Hunting Season Research Articles

Epizootic process of demodicosis and sarcoptosis of pet dogs in the metropolis

Scabies mites, in particular Sarcoptes scabei and Demodex canis, remain undesirable but permanent members of zoocenoses in metropolis around the world. This is due to the contacts of domestic animals with wild relatives (foxes, raccoon dogs, coyotes), which are massively infected with various types of ticks. The purpose of our research was to find out the epizootic situation with demodicosis and sarcoptic mange of domestic dogs in Kyiv, as well as to establish the sources of their infection. The actual results were obtained on the basis of the "Veterinary Clinic of Doctor Medvedev" (Kyiv) according to the data of routine work with patients for 2009-2020. Diagnostic procedures consisted of clinical and dermatological examination of dogs, examination of skin scrapings, trichoscopy, "Scotch tape" test, a Wood's lamp examination and others. Over 11 years, 1473 dermatological examinations of domestic dogs were carried out. Of these, 230 dogs (15.6%) suffered from demodicosis at the age of 5 months to 7 years. Sarcoptic mange was much less common: a total of 59 sick dogs (4.0%) were identified. Both of acaroses were seasonal, with an increase in the incidence in fall and winter. Regarding the breed factor: Pugs (10.43%), Staffordshire Terriers (10.0%) and French Bulldogs (9.56%) were more prone to demodicosis; to sarcoptic mange – German wirehaired pointer (13.6%), German hunt terrier (11.9%) and Shorthaired pointer (10.2%). The stray dogs and cats were source most often of infection of domestic decorative dogs with mites Sarcoptes scabei var canis. Hunting dogs mainly became infected during the hunting season during contact with animals of the wild fauna, most often – foxes. Clinical manifestations of acaroses occurred mainly in young animals not older than 3 years (70.5 and 76.7% for demodicosis and sarcoptic mange, respectively). In addition, in male dogs sarcoptic mange is more often recorded (59.3%), in female dogs – demodicosis (53.9%). Key words: scabies, mites, Sarcoptes scabiei, Demodex canis, prevalence, dogs, foxes.

AUJESZKY'S DISEASE IN HUNTED WILD BOAR (SUS SCROFA) IN THE IBERIAN PENINSULA.

Aujeszky's disease (AD, pseudorabies) eradication programs in domestic pigs are implemented in several European countries where AD virus (ADV) circulates in local wild boar (Sus scrofa), making studies on ADV infection dynamics in wild boar increasingly relevant. The objective of our study was to characterize ADV dynamics in wild boar at a site in central Portugal and compare this site to three enzootic sites in central Spain. A total of 235 wild boar were sampled during the hunting season 2014-15. We collected serum, tissues (oropharyngeal tonsils and trigeminal and sacral ganglia), and swabs (oral, nasal, and genital) and analyzed these samples to detect ADV antibodies (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) and DNA (PCR). An overall seroprevalence of 42.6% was found (range 12.7-57.7%), being highest in adults (54.1%; 72/133). Overall, 2.8% (3/108) oral, 6.4% (7/109) nasal, and 12.8% (12/94) genital swabs were PCR positive. We found 20.4% (20/98) of the wild boar had at least one positive swab and were considered shedders. We found ADV in tissues of five animals; of 111 tonsils, three (2.7%) were PCR positive. Trigeminal (2/48; 4%) and sacral (2/53; 4%) ganglia collected in central Portugal, pertaining to three animals, were positive for ADV DNA. Logistic regression models showed that seroprevalence was influenced by site and age, whereas ADV shedding was influenced by site. Our study describes patterns of ADV infection in wild boar in Portugal and shows that wild boar also pose a risk, albeit lower than that in central Spain, for the eradication of AD from extensively managed domestic pigs in Portugal.

