Florek, C.

Orłowska, L.

Rembacz, W.

English

JKI Open Journal Systems (Julius Kühn-Institut)

 8th European Vertebrate Pest Management Conference 230 Julius-Kühn-Archiv, 432, 2011 Carcass weight, condition and reproduction of wild boars harvested in north-western Poland Orłowska, L.1, Rembacz, W.2, Florek, C.3 1Orlowska L., Department of Ecology, Wildlife Research and Ecotourism, Pedagogical University of Krakow, Podbrzezie 3, 31-054 Krakow, Poland, orlowska.lidia@gmail.com 2Rembacz W., os. Wladyslawa Jagielly 22/5, 60-694 Poznan, Poland  3Florek C., Morynska 1, 74-505 Mieszkowice, Poland DOI: 10.5073/jka.2011.432.130 Abstract During the period from October 2008 till January 2009, in the carcass material assembled from the collective hunting of wild boars (n=165), the age structure of population, body masses and conditions of wild boars were assessed. Among the harvested wild boars, piglets constituted 35.8%, and subadults 53.9%, whereas adults only 10.3%. In females of all age classes corpora lutea and embryos were found. The average number of corpora lutea was 6.3 per female. The average litter size was 5.9 embryos per female. When divided in age classes, in older wild boars the average was 9.0 embryos per female and only 2.0 embryos in the yearling class. Of the embryos whose sex could be determined (n=19), 63.2% were females and 36.8% males. Keywords: age classes, litter size, pregnancy, wild boar Introduction In recent years, increases in wild boar population numbers were observed in Poland as well as all over Europe (Keuling et al., 2008). At the same time the level of damage inflicted by this species increased significantly and compensation payments made to farmers in the 2009/2010 season amounted to 12.4 million €. Wild boars are increasingly often entering towns and cities and are frequently involved in road accidents. One of the reasons that the rapid growth in numbers of wild boars has gone unnoticed is the lack of reliable data on the population net increase, which should provide the basis for setting management plans for harvesting this species. This index can be calculated when the reproduction rate of a given population is known. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the condition, age, and reproduction rate in the wild boar population occurring in north-eastern Poland, where intensive cultivation is pursued on its rich brown soils.  Materials and methods The material for this study was collected during collective hunting, organized in the period between October 2008 and January 2009 in the Mysliborz and Gryfino forest districts. In the course of each hunt the kidneys with surrounding fat and the lower jaw were dissected from all harvested males. The reproductive tracts, the kidneys with fat and lower jaws were collected from females. The uteri were assessed in a laboratory (i.e. the number of corpora lutea and embryos were counted) and the kidneys were weighted. The age of harvested wild boars was determined on the basis of tooth eruption patterns, which allowed determining the farrowing time pattern. In total 165 wild boars were examined for this study.  Results Piglets comprised 35.8% of harvested wild boars. The proportion of animals in the yearling class was 53.9%, and only 10.3% of the total number of animals harvested were in the older age class. Among the piglets bagged, 55.9% were male and 44.1% female. The great majority of harvested yearlings were females (76.4% vs. 23.6% of males). A similar trend was noted in older wild boars, where the predominance of females was also remarkable (64.7% vs. 35.3% of males).  Corpora lutea and embryos were found in females of all age classes. Most of these, however, occurred in the yearling class (Table 1). The average number of corpora lutea per female was 6.3. The smallest average number of corpora lutea, i.e. 5.5 per female was found among the piglet age-class. The highest number, i.e. as many as 7.5 corpora lutea, was found in older wild boar females. The average litter size was 5.9 per female. Depending on the age class, an average of 9.0 embryos per female was found among 8th European Vertebrate Pest Management Conference Julius-Kühn-Archiv, 432, 2011 231 older wild boars, whereas in the yearling class it was only 2.0 embryos per female. Of the embryos whose sex could be determined (n=19), 63.2% were females and 36.8% males. The average body mass of wild boars harvested indicate clearly, that, except in the piglet class, males are heavier than females. The calculated kidney fat index (KFI) in males was lower than in females. Tab. 1 Body condition and reproduction of wild boar in north-western Poland  Males Females Age classes Sample size Carcass weight (kg) ±SE KFI Sample size Carcass weight (kg) ±SE KFI Females with corpora lutea Pregnant Percent of fertilized (%) Average litter size Piglets 33   23.5± 1.8 1.68 26 25.1± 1.3 1.69   2   1   3.8 2.0 Subadults 21   64.2± 3.1 1.81 68 56.8± 1.1 2.14 18 12 17.6 6.2 Adults   6 106.7 ± 5.6 1.83 11 76.2± 2.1 2.20   4   1   9.1 9.0  The farrowing season in the study area lasted from December until August (9 months), with clear peaks in the months of March, April, July and December (Figure 1).   Fig. 1 Fertility period of wild boar in north-western Poland Discussion The area from which the wild boar carcasses were obtained for this study consists of fertile soils used to cultivate high-protein crops. Moreover, the oak-beech forests of the Myslibórz and Gryfino forest districts provide a rich food supply to wild boars. This availability of high-protein food is likely to result in earlier maturity in the boars from the youngest age class as well as resulting in the extension of the farrowing season to cover a larger part of the year (9 months) (Durio et al., 1995). The reproductive pattern found in this study coincides with that of other wild boar populations in Western Europe (Gaillard and Jullien, 1993, Gethöffer at al., 2007). Therefore, it is essential to determine the  8th European Vertebrate Pest Management Conference 232 Julius-Kühn-Archiv, 432, 2011 reproductive pattern of wild boar females and to carry out a proper population census, which will allow devising a suitable strategy for harvesting wild boars. References  Durio P, Gallo-Orsi U, Masshi E, Perron A 1995 Structure and monthly birth distribution of a wild boar population living in mountainous environment J Mount Ecology 3: 2002-2003 Gaillard JM, Jullien JM 1993 Body weight effect on reproduction of young wild boar (Sus scrofa) females: a comparative analysis. Folia Zoologica 42: 204-212 Gethöffer F, Sodeikat G, Pohlmeyer K 2007 Reproductive parameters of wild boar (Sus scrofa) in three different parts of Germany. European Journal of Wildlife Research 53: 287-297 Keuling O, Stier N, Roth M 2008 How does hunting influence activity and spatial usage in wild boar Sus scrofa L.? European Journal of Wildlife Research 54: 729-737  

Carcass weight, condition and reproduction of wild boars harvested in north-western Poland

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Carcass weight, condition and reproduction of wild boars harvested in north-western Poland

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