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This paper is the first dealing with animal-vehicle collisions (AVC) with red and roe deer in South Tyrol, Northern Italy. The Autonomous Province of Bolzano (South Tyrol) has been collecting AVC data since 2012 on the entire provincial road network. Each year, AVC data accounted for more than 700 cases per year, with several socioeconomic and ecological implications. The aim of this research is to identify the locations where AVC occur more frequently than expected (hotspots) and better outline subsequent implementation of mitigation measures. For an effective identification of AVC hotspots, we applied a combined methodology of temporal and spatial analysis on AVC data collected on the South Tyrol road network in the years 2012–2014. AVC data enabled the identification of the temporal patterns, which showed different behaviors of the two target species in close proximity of the road network and throughout the 12 months. The KDE+ software applied to the 2012–2014 AVC database allowed for spatial analysis and the identification of hotspots, i.e., the road sections having the highest risk for drivers. The integration of the results, coming from the abovementioned methodologies, contributes to a detailed assessment of roads that would allow the identification of the local contributing factors and a base-line of potential problematic areas that will highlight the need for further investigation to assess whether the risk-rank is accurate and allocate effectively limited resources to a feasible number of identified hotspots and reduce the current degree of AVC in the South Tyrolean road network.

In this study we describe and calibrate a quantitative index method to estimate leaf biomass and forage availability for browsers at different feeding heights. The method is based on an index relating leaf biomass to a number of leaf contacts with a vertical, three-dimensional (25×25×165 cm) metallic quadrat with a central rod and takes into account the characteristics of leaves (shape, size, and thickness) to define plant categories and then produce general allometric equations per category. We then discuss the use of this biomass index to evaluate the quality of habitats for browsers in terms of food resources.

During the last 30 years, the proportion of males in the calf harvest of moose (Alces alces) in Norway has decreased, indicating a decline in proportions of males recruited to the autumn populations. At the same time, the percentages of exclusive calf hunting permits and of calves shot have increased. The change in calf sex ratio may thus simply be the result of hunter preferences for slightly larger (6.2% higher body mass) male calves combined with fewer opportunities for selective hunting due to increasing hunting quotas of calves. We examined this hypothesis by analyzing the variation in sex, number of siblings, carcass mass, date, and location of kill of 16,330 moose calves harvested during 1970–2004. In the presence of hunting selection for larger calves, we predicted larger proportions of male calves to be harvested in populations with large sexual size dimorphism among calves. Similarly, we expected more males to be harvested from twin than single litters because hunters then can more easily compare twins and select the larger calf, which is more often a male. Increasing proportions of single female calves were also expected to occur in the daily harvest as the accumulated number of harvested calves increased and the proportion of calves left in the population decreased. We found no positive relationship between the proportion of male calves and the level of sexual size dimorphism, no clear difference in sex ratio between harvested single and twin calves, and no increase in the proportion of single female calves as the accumulated number of calves in the harvest increased. This suggests that the spatiotemporal variation in the harvest calf sex ratio in Norway most likely reflects differences in population calf sex ratios prior to the hunting season and not varying degrees of hunting selectivity.

Vertebrates play key roles as seed dispersers, herbivores, and top predators in tropical ecosystems. Therefore, obtaining population estimates for these species and understanding the factors that affect them are essential for wildlife management since changes in their populations have consequences for entire ecosystems. Vertebrate abundances in tropical forest may be related to habitat characteristics, resource seasonality, and human pressure. However, how ecological variables and human pressure concurrently influence animal abundances is not well understood. We investigated the associations between the number of records of vertebrates (ground-dwelling birds and medium- and large-sized mammals) and habitat features, food availability, and human pressure in a sustainable protected area in the Brazilian Amazon of western Pará, Brazil. Our study design included the recording of animals at 38 camera trap stations, sampling of environmental variables (canopy cover, leaf area index, tree height, and local altitude) and food resources (fruit or prey biomass), and measurement of a hunting pressure proxy (distance from human settlements). Our results indicated that groups responded in different ways: omnivorous mammals were affected positively by local altitude, canopy openness, and leaf area index; game birds were affected positively by local altitude and leaf area index; ungulates were affected negatively by local altitude and positively by food resources; and large rodents were affected only by food resources (positively). In contrast, insectivorous mammals and mesopredators were not affected by any variable we tested. Surprisingly, no groups responded to distance from human access, although the low number of records of large species, such Tapirus terrestris and Dicotyles tajacu, suggests that the sampled area may suffer from significant hunting pressure.