Ocena wybranych wskaźników kondycji osobniczej saren Capreolus capreolus poza sezonem łowieckim

The aim of the study was to assess the condition of roe deer in the closed hunting season based on the analysis of body weight and fat reserves in roe deer killed in road collisions. The research material consisted of kidneys dissected from 12 bucks, 4 does, and 5 fawns killed in road accidents between February 12 and May 10, 2020. The measurements were used for calculation of the kidney fat index (KFI) based on the formula [Bobek et al. 1984]: KFI = kidney weight with fat/kidney weight without fat. The study presents the distribution of the analyzed parameters with reference to the animal sex and month in which the animal died in the road collision. A distinct decline in the value of fat reserves expressed as the KFI index and the perirenal fat weight mass was observed in the study. In the first two months (February, March), this decrease coincided with reduced body weight, which rapidly increased in April. This may have been related to the intensive vegetation growth. Nevertheless, the costs of the breeding season (primarily in males) resulted in further weight loss in May. The analysis of carcass weight and fat reserves in roe deer killed in road collisions can complete the information about their individual condition and indirectly shows the condition of the roe deer population in the closed hunting season, i.e. in the critical period for this species (winter and the beginning of the breeding season).

Estimating poaching risk for the critically endangered wild red wolf (Canis rufus).

The reintroduced red wolf (Canis rufus) population in northeastern North Carolina declined to 7 known wolves by October 2020, the majority of which is due to poaching (illegal killing), the major component of verified anthropogenic mortality in this and many other carnivore populations. Poaching is still not well understood and is often underestimated, partly as a result of cryptic poaching, when poachers conceal evidence. Cryptic poaching inhibits our understanding of the causes and consequences of anthropogenic mortality, which is important to conservation as it can inform us about future population patterns within changing political and human landscapes. We estimate risk for marked adult red wolves of 5 causes of death (COD: legal, nonhuman, unknown, vehicle and poached) and disappearance, describe variation in COD in relation to hunting season, and compare time to disappearance or death. We include unknown fates in our risk estimates. We found that anthropogenic COD accounted for 0.78–0.85 of 508 marked animals, including poaching and cryptic poaching, which we estimated at 0.51–0.64. Risk of poaching and disappearance was significantly higher during hunting season. Mean time from collaring until nonhuman COD averaged 376 days longer than time until poached and 642 days longer than time until disappearance. Our estimates of risk differed from prior published estimates, as expected by accounting for unknown fates explicitly. We quantify the effects on risk for three scenarios for unknown fates, which span conservative to most likely COD. Implementing proven practices that prevent poaching or hasten successful reintroduction may reverse the decline to extinction in the wild of this critically endangered population. Our findings add to a growing literature on endangered species protections and enhancing the science used to measure poaching worldwide.

Using Regurgitated Pellets from White-Tailed Sea-Eagles as Noninvasive Samples to Assess Lead Exposure Caused by Hunting in Germany

ABSTRACT Anthropogenic lead intoxication is the most frequent cause of death of White-tailed Sea-Eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla) in Germany. Most lead fragments are ingested by eagles feeding on carcasses and viscera of game animals shot with lead-based ammunition left in the wild by hunters. We investigated how many regurgitated pellets contained metal fragments and hypothesized a correlation between the presence of metal fragments and (1) the hunting season, (2) the ban of lead in rifle ammunition, and (3) the frequency of specific prey animals in the pellets. We collected 273 regurgitated pellets, radiographed them for metal fragments, and analyzed the prey composition. The metal elements were identified using micro x-ray fluorescence. Metal particles were found in 9.2% of pellets; 24 fragments consisted of lead and one fragment was mostly copper. A higher proportion (14.3%) of contaminated pellets was detected during the hunting season from September through February. During the non-hunting season from March through August, 7.6% of the regurgitated pellets were contaminated. Furthermore, there was a significant positive correlation between the presence of mammalian remains in the pellets and metal contamination (general linear model, z = 2.16, P = 0.03). Our results indicate a correlation between the increased activity of hunters in winter and the occurrence of metal in regurgitated pellets of White-tailed Sea-Eagles.

Effectiveness of hunting regulations for the conservation of a globally-threatened species: The case of the European turtle-dove in Spain

