STATE AND MANAGEMENT OF CERVID (CERVIDAE FAMILY) POPULATIONS IN THE REPUBLIC OF KARELIA

Abstract

The Cervidae family in the Republic of Karelia is represented by three species: moose ( Alces alces L.), wild forest reindeer ( Rangifer tarandus fennicus Lonnb.) and European roe deer ( Capreolus capreolus L.). The first two species are representatives of the native fauna, the latter is a species new for the republic and does not reside in the territory but numerous encounters of the animals are registered every year. after more than a decade of the positive trend, the process of population growth in the republic’s main harvestable species, the moose, has halted in the past few years. In 2016 the species abundance was estimated at 21,000 individuals. The harvesting of the moose population in Karelia is minor, not exceeding 4 % of the total in the last five years. In addition to legal hunting, poaching, which has intensified in recent years, and predation by large carnivores have had a significant effect on the population size. The existence of the forest reindeer in Karelia is under threat and the species abundance is low. according to the results of the aerial survey of 2014, the population of these animals in the republic was 2300–2400 individuals. The status of the species in the regional Red Data Book (2007) was changed from category 4 to 3, and in the next edition of this book the change to category 2 is planned. The main factors that produce a negative impact on the population are illegal hunting and tourism. Ro e deer encounters have been registered in different seasons of the year in all parts of the republic. We assume that the relatively mild winters in recent years have allowed a small group of animals to gain a foothold in the Lahdenpohsky District, which explains the increasingly frequent encounters of these animals in the area. The frequent observations of the animals in the territory of Karelia are probably due to the growth of the roe deer population in the adjacent parts of Finland and the Leningrad Region.