Miklós Heltai

Home range sizes of wildcats (Felis silvestris) and feral domestic cats (Felis silvestris f. catus) in a hilly region of Hungary

Summary The most important factor concerning wild cat populations is the loss of habitat. Therefore, it is necessary to assess the size of the home ranges of wild and domestic cats along with the features of these areas (vegetation, elevation, proximity to human settlement, etc.). A total of 16 wildcats and 19 domestic cats were caught and fitted with radio collars within the period between 1989–1993. It was possible to analyze the radiotelemetry data of 4 wildcats and 3 domestic cats. It resulted that the wildcats occupied larger home ranges than the domestic cats, however, there were exceptions. Home range size variability was extensive in both species. The males occupied larger areas than the females. This was most likely due to the reproductional wandering of males into female home ranges. Also the overlap between the home ranges of males was larger than that of females. However, there were very small overlaps between the core areas. No cats used the same sites at the same time. This indicates that the home ranges of cats exist only in space and time as well. Although these animals are solitary, there was some indication that hierarchy exists between males.

Feeding habits of golden jackal and red fox in south-western Hungary during winter and spring

Summary From sporadic sightings and recorded observations over the past hundred years, in the last decade of the 20 th century the golden jackal ( Canis aureus ) seems to have settled in the south-western part of Hungary. The winter-spring feeding habits of the golden jackal and the overlapping of its trophic niche with the red fox ( Vulpes vulpes ) were studied in parallel by scat analysis, in two adjoining areas on the north-western edge of the golden jackal range in the county of Somogy. Small mammals, mainly rodents, were dominant in the diet of the golden jackal (43% based on frequency of occurrence and 55% based on biomass); whereas, the carcasses of ungulates, mainly wild boar, played a secondary role (24% and 41%, respectively, based on the same parameters). Birds, reptiles, amphibians, arthropods and plant matter did not occur in substantial proportions; neither fish nor domesticated animals were present. Predation on small game (hare and pheasant) did not occur on a significant scale. In the diet of red fox in the overlapping area with jackal, most important food species were small mammals (35% based on frequency of occurrence and 36% based on biomass) and carcasses (35 and 48%, respectively, based on the same parameters). The trophic niche of the two predators studied was similar.

Expansion range of the golden jackal in Hungary between 1997 and 2006.

Abstract The golden jackal (Canis aureus), an indigenous predator of Hungary, is listed in the Hungarian Red Data Book as an extinct species because it had disappeared from the country by the beginning of the 20th century. In the 1990s a repatriation process was started in the southern part of Hungary. To monitor the presence of jackals and/or population changes countrywide, a questionnaire survey was mailed to Hungarian game management units (GMUs) between 1997 and 2006. Proof specimens, field observations and hunting bag data were also analysed. During the study period approximately 100 proof specimens were identified. According to official hunting bag data, the number of bags reported has continuously increased for 10 years, with 11 jackals shot in 1997 and a total of 163 specimens shot up to 2006 (linear regression, R2=0.949, p<0.0001), which is in parallel with the four animals reported by GMUs in 1997 and the total of 67 up to 2006 (linear regression, R2=0.983, p<0.0001). Detection of animals and their signs proves the continuous presence and the existence of stable populations of the species. Independent data collection and analysis confirmed that golden jackals have settled in Hungary. The rate of expansion and population growth are typical of invasive species.

