REGIONAL COORDINATORS:

South America:Dr. Mariano L. MerinoSección Mastozoología

Facultad y Museo de La PlataLa Plata Argentina

North America:Dr. Jesús E. Maldonado

Genetics LaboratorySmithsonian National Museum of

Natural History.Washington DC, 20008

USA

Insular Southeast Asia:Mr. William Oliver

Fauna & Flora InternationalGreat Eastern House

Tenison Road-Cambridge CB12DT, UK

Europe:Dr. Jhon Jackson

Royal Forestry Sosiety-DirectorTring-United Kindom

EDITORIAL BOARDDr. Jhon Jackson

Dr. Mauricio Barbanti DuarteDr. Laurenz Pinder

Dr. Mariano MerinoDr. Teresa Tarifa

Msc. Mark Sturm

Compilation & Layout:Mariana Cosse

Division Citogenetica-IIBCEAv. Italia 3318

CP 11600 MontevideoUruguay

e-mail: mcosse@iibce.edu.uy

Deer Specialist GroupChair: Dr. Susana González

Division Citogenetica-IIBCEAv. Italia 3318

CP 11600 MontevideoUruguay

April, 2004NEWSLETTER Nº 19

INSIDEARTICLESA record of a dwarf brocket from lowland Madre de Dios, Peru. Mogens

Trolle & Louise H. Emmons 2

Possible cattle influence on the population of two deer species at thehighlands of Rio Abiseo National Park, Peru. Javier Barrio 6

Environmental catastrophe induce a decline in the endangered

northernmost Huemul (Hippocamelus bisulcus) deer population incentral Chile. Gerardo Acosta-Jamett 10

Huemul (Hippocamelus bisulcus) ecology research: conservation

planning in Chilean Patagonia. Cristián Saucedo & Robin Gill 13

Diversificación productiva por medio del venado cola blanca

(Odocoileus virginianus veraecrucis), en el Campo Experimental “Las

Margaritas”, México. Villarreal Espino Barros et al. 16

Identificación de fuentes de agua de origen vegetal, para el venado cola

blanca mexicano (Odocoileus virginianus mexicanus), en el sur del

Estado de Puebla, México. Marín Fuentes et al. 19

SHORT COMMUNICATIONSInuit qaujimajatuqangit of winter habitat use and population changes of

Peary caribou and muskoxen on High Arctic islands in Nunavut,

Canada. A.D.M Taylor et al. 22

Detection of recovery of populations of endangered Peary caribou and

muskoxen, using distance sampling and skills of Inuit hunters. Michael

A.D. Ferguson 23

Remote sensing of winter foraging habitats of Peary caribou and

muskoxen on the Queen Elizabeth Islands, Nunavut, Canada. A.I. Maher

et al. 24

Conservation and Restoration of Eld’s Deer. Bill McShea 25

Deer Specialist Group

April, 2004

2

ARTICLESARTICLESARTICLESARTICLESARTICLES

A record of a dwarfbrocket fromlowland Madre deDios, PeruMogens Trolle1 and Louise H.Emmons21 Corresponding author: NeotropicalWildlife Consultancy, Pile Allé 19A2tv, 2000 Frederiksberg, Denmark;e-mail: mtrolle@zmuc.ku.dk2 Amazon Conservation Association,Washington DC, USA;e-mail: emmons.louise@nmnh.si.edu

ResumenLos venados enanos

sudamericanos (Mazama spp.)incluyen varias especies pococonocidas. En esta notareportamos a una especie devenado enano capturadofotográficamente en el bosquehúmedo lluvioso cerca de laparte baja de la cuenca del ríoLos Amigos, en el sudeste dePerú. Creemos que es elprimer registro publicado deuna especie de venado enano enun bosque húmedo lluvioso dePerú y posiblemente el primerregistro seguro de un venadoenano en la cuenca amazónica

SOUTHSOUTHSOUTHSOUTHSOUTHAMERICAAMERICAAMERICAAMERICAAMERICA

baja. El venado fotografiado esde color marrón-rojizo brillantey se diferenciamorfológicamente por variosrasgos de la especiegeográficamente más cercana, yúnico registro de una especiede venado enano peruano, M.chunyi, conocido de losbosques andinos montanos deBolivia y sudeste de Perú. Porlo tanto, este parece ser elregistro de una especie nuevapara Perú. De las especiespreviamente descritas, separece mas a Mazama nana,conocida únicamente del biomadel Bosque Atlántico Interiordel sudeste de Brasil, delnoreste de Argentina y eladyacente Paraguay. Hasta queno se tenga un espécimen, no sepodrá determinar con seguridada que especie pertenece.