We measured antlers of 484 red deer (Cervus elaphus hispanicus) aged between 1.5 and 13.5 years, from Sierra Morena (Southeast Spain) between 1992 and 1998. We determined the effect of year of birth, season of hunting, age group and farm size on the number of tips, the length, the width and the quality of the antlers. The number of harvested animals, an indicator of population density, was included as a covariable. Highest antler quality is obtained in animals at least seven years old. The lowest quality animals were obtained during the hunting season from October 1995 to February 1996, which coincided with the end of an extended period of drought. The best trophies were harvested during the 1996–1997 season, the period of highest rainfall during the study. Thus environmental conditions have a major influence on antler size. However, animal density had a strong negative effect on certain types of farms, emphasizing the importance of population management.

Die aus den Jagdjahren 1959–1978 auf den jährlichen Geweihschauen des „Rotwildringes Harz“ angelieferten rund 9000 Rothirschgeweihe sind, soweit sie unbeschädigt waren, gewogen und vermessen worden. Es erfolgte für jede Altersklasse und für jedes Jagdjahr die Bestimmung der Mittelwerte für die Merkmale Geweihgewicht, Endenzahl, Stangenlänge und Stangenumfang. Die Ergebnisse werden in Tabellen und Abbildungen wiedergegeben und erläutert. Die Geweihbildung nach dem Lebensalter zeigt an den vier untersuchten Merkmalen eine stark ansteigende absolute Zunahme bis zum 10. vollendeten Lebensjahr. Danach steigen die Mittelwerte bis zum 12. Jahr zwar weiter an, die Zunahme wird jedoch geringer. Ein altersbedingtes „Zurücksetzen“ der Geweihbildung ist nach bisherigen Feststellungen an markierten Hirschen nicht vor dem 15. Lebensjahr zu erwarten. Es werden die Mittelwerte der genannten Merkmale nach Jagdjahren geordnet erhoben und nach dem zeitlichen Ablauf zusammengestellt. Danach haben die Geweihdimensionen der Hirsche im Alter von 10 Jahren und älter während des Untersuchungszeitraumes — abgesehen von geringfügigen Abweichungen — ständig zugenommen, am stärksten beim Geweihgewicht. In der Altersklasse 8 u. 9 ist eine noch stärkere Zunahme zu verzeichnen, hier erreichen die Mittelwerte in den Jahren von 1975–1978 fast diejenigen der Altersklasse 10 Jahre und älter. Auch die Körpergewichte der alten Hirsche haben im Untersuchungszeitraum ansteigende Tendenz. In einem einfachen Vergleichsverfahren werden abschließend die erhobenen Geweihdaten a. dem Körpergewicht, b. einigen Maßnahmen der Bestandesbewirtschaftung und c. verschiedenen Witterungsdaten gegenübergestellt. Dabei ergeben sich für eine überdurchschnittliche Geweihbildung die stärksten Zusammenhänge mit dem Körpergewicht. Beachtlich ist auch der Zusammenhang mit einem möglichst hohen Abschußanteil alter Hirsche und einem zugunsten der Hirsche verschobenen Geschlechterverhältnis. Geringer fallen die Zusammenhänge mit der Abschuß- und Wilddichte und den angeführten Witterungsbedingungen aus.

Telemetry provides researchers with invaluable data and has contributed to the progress of animal ecology and behavioral studies. However, the impact of biotelemetry devices on animal behavior and welfare has been evaluated in a few species. The telemetry device (GPS or VHF) is attached to a harness made especially for giant anteaters (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) due to its particular anatomy, and this is the best way to access the scheduled spatiotemporal data of the species’ movement. We evaluated the adverse effects of biotelemetry devices on giant anteaters’ behavior and welfare. Behavioral analysis on giant anteaters in captivity (n = 3) was conducted by observing them with and without the GPS-harness. We also include data on GPS-harness dysfunction and animal injuries observed from free-ranging tagged animals (n=74). The GPS-harness influenced the behavior distributions frequency, but no new or atypical act was verified. Free-ranging individuals detached the harness twice, five removed the front part of the harness, and three had skin injuries . This is the first study to document telemetry device effects on giant anteaters. To date, severe adverse effects of harness-attached GPS tracking devices were not reported for this species. Our data supports the continued use of this method for monitoring free-ranging or captive giant anteaters. However, we recommend and stress the importance of continued research that helps improve telemetry and monitoring techniques.