Wildlife management regulations for exploited species often aim to manipulate harvest levels in order to avoid unsustainable levels of exploitation. For such regulations to be effective the size of the harvest needs to respond to changes in those regulatory measures. The European turtle-dove is a widespread migratory quarry species of conservation concern for which recent levels of hunting in Western Europe are considered unsustainable. We describe temporal and spatial variation in the hunting of this species across Spain, the country with the largest harvest in Europe, after reducing biases inherent in the official Government statistics. We also assess whether changes in hunting policy regulations (the number of permitted hunting days, the start date of the hunting season and daily quotas imposed on hunters) have been effective in limiting the numbers of turtle doves harvested. Official national government harvest statistics under-estimated harvest reported by hunters by an average of 38% during 2007–2009 due to information gaps and underreporting, but this problem subsequently declined and was negligible by 2017. The density of shot birds was highest in the southwest of the country. None of the three regulatory measures had any detectable impact on reported provincial harvest, indicating that the main policy mechanisms employed by the Spanish hunting authorities to manage hunting have been ineffective. Our findings highlight the continued need of accurate measures of harvest and of developing and deploying effective means of managing the harvest of quarry species, especially those with unfavorable conservation status.

Evaluation of Effects of Harvest on Alligator Populations in Louisiana

ABSTRACTBiologists with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Louisiana, USA, have managed statewide annual harvest of alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) for 35 years (1981–present). We collected and analyzed harvest data for Louisiana alligators to determine the effects of harvest on the population structure, focusing on the larger size classes (≥274 cm) of this slow‐growing species. Linear regression analyses revealed that body size‐class structure, based on overall average size and the percentage of animals harvested in the larger size classes was relatively stable. Annual aerial alligator nest counts indicated a continual growth of the population, and over time harvested alligators maintained a constant average size. Analyses of population size (based on number of nests and population modeling) indicated that the current annual harvest represents approximately 3% of the population. Linear regression analysis showed that annual hunter success declined only slightly during the study period, and the scheduling of the hunt season after the hatch period and recommended hunting in areas not frequented by breeding females provides economic opportunities for hunters to participate in a sustainable harvest that preserves the larger size classes of alligators in the population. Strict enforcement of existing laws was a key factor responsible for the success of this harvest program. Comparison of alligator population size and number of harvest‐related citations indicated that illegal harvest did not have a negative effect on population size, and linear regression analyses revealed that the rate of increase in citations was lower than the increase in populations over the study period. The results of this harvest program indicated that alligators can be hunted in a sustainable manner if hunting is conducted after the hatch period and occurs in areas that primarily exclude the harvest of adult females, and strict law enforcement curbs illegal activities that negatively affect populations. © 2021 The Authors. The Journal of Wildlife Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of The Wildlife Society.

A rare 300 kilometer dispersal by an adult male white-tailed deer.

Despite the key roles that dispersal plays in individual animal fitness and meta‐population gene flow, it remains one of the least understood behaviors in many species. In large mammalian herbivores, dispersals might span long distances and thereby influence landscape‐level ecological processes, such as infectious disease spread. Here, we describe and analyze an exceptional long‐distance dispersal by an adult white‐tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in the central United States. We also conducted a literature survey to compare the dispersal to previous studies. This dispersal was remarkable for its length, duration, and the life history stage of the dispersing individual. Dispersal is typical of juvenile deer seeking to establish postnatal home ranges, but this dispersal was undertaken by an adult male (age = 3.5). This individual dispersed ~300 km over a 22‐day period by moving, on average, 13.6 km/day and achieving a straight‐line distance of ~215 km, which was ~174 km longer than any other distance recorded for an adult male deer in our literature survey. During the dispersal, which occurred during the hunting season, the individual crossed a major river seven times, an interstate highway, a railroad, and eight state highways. Movements during the dispersal were faster (mean = 568.1 m/h) and more directional than those during stationary home range periods before and after the dispersal (mean = 56.9 m/h). Likewise, movements during the dispersal were faster (mean = 847.8 m/h) and more directional at night than during the day (mean = 166.4 m/h), when the individual frequently sheltered in forest cover. This natural history event highlights the unpredictable nature of dispersal and has important implications for landscape‐level processes such as chronic wasting disease transmission in cervids. More broadly, our study underscores how integrating natural history observations with modern technology holds promise for understanding potentially high impact but rarely recorded ecological events.