The South Americandwarf brockets (Mazama spp.)are known from few museumspecimens, and theirgeographic ranges andpopulation status are poorlyknown (Wemmer 1998; IUCN2002). We report here on adwarf brocket photographed bycamera trap in the Madre deDios region of SE Peru. Webelieve that this is the firstpublished record of a dwarf

brocket in the lowlandAmazonian rainforest of Peruand, possibly, the firstunambiguous record of dwarfbrocket from all of theAmazonian lowlands. It seemsto be a new species record forPeru and comprises either amajor range extension of aknown species or, possibly, anundescribed taxon.

Four species of dwarfbrockets are recognized: theBrazilian dwarf brocket,Mazama nana, from moistforest in S Brazil, E Paraguay,and NE Argentina; the Peruviandwarf brocket, M. chunyi, fromforests of the eastern Andeanslopes of N Bolivia and S Peru(1,500-3,200 m); the red dwarfbrocket, M. rufina, from thewestern Andes of S Colombia,adjacent Ecuador and N. Perú(1,500-3,500 m); and M.bricenii from the Andes of WVenezuela and adjacentColombia (Hershkovitz 1982;Czernay 1987; Eisenberg 1989;Redford and Eisenberg 1992;Duarte 1996, 1997; Duarte andGianonni 1996; Emmons andFeer 1997; Wemmer 1998;Eisenberg and Redford 1999;Rumiz 2002, in press).However, Czernay (1987)mentioned unconfirmed recordsof dwarf brockets from the

Deer Specialist Group

Newsletter Nº 19

3

Xingu and Tapajos regions ofthe central Amazon. Althoughnot a taxonomic entity, thedwarf brockets are readilydistinguished from the largerbrocket deer by their small size(Table 1) (fawns of the largerspecies are spotted).

seicepS )mc(BH )mc(HS )mc(BH )mc(raE )gk(TW noitpircseD

anacirema.M 441-501 08-76 441-501 6.01-4.8 84-42 .yllatsidhsikcalbsgel;kcennworbhsiyerghtiwnworbhsiddertnaillirB

aribuozauog.M 521-09 56-53 521-09 0.9 52-11 .nworbhsiyerglluD

anan.M 001-06 05-54 001-06 7.9-0.8 02-51 .detniopdnagnolbosraE.nworbhsidderkraD

iynuhc.M 27 83 07 3.6 11nworbthgilgnitsartnoc;kcendnastraperofyergkradhtiwnworB

trohssraE.kcihtdnatrohsyrevelzzum;ydobdnakcenhtobfostraprednu.spittadednuordna

Table 1. Characteristics of different species of Mazama deer

References: Czernay 1987; Duarte 1996; Emmons and Feer 1997; Eisenberg and Redford 1999; 6 photos of M. chunyisupplied by Damián I. Rumiz.

During a generalcamera-trap mammal survey inthe lower Rio Los Amigos area,Madre de Dios, SE Peru(Conservation Concession ofthe Amazon ConservationAssociation; Trolle 2003b), wephotographed a dwarf brocket

by a mineral lick in floodplainforest on 8 April 2003(trapping site: 12º32.632’S;70º04.540’W; elevation ca.200 m). The camera-trappingmethod and equipment aredescribed in Trolle (2003a).

The deer is small,gracile, and not much tallerthan a collared peccary, Pecaritajacu, camera-trapped at theexact same spot. One of theauthors, also camera-trapped atthe same spot, measures 36 cmfrom the top of the foot to theknee (Fig. 1). The deer isbright chestnut red-browndorsally, with sides and ventercoloured as back. The legs areblackish-brown distally,