Data on the parasitological status of golden jackal (Canis aureus L., 1758) in Hungary

In Hungary, twenty Canis aureus individuals were submitted to parasitological examinations in 2010-2012. Two Coccidia: Cystoisospora canis (15%) and Toxoplasma-type oocysts (5%), one Trematoda: Alaria alata (10%), six Cestoda: Mesocestoides lineatus (20%), Echinococcus granulosus (10%), Dipylidium caninums (5%), Taenia hydatigena (15%), Taenia pisiformis (20%), Taenia crassiceps (40%), and nine Nematoda: Angiostrongylus vasorum (10%), Crenosoma vulpis (30%), Capillaria aerophila (5%), Toxocara canis (20%), Toxascaris leonina (15%), Trichuris vulpis (10%), Ancylostoma caninum (45%), Uncinaria stenocephala (40%), Capillaria plica (45%) have been identified. Angiostronglyus vasorum has been reported from carnivores in Europe, Africa, South America and North America. The helminth A. vasorum or French heartworm is a metastrongylid nematode, widely distributed in Western Europe, that infects the pulmonary arterial tree of dogs, various species of foxes, wolves, Eurasian badgers, coyotes and stoats. To our knowledge, this is the first report of natural A. vasorum infection in golden jackal.

Food preferences of golden jackals and sympatric red foxes in European temperate climate agricultural area (Hungary)

Abstract Differences in food preferences between two sympatric canids, the golden jackal (Canis aureus), which is currently spreading from south-east Europe and is a little-known species in Europe, and the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) were investigated. Data on diet composition and food availability were collected over a 13-season period, in a temperate climate agricultural area of Hungary. We found that jackals and foxes preferred small mammals (Ivlevs electivity index, Ei=0.38 and 0.39, respectively), and avoided towards wild boar (Ei= -0.43 and -0.56, respectively) and cervids (Ei=-0.92 and -0.94, respectively). Jackals preferred pheasant less than foxes (Ei=0.06 and 0.51, respectively). Within small mammals, both predators preferred the open field living species, with the forest living species being less favoured. The relationship between the available biomass of small mammals, as the primarily important food resource for both canids, and the proportion of consumed biomass of small mammals was not close. This was probably as a result of abundant food resources and high trophic flexibility of the golden jackal and red fox allowing these two closely related carnivores to coexist sympatrically in Central European areas without resource partitioning.

Endemic papillomavirus infection of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus).

Roe deer papillomavirus (CcPV1) infection has been identified as an endemic disease in roe deer populations of the Carpathian basin in Central Europe (Hungary, Austria and Croatia). The disease is characterised by easily recognizable skin tumours similar to deer papillomavirus infection of North American deer species. In 2006, a questionnaire study was conducted among all Hungarian game management units (GMUs) in order to assess the distribution of the disease and its major epidemiological features. Categorical information was collected about disease occurrence, trend and frequency of detection, on primarily affected age classes in both sexes, and association of lesions with mortality. Replies were received from 539 GMUs representing 50.9% of total GMU territory and disease presence was reported by 295 (54.7%) GMUs. Older age classes of both sexes were found to be more affected. Association of various environmental factors with disease occurrence was evaluated and data were collected on the occurrence of similar skin lesions in other European countries. Pathological features of CcPV1 infection were described and the localisation of both CcPV1 antigen and DNA was characterised by immunohistochemistry and in situ DNA hybridisation in skin lesions. Virus presence was also demonstrated by PCR and PCR product sequencing.

Diet Composition of the Golden Jackal in an Area of Intensive Big Game Management

The dynamic spread of the golden jackal (Canis aureus) in Hungary results in human—carnivore conflicts. We presumed that in an area of intensive big-game management the jackals diet would contain an increased proportion of ungulates (or their viscera). We collected and analysed the stomachs of 62 jackals during a period of two years. Viscera and carrion of wild ungulates were found to be the primary food of jackals in every season (wet weight: 55%), and in addition, consumption of adult wild boar and cervids proved remarkable. A deer calf was detected in one stomach. Adult jackals added a higher proportion of big game to their primary diet, while younger animals tended to consume plants and invertebrates to supplement their diet. There was no relevant detectable difference between the sexes. Our study did not find evidence for substantial damage to big-game populations caused by jackals.