Effects of Hunting on a Puma Population in Colorado

Effects of Hunting on a Puma Population in Colorado

Hunted game birds – Carriers of foodborne pathogens

Game birds may carry zoonotic bacteria in their intestines and transmit them to hunters through bird handling or through the handling and consumption of contaminated meat. In this study, the prevalence of foodborne bacteria was screened from game bird faeces and mallard breast meat using PCR. The sampling occurred in southern Finland from August to December during the hunting season. Isolates were characterized by multi-locus sequence typing. Mesophilic aerobic bacteria and Escherichia coli counts were used to assess the microbial contamination of mallard meat. In total, 100 woodpigeon (Columba palumbus), 101 pheasants (Phasianus colchicus), 110 mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), and 30 teals (Anas crecca) were screened during the hunting season. Additionally, 100 mallard breast meat samples were collected. Campylobacter and Listeria were commonly detected in the faeces and Listeria on mallard meat. L. monocytogenes of sequence types associated with human listeriosis were frequently found in game bird faeces and on mallard meat. Good hygiene during game bird handling, storing the game bird meat frozen, and proper heat treatment are important measures to minimize the health risk for hunters and consumers.

Survival, spatial behaviour and resting place selection of translocated Iberian hares Lepus granatensis in Northwestern Spain

Translocation of game species is a widespread tool for hunting and conservation, but for some species there is a lack of information, being this the case for the Iberian hare (Lepus granatensis). We studied the survival and spatial behaviour of 12 wild Iberian hares translocated in Northwestern Spain, in a hunting ground with a combination of arable land, vineyards and other habitats where game management and hare coursing were conducted. The average hare survival time was 102 days, with adults showing higher survival than juveniles, the overall survival probability being reduced during the hunting season. Presumed predation was the most important cause of death (ranging 45–77% of causalities), and 23% of hares were hunted. Hares showed a higher resting place selection at daytime for arable land, selecting however to settle in areas with a combination of habitats. The average core area considering all animals (MCP 50%) was 7.4 ha and the home range (MCP 95%) was 27 ha, and males showed significant higher values of home range compared to females. When compared to previous studies on wild hares, the survival of translocated hares in the present study was in general lower but there were similarities on spatial behaviour, and hunting was considered a major factor driving survival and spatial behaviour.

Prevalence of Trichinella spiralis and Trichinella britovi in wild boars in the northeast of Spain

A total of 33,206 wild boars (Sus scrofa) hunted throughout the province of Girona (northeastern Spain) were submitted to a game processing plant during four hunting seasons (2014–2015 to 2017–2018). This province is divided into seven districts with different habitat types for wild boar populations. Muscle samples from each wild boar were tested for Trichinella spp. infection by artificial digestion following Regulations 2075/2005 and 2015/1375 of the European Union. Larvae from positive muscle samples were characterized at the species level in the National Reference Laboratory for Trichinella in Spain using a multiplex PCR analysis. Trichinella larvae were found in a total 112 wild boars (0.34%; 95% IC 0.27–0.39%). Results indicated an annual ascending trend in the percentage of infected wild boars; however, this trend was small, as shown by the low values of both Kendall’s tau (0.328; p=0.012) and the linear fit slope (b=8.864E-5). The prevalence of Trichinella spp. per district and hunting season was positively correlated with hunting yield (Spearman’s rank correlation rs = 0.440; p = 0.024). Spring prevalence (0%) was significantly lower than in other seasons (0.29–0.33%), although this effect could be explained by the scarcity of captures during the months of April, May, and June. The finding of one positive animal weighing only 7.5 kg indicates that piglets can be infected by Trichinella at an early age, but a significantly higher proportion of positives was found among adult wild boars exceeding 50 kg. The molecular identification of 112 Trichinella isolates revealed the predominance of Trichinella spiralis (n = 109) over Trichinella britovi (n = 3). These findings indicate that Trichinella infection in wild boar remains a public health problem in northeastern Spain.

