The impact of stalking hunt season on long-term stress in big game.

Autor: Tajchman K; Department of Animal Ethology and Wildlife Management, Faculty of Animal Sciences and Bioeconomy, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Akademicka 13, Lublin, 20-950, Poland. katarzyna.tajchman@up.lublin.pl., Janiszewski P; Department of Fur-Bearing Animal Breeding and Game Management, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Oczapowskiego 5, Olsztyn, 10-719, Poland., Staniszewska P; Department of Invertebrate Ecophysiology and Experimental Biology, Faculty of Animal Sciences and Bioeconomy, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, 50A Doświadczalna Street, Lublin, 20-280, Poland., Hanzal V; Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Science, 165 21 Praha 6, Prague, Czech Republic., Kasperek K; Institute of Biological Basis of Animal Production, Faculty of Animal Sciences and Bioeconomy, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, 13 Akademicka St, Lublin, 20-950, Poland., Strachecka A; Department of Invertebrate Ecophysiology and Experimental Biology, Faculty of Animal Sciences and Bioeconomy, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, 50A Doświadczalna Street, Lublin, 20-280, Poland.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: BMC veterinary research [BMC Vet Res] 2024 Dec 04; Vol. 20 (1), pp. 549. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Dec 04.
DOI: 10.1186/s12917-024-04416-x
Abstrakt: Background: The frequent presence of hunters in hunting areas may have a negative impact on wild animals, which may disturb their welfare. Stressors may long affect individual animal species in different ways. Therefore, the study aimed to compare cortisol level in the hair of male mouflons, red deer, and wild boars harvested at the end of the stalking hunting season depending on the age and carcass mass. The cortisol level was determined using the DetectX ® Cortisol ELISA Kits.
Results: The concentration of cortisol in the hair of mouflons was almost six times lower than that of red deer and wild boars. Carcass mass and age researched animals did not affect cortisol levels.
Conclusions: Stalking hunts most likely do not impact the welfare of big game. There is probably habituation to long-term stress in the animals studied. Mouflons have the ability to respond effectively to specific stressors and are more resistant to long-term stress.
Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Ethical review and approval does not apply for this study. Holder of a certificate of competence for designing experiments and experimental projects under Act No. 246/1992 Coll., issued by the Ministry of Agriculture (licence number CZ02471) and an employee ofthe Czech University ofLife Science in Pague, Czech Republicconsiders that this type of project does not fall under the legislation for the protection of animals used for scientific purposes, national decree-law 246/1992 Sb. (2010-63- EU directive ). It considers that this type of project has no impact on animal welfare because all procedures are carried out after the animal has been sacrificed, and the legislation for slaughter in accodance with the Czechia Hunting Law (Journal ofLaws 2001 No. 43, item 488) during the hunting season (between December 15 and January 15, 2023) while stalking hunts (without the use dogs, cars, without drive animals ), by qualified hunters - employees of the Židlochovice forest district and no research procedures detrimental to animal welfare were performer, according to the applicable legislation (Act of 15 January 2015 on the protection of animals used for scientific or educational purposes; Directive 20 I 0/63/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 September 2010 on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes). Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.
(© 2024. The Author(s).)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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