showed semimembranosus (0.65% and 17.89%) compared to longissimus thoracis et lumborum muscle (0.84% and 19.58%). Significantly (P<0.01) lower values of TBARS, drip loss and cooking loss were determined in meat at 24h (0.15mgMDAkg-1, 0.59% and 15.99%) in comparison with stored for 7days (0.46mgMDAkg-1, 0.90% and 21.49%). Generally, storage for 7days improved meat water holding capacity and tenderness. W-B shear force and shear energy of beaver meat decreased from 51.4N and 0.21J at 24h to 33.2N and 0.11J at 7days.

Population Genetic Structure of Wild Boars in Poland

The analysis involved wild boars from the Lublin region, Warmia and Mazury, and Wielkopolska. The study material comprised muscle tissue samples collected from 100 wild boars. We analysed loci S0008, SW1129, SW986, SW1465, SW1492, SW1514, SW2532, SW461, SW841, SW2021, and SW2496 [1, 2]. The largest number of specific alleles, i.e. in six loci, was observed in wild boars from Warmia and Mazury; in turn, there were only two alleles in the group of wild boars from Lublin, and no alleles in individuals from Wielkopolska. The average value of the observed heterozygosity was Ho = 0.51, and the average value of expected heterozygosity was He = 0.63. PIC was another analysed indicator, with its lowest value determined for wild boars from the Wielkopolska region (0.53), and the highest value (0.62) was found for the animals from Warmia and Mazury. In the study population of wild boars, we also determined the FST index, which was 0.073, and Nm had a value greater than 3 (3.15); therefore, it can be concluded that the number of migrants per generation was 3. Both coefficients confirm the possibility of gene transfer and reproduction within and between the analysed populations of the wild boars. In our study, we observed a greater genetic distance between the wild boar populations from Wielkopolska and the Lublin and Warmia and Mazury regions in spite of the smaller geographical distance of these lands. This may be caused the less extensive network of ecological corridors as well as the occurrence of anthropogenic barriers e.g. large urban centres, an extensive network of roads, and the high volume of traffic in the direction of the capital.

Sustainable game management as one of the determinants of the welfare of hunting animals

There are groups of species among game animals demonstrating varied life strategies, demographic conditions and protective status. Therefore, a specific approach to managing the particular populations is needed. Game animals are more dependent on the natural environment because they are inseparable from it and any change in their natural habitat immediately affects the populations they create. The purpose of breeding wild animals in their natural habitat is primarily to preserve populations of different species in their natural biotopes, in the optimum biocenotic densities, species structure, as well as age and sex of the population. The work has attempted to point out elements in the hunting management that maintain welfare of the game animals. The described biochemical and physiological indicators of the organism, which reflect the internal equilibrium in an organism are influenced by various external environmental factors. In addition, attention was paid to other parameters describing the animal condition, e.g. energy reserves in the form of adipose tissue, antler weight, and population density and structure.

Litter Size Variation in Polish Selected Small Dog Breeds

In breeders’ general opinion small breed females produce less numerous litters. The aim of the study was to analyse the litter size and the frequency of the gender ratio in selected small dog breeds in view of their popularity in Poland. The data set comprised information on 639 litters (in total 2578 puppies) of eight breeds, which were born between January 2003 and end December 2014. The results were statistically analysed using statistical program SPSS 20.0. Medium-size litters were observed in the analysed small dog breeds (4.034±0.1). Comparison of the selected breeds of the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) Groups showed that the mean litter size in Group IX was higher (4.36±0.08) than that in Group III (3.87±0.14) and the differences were statistically significant. The study has confirmed the hypothesis that larger females produce more numerous litters, but there are large intra-individual variations in the number of pups born in individual breeds. Additionally, the gender ratio in the puppies born in the analysed breeds was equal, despite the fluctuations in the individual breeds.