Late autumn trophic flexibility of the golden jackalCanis aureus

The feeding habits of the golden jackal Canis aureus (Linnaeus, 1758) were compared using scat analysis in Hungary (temperate climate agricultural area), Greece (Mediterranean marshland), and Israel (Mediterranean agricultural area). Samples (84, 70 and 64 scats, respectively) were collected during late autumn, a period with capital importance to the long term survival of young jackals, during which they become independent. Predation of wild-living prey species was highest in Hungary, consisting primarily of small mammals (biomass estimation: 51.5%, mainly rodents), contrary to Israel and Greece, where scavenging on domestic animals dominated the diet of jackals (74%, mainly poultry and 62.6%, mainly goats, respectively). The highest consumption of wild ungulates (mainly wild boar) was found in Greece (15.7%), and plants in Hungary (39%). Bird consumption was low in all three areas. Reptiles, amphibians and fish occurred only in the diet of jackals in Greece and Israel, whereas invertebrates were eaten more frequently in Hungary. Jackal dietary composition was extremely variable between regions, strongly associated with human presence. These results illustrate the golden jackal as having a very variable diet, resulting from opportunistic feeding habits.

A European concern? genetic structure and expansion of golden jackals (canis aureus) in Europe and the caucasus

In the first continent-wide study of the golden jackal (Canis aureus), we characterised its population genetic structure and attempted to identify the origin of European populations. This provided a unique insight into genetic characteristics of a native carnivore population with rapid large-scale expansion. We analysed 15 microsatellite markers and a 406 base-pair fragment of the mitochondrial control region. Bayesian-based and principal components methods were applied to evaluate whether the geographical grouping of samples corresponded with genetic groups. Our analysis revealed low levels of genetic diversity, reflecting the unique history of the golden jackal among Europe’s native carnivores. The results suggest ongoing gene flow between south-eastern Europe and the Caucasus, with both contributing to the Baltic population, which appeared only recently. The population from the Peloponnese Peninsula in southern Greece forms a common genetic cluster with samples from south-eastern Europe (ΔK approach in STRUCTURE, Principal Components Analysis [PCA]), although the results based on BAPS and the estimated likelihood in STRUCTURE indicate that Peloponnesian jackals may represent a distinct population. Moreover, analyses of population structure also suggest either genetic distinctiveness of the island population from Samos near the coast of Asia Minor (BAPS, most STRUCTURE, PCA), or possibly its connection with the Caucasus population (one analysis in STRUCTURE). We speculate from our results that ancient Mediterranean jackal populations have persisted to the present day, and have merged with jackals colonising from Asia. These data also suggest that new populations of the golden jackal may be founded by long-distance dispersal, and thus should not be treated as an invasive alien species, i.e. an organism that is “non-native to an ecosystem, and which may cause economic or environmental harm or adversely affect human health”. These insights into the genetic structure and ancestry of Baltic jackals have important implications for management and conservation of jackals in Europe. The golden jackal is listed as an Annex V species in the EU Habitats Directive and as such, considering also the results presented here, should be legally protected in all EU member states.

Diet and Feeding Habits of the Eurasian Otter (Lutra lutra): Experiences from Post mortem Analysis

Abstract. The diet composition and feeding habits of the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) were studied by post mortem examination of individuals (n = 236) found dead in Hungary in order to test the dietary differences between sample types (stomach and rectum), calculation methods and different factors. A relationship was found between the summarized wet weight (W) and occurrence number (O) of food remains detected in the stomach. Otters preyed primarily on small-sized (< 100 g) cyprinids, mainly on non-commercial fish. The composition of stomach contents differed according to different factors: season — in autumn and winter fish were eaten in higher proportions but in spring and summer there were more amphibians; sex — males prey on fish in higher proportions; age group — juveniles consumed invertebrates in higher proportions; and cause of mortality — otters found dead on roads had consumed fish in higher ratios. The composition of rectum content showed a relationship according to the three calculation methods considered (W, O and B — estimated biomass composition). In the otters examined the composition of food items in the stomach (which is the nearest to the actual food ingested) and the rectum content (which relates to the composition in non-invasive collecting spraints) were basically similar.