Abstract
Veterinaria México OA ISSN: 2448-6760Cite this as:Lomillos Pérez JM, Alonso de la Varga ME, García JJ, Gaudioso Lacasa VR. Monitoring lidia cattle with GPS-GPRS technology; a study on grazing behaviour and spatial distribution. Veterinaria México OA. 2017;4(4). doi:10.21753/vmoa.4.4.405.The behavior of grazing cattle has not been studied as much as farmed animals. In certain breeds, reared in extensive systems, human presence can cause an interruption or modification in their ethological patterns moving away from the person watching them. The use of technologies like a Global Position System and a General Packet Radio Service (GPS-GPRS) allows monitoring bovine animals exploited in extensive systems, providing information in real time about distances traveled, home range grazing areas, frequented territories, behavior patterns, etc. In the present work, GPS-GPRS collars were used to monitor 21 cows of to the lidia cattle breed, with different ages, and from three different herds in the Salamanca province (Spain). The study lasted 8 months, the animals being distributed in enclosures of different dimensions and orographic characteristics, geographic position data being collected every 15 minutes. The proper functioning of the GPS-GPRS devices was proven and home range grazing area for each animal has been calculated, with an average of 56 hectares. A graph of animals’ circadian rhythm with the distances traveled for hours has been developed. A trend was observed to start daily activity hours before dawn, diminishing its activity with the evening and overnight, with a night’s rest phase of about 7 hours. We also report daily distance traveled (3.15 km on average), finding differences depending on age, available space allowance/animal, daylight and theseason. Our results could be of relevance for a better pasture management using enclosures of size that increase the use of all the surface available.Figure 3. Image of fencing No. 5 positions of the 3 animals monitored. Red, Yellow, Blue.
Highlights
Monitorización del ganado lidia con tecnología GPS-GPRS; estudio del comportamiento en pastoreo y la distribución espacial
Effects of number of animals monitored on representations of cattle group movement characteristics
The effects of temperature, humidity, air movement and solar radiation on the behaviour and physiology of cattle and other farm animals: a review of existing knowledge
Summary
Monitorización del ganado lidia con tecnología GPS-GPRS; estudio del comportamiento en pastoreo y la distribución espacial. Mediante el presente trabajo pretendemos aplicar la tecnología GPS-GPRS a la monitorización del vacuno extensivo persiguiendo dos objetivos principales: primero validar una metodología que permita obtener datos de posición de los animales y su acceso remoto vía internet con ganado vacuno extensivo, en segundo lugar, analizar la información de posiciones de los animales para profundizar en el conocimiento del comportamiento del ganado en pastoreo, abarcando distintos aspectos como los ritmos circadianos de locomoción y el uso del territorio. La empresa AMENA y la Universidad de Extremadura para ganado porcino desarrollaron el modelo de dispositivo GPS utilizado.[20] Fue necesario modificar el collar adaptado al cuello del ganado vacuno, de manera que fuera portado por el animal sin molestias (Figuras 1 y 2).
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