Survival of wild and farmed-released mallards: the Swedish example

More than three million farmed mallards are released annually for hunting purposes in Europe. The ecological impact of these releases depends on how many birds survive to join the wild breeding population. We estimated annual survival in farmed-released and wild-caught Swedish mallards, using mark-recapture data. In 2011–2018, we ringed 13,533 farmed ducklings before release (26.5% recovered). Most recoveries were birds shot at the release site, while only about 4% were found >3 km away. In 2002–2018, 19,820 wild mallards were ringed in Sweden, yielding 1369 (6.9%) recoveries. Like in farmed-released birds, most recoveries were by hunting, but 91.1% of recovered wild mallards were >3 km away from the ringing site. Annual survival rate in farmed-released mallards (ringed as pulli) was 0.02. In wild mallards (ringed as fledged or fully grown), annual survival was lower in females (0.64) than in males (0.71). At two sites in 2018, farmed ducklings were released in two batches 3 weeks apart to study the effect of early versus late release date, while controlling for body condition (BCI). Ducklings released early had a higher BCI and were recovered earlier (lower longevity) than those released late. Individual BCI and longevity were not correlated in recovered ducklings. Based on our estimate of annual survival in farmed-released mallards, a substantial number, i.e., 5000 (95% CI, 3040–6960), join the wild population annually. Despite being fed, a large proportion of released ducklings does not survive until the hunting season. Early releases may maximize pre-hunting survival. Repeated releases may prolong hunting opportunities and increase hunting bags.

Catch-effort model used as a management tool in exploited populations: Wild boar as a case study

For sustainable management of exploited populations, it is required to have good knowledge on temporal trends in population density to adapt the harvest. In this regard, hunting statistics are often collected routinely by government agencies and associations. These data are used to assess demographic trends through the development of indices, which are in turn used to manage exploited populations in a sustainable way. However, these population indices depend on features of the hunting process (e.g. hunting effort, hunting conditions, probability of catch). In this study, we show how to use hunting logs to assess demographic trends in exploited populations while accounting for the components of the hunting process. In particular, we developed a catch-effort model to study how the hunting effort leads to mortality rate – hunting pressure – within a given habitat type and during a given period. We illustrated the usefulness of this approach using exploited wild boar (Sus scrofa) populations as a case study. We used a large hunting logs dataset to perform our study, with several hundreds of thousands hunting events for more than 10 years in two French departments in France, including information about the number of hunters, of wild boars culled and the date of the hunt. We showed that catchability is a key parameter to assess hunting pressure at a given time and place. This parameter varies both within the hunting season and between habitat types. Once this variation in catchability was accounted for, our catch-effort model allowed us to obtain estimates of relative densities of wild boar populations over the study period at the management unit scale. Thus, catch-effort models are powerful tools to assess population density and to understand the underlying hunting process. Our study offers straightforward and reproducible conceptual framework that can be applied routinely by wildlife managers on exploited populations and practitioners from hunting statistics logs.

Prevalence, Virulence and Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Salmonella spp., Yersinia enterocolitica and Listeria monocytogenes in European Wild Boar (Sus scrofa) Hunted in Tuscany (Central Italy).

Wild boar is an animal the population of which constantly increases in Europe. This animal plays an important role as a reservoir for several pathogens, including three of the most important zoonoses: salmonellosis, yersiniosis and listeriosis. The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the occurrence of antimicrobial-resistant and virulence factor genes of Salmonella spp., Yersinia enterocolitica and Listeria monocytogenes isolated from wild boar in Tuscany (Central Italy). During two consequent hunting seasons (2018/2019 and 2019/2020), rectal swabs, spleens and livers were collected from 287 hunted wild boar to isolate strains. Each isolate was tested to investigate its antimicrobial resistance and to detect virulence factor genes by PCR. Eighteen Salmonella strains (6.27%) were isolated. Of these, 66.7% were resistant to streptomycin, 13.4% to cephalothin, 6.67% to imipenem and one isolate (6.67%) was resistant simultaneously to five antimicrobials. Moreover, the most detected genes were sopE (73.4%), pipB (66.7%), sodCI (53.3%), spvR and spvC (46.7%). In total, 54 (17.8%) Yersinia enterocolitica were isolated; of them, 26 (48.1%), 9 (16.7%), 17 (31.5%), 1 (1.85%) and 1 (1.85%) belonged to biotypes 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, respectively. All strains (100%) demonstrated resistance to cephalothin and 70.4% to amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, 55.6% to ampicillin, and 37.0% to cefoxitin. Additionally, the most detected genes were ystA (25.9%), inv (24.1%), ail (22.2%), ystB (18.5%) and virF (14.8%). Finally, only one Listeria monocytogenes isolate (0.35%) was obtained, belonging to serogroup IVb, serovar 4b, and it was found to be resistant to cefoxitin, cefotaxime and nalidixic acid. The results highlighted the role of wild boar as a carrier for pathogenic and antimicrobial-resistant Salmonella spp., Yersinia enterocolitica and Listeria monocytogens, representing a possible reservoir for domestic animals and human pathogens.

