Abstract
(1) The levels of blood urea, calcium, phosphorus, sodium and potassium in the lechwe blood sera were determined and compared with a standard. Blood urea was higher than expected from the low values of nitrogen recorded from soil and plant analyses. Selective grazing for young grasses, and herb species high in nitrogen could have been a contributory factor. The soils and plants were deficient in phosphorus, but the data suggest that the phosphorus levels in the lechwe exceeded the standard. No adverse effects in the lechwe could be attributed to the high potassium levels. Calcium and sodium were similar to the standards. (2) The concentrations of phosphorus and nitrogen in the lechwe faeces were low. (3) An indication of herbage intake by lechwe was sought. The quality of the intake was determined by analysing herbage sub-samples (by plant parts and by species composition) from the rumens of shot lechwe. The females selected for leaves for 2 months more than the males and the nutrient values of the plant species in their rumens tended to be higher. (4) Present knowledge suggests that many digestive processes may be similar for all ruminants and there are indications that wild ruminants may require a greater quantity of metabolizable energy to meet maintenance requirements than domesticated ruminants. From published data, it has been estimated that the maintenance requirement of a Kafue lechwe of average weight (66 0 kg) is 3100 J M.E./24 h.
Published Version
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