The Krasnoborsky population of the European bison: history of emergence, present state, and growth perspectives

• Видавець: Національний науково-природничий музей НАН України
• Дата: 2019
• Автор: Kashtalian, A.
• Формат: Стаття
• Мова: English
• Опубліковано: Національний науково-природничий музей НАН України 2019
• Назва видання: Theriologia Ukrainica
• Теми: Екологія та охорона
• Онлайн доступ: http://dspace.nbuv.gov.ua/handle/123456789/167404
• Цитувати: The Krasnoborsky population of the European bison: history of emergence, present state, and growth perspectives / A. Kashtalian // Theriologia Ukrainica. — 2019. — Т. 18. — С. 65–73. — Бібліогр.: 15 назв. — англ.

A new free-living population of the Bialowieza bison (Bison bonasus bonasus L., 1758) emerged in 2015 in the northern part of Belarus, in the territory of the Verkhnedvinsky and Rossonsky districts, Vitebsk region, Belarus. We had been monitoring the population for four years, from the moment of its emergence until the beginning 2019. Visual bison observations, search for traces of their vital activity, questionnaires of rangers and local peoples were used for data collection. Information was accumulated on population dynamics, fertility, mortality, age and sex structure, seasonal characteristics of the spatial and territorial structure of herds and small groups. There was a rapid increase in the number of animals at the initial stage of the Krasnoborsky population’s existence. This can be explained by the large number of introduced bison founders (68 individuals), high birth rates, low mortality, and predominance of young and middle-aged animals (about 87 % of the total abundance). The population’s abundance reached 155 individuals by the beginning of 2019. It is characterised by the predominance of females over males in a ratio of 1.84 : 1. The Krasnoborsky population consists of two territorial groups. Each of them has several herds, which are extremely unstable by their abundance, seasonal, and sex structure. The area on which the population lives exceeds 17 thousand hectares. Bison use this territory unevenly. Key habitats, regular migration routes and rarely visited areas are highlighted. Adult males often leave the habitat of the population and move from its territory for a long time. Practical measures are indicated, the implementation of which will contribute to the long-term conservation of the Krasnoborsky population. The main directions of ensuring the population’s existence are creation of a functional system of its livelihoods, including a complex of biotechnical, conservational, preventive veterinary measures, and genetic control. To achieve this goal it is necessary to develop and implement a management plan for the Krasnoborsky population.