Effect of Pre‐Harvest Mortality on Harvest Rates and Derived Population Estimates

ABSTRACTBanding waterfowl, in combination with the citizen science provided by hunters that report marks from harvested birds, is a long‐standing, institutionalized practice for estimating probabilities of survival and exploitation (i.e., legal harvest from such populations). Range‐wide population abundance can also be estimated by combining the number of banded individuals with the number harvested from the population. Waterfowl marking with uniquely identifiable bands done during late summer in North America is often referred to as pre‐season banding. For example, mass capture of arctic geese for pre‐season banding is normally done in July (nonbreeders) or August (failed breeders and breeders with young) during flightless molt of respective groups. An important assumption for proper inference about harvest probability provided from such samples is that there is no mortality, natural or otherwise, during the interval between when individuals are marked and when hunting seasons begin. We evaluated the effect of variable mortality that could occur between marking and subsequent hunting seasons on estimates of survival, recovery, and harvest probabilities using simulation pertinent to a typical waterfowl species. We fit a Brownie tag‐recovery model to the simulated data and calculated the estimator bias that resulted from various pre‐harvest mortality scenarios. There was no effect on survival probability during the interval between annual banding in subsequent years, but recovery probability, and thus estimated harvest probability, was directly and inversely related to pre‐harvest mortality of juveniles. The magnitude of negative bias in harvest probability of juveniles increased further as the fraction of the population sampled declined. If the probability of pre‐harvest mortality differs between marked and unmarked individuals, the negative bias in harvest probability results in overestimates of derived abundance that increases as the proportion of marked individuals in the population declines. We used our observed results to propose an explanation for occasional biologically improbable estimates of abundance of juvenile lesser snow geese (Anser caerulescens). © 2021 The Authors. The Journal of Wildlife Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of The Wildlife Society.

Assessment of the helminth fauna in northern bobwhites (Colinus virginianus) occurring within South Texas.

Populations of northern bobwhites (Colinus virginianus; hereafter bobwhite) have been declining across their geographic range in North America, prompting consideration of the role parasites may play. We conducted this study to learn about the helminth fauna in South Texas, a region that supports a sustainable bobwhite population. Helminths were examined from 356 bobwhites collected during the 2014-2015 (n = 124) and 2015-2016 (n = 232) hunting seasons, when increasing trends in precipitation were observed in comparison with the previous two years. Ten helminth species were found, consisting of 14,127 individuals. Of these, all are heteroxenous parasites and three are pathogenic (Dispharynx nasuta, Tetrameres pattersoni and Oxyspirura petrowi). Aulonocephalus pennula numerically dominated the component community (81% prevalence, 99% of the total helminths found), whereas each of the remaining species occurred rarely (≤9% prevalence) and contributed few individuals (≤0.4%) to the helminth community. Prevalence and abundance of A. pennula were not influenced by host age, sex or body mass, but abundance was higher during the 2014-2015 than the 2015-2016 hunting season. Our findings indicate that the helminth community in bobwhites from South Texas can vary during long-term, highly variable precipitation conditions and these communities are more similar to those found in the Rolling Plains of Texas than those found in the eastern part of the bobwhite's geographic range in the US.

Причины снижения численности западных подвидов гуменника ( Anser fabalis fabalis и Anser fabalis rossicus ): о чем говорят данные кольцевания?

