The spatial structure of an experimental group of domesticated moose (<i>Alces alces</i> L.)

Abstract

During the domestication process, it is necessary to take into account the population structure of the wild species. In this paper we analyze a spatial structure of experimental groups of moose in conditions of keeping in pens and forest pastures as well as the allocation of individual species and their groups in ontogenesis driven by the social status of moose. The spatial structure is characterized by the position of individual species and small close-knit groups in relation to each other, by social distances, and by the location of moose habitat in forest pastures. Domesticated moose largely retain the properties of the social and spatial structure of the wild population, which results in an individual-group lifestyle and the formation of distant and close-knit groups. Young moose under one year of age form close-knit associations of significant quantity. Then, by the age of one and a half year, these groups gradually disintegrate, and small cohesive subgroups are formed, which become a part of distant associations characterized by partial synchronization of the behavior of these subgroups. Upon reaching the age of three, domesticated moose mostly exhibit the properties of spatial organization of wild species.