physical condition of roe and red deer killed by wolves in a region of the western Alps, Italy

• Main Authors: Gazzola Andrea, Ferroglio Ezio, Avanzinelli Elisa, Rosso Massimo, Kurschinski Federico, Apollonio Marco
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Subjects: Canis lupus; Capreolus capreolus; marrow fat; body condition
• Online Access: https://kramerius.lib.cas.cz/view/uuid:2c584dbd-0391-bdc3-a1d9-48955d4fedea

The leg bone marrow fat of 11 roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) killed by wolves (Canis lupus) was examined and compared with that of 15 roe deer killed in traffic accidents. Moreover, a sample of 14 red deer (Cervus elaphus) kills was examined. High levels of femur marrow fat (75–100 %) were detected in 45% of the roe deer killed by wolves. The amount of leg bone marrow fat showed a decrease through the winter season, roe deer killed by wolves did not show a significantly lower marrow fat level than those killed in traffic accidents. According to our analyses red deer were in generally poor conditions, and yet such a result cannot be regarded as representative of the average condition of the population.