A total of 702 recoveries of Bean Geese ringed on the wintering sites in the Netherlands since the 1960’s have been analysed. For most of the ringed birds in this analysis the subspecies Anser fabalis fabalis or A. f. rossicus was identified at the time of ringing. The majority of recoveries are from the territory of the ex-USSR, primarily the Russian Federation. We have tested the hypothesis that hunting pressure is higher on Taiga Bean Geese, the subspecies A. f. fabalis, compared to Tundra Bean Geese, the subspecies A. f. rossicus. This has been checked by comparing the lifespan of the two subspecies and analysing the seasonal distribution of ring recoveries. On average, the lifespans of A. f. fabalis are shorter compared to A. f. rossicus, and there is a shift in the hunting periods towards spring. The reported drastic decrease in the numbers of A. f. fabalis wintering in the Netherlands could be caused by a possible change in Bean Goose wintering regions (the Eastern-European wintering sites becoming more important), but also by an overall decline in the numbers of this subspecies. According to the current analysis of ring recoveries from harvested birds, Taiga Bean Geese live on average shorter than Tundra Bean Geese do, apparently because the former are exposed to a higher hunting pressure. The Taiga Bean Goose subspecies is most vulnerable in western Siberia during the spring hunting season and, during the autumn hunting season, in the central parts of European Russia, starting from the Urals. This points to the need for additional protection measures in key seasonal staging areas and in all breeding areas, as well as for the need for a regional approach including both subspecies into the Red Data Books. Moreover, it is important to change the time of opening the spring hunting on waterfowl. Additional studies are required to more accurately determine the flyways, as well as the winter distributions of Anseriformes. This is primarily important to test the hypothesis whether there is a change in the wintering grounds of Bean Geese nesting in the Russian Federation.

Occurrence of Dirofilaria immitis (Nematoda, Onchocercidae) in Red Foxes (Vulpes vulpes) from the Suburbs of Kharkiv (Ukraine)

Dirofilariasis of animals and humans is a disease caused by nematodes of the genus Dirofilaria (Railliet et Henry, 1911). The role of wild predators, particularly the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) (Linnaeus, 1758) in the distribution of pathogen of the genus Dirofilaria in the world remains unclear. We studied the occurrence of Dirofilaria immitis (Leidy, 1856) in a population of the red fox. Twenty-seven foxes were examined during the winter hunting season of 2019–2020 in Dergachi district, Kharkiv region of Ukraine. All 27 examined foxes were older than 1.5–2 years old, 5 of them (18.5 %) were 4–5 years old. Dirofilaria immitis was found in 22.2 % of foxes. The intensity of infection ranged from 2 to 4 specimens of nematodes per host. In four foxes (66.7 % of infected hosts), the same number of male and female nematodes was detected, while two foxes (33.3 %) had each 1 male and 2 females of D. immitis. The length of D. immitis males (7 specimens) was 13.96 ± 0.29 cm and the length of females (9 specimens) was 19.58 ± 0.55 cm. Prevalence of infection of foxes with D. immitis presumably depends on their habitat and the presence of mosquitos (vectors of the nematode) in these areas.

ОБОСНОВАНИЕ СРОКОВ ОТКРЫТИЯ ЛЕТНЕ-ОСЕННЕЙ ЛЮБИТЕЛЬСКОЙ И СПОРТИВНОЙ ОХОТЫ НА ВОДОПЛАВАЮЩУЮ ДИЧЬ НА СЕВЕРЕ НИЖНЕГО ПОВОЛЖЬЯ

In accordance with Russian legislation, the timing of hunting for game birds can be adjusted at the regional level. Biological justification can be crucial in determining the timing of the hunt, namely the timing of the start and end of the hunting season. Based on the registration of waterfowl, a biological justification for the timing of the opening of hunting in the summer-autumn and autumn-winter seasons is given. The studies were carried out in the Saratov region in the water area of the Volga River (Volgograd reservoir). A total of 7 surveys were carried out, the total length of the survey routes was 100.6 km. The dominant species in the brood period is the mallard. Shares of recorded birds: mallard (Anas platyrhynchos L, 1758) - 96.6%, coot (Fulica atra L, 1758) - 2.5%, teal-cattle (Anas querquedula L, 1758) - 0.9%. The beginning of the mallard incubation period in 2020 is the first decade of May. The period of mass incubation of masonry by mallards is from the third decade of May to the second decade of June. The first mallard chicks appeared in the third decade of May. From the second decade of June to the second decade of July - the period of mass appearance of mallard chicks. The proportion of non-flying young mallards in the second decade of August was 33.3%, in the third decade of August - 28.3%. The end of the period of mass rise of young mallards "on the wing" took place in the first ten days of September, the proportion of non-flying young mallards in this period amounted to 4.3%. The increase in the number of mallards in the second and third ten days of July amounted to 142.0%. The beginning of the migratory summer-autumn period of 2020 (for species that do not tend to nest in the study area) fell on the first ten days of September. Biologically substantiated period for the opening of hunting in the summer-autumn and autumn-winter season is the first ten days of September (the share of non-flying young animals is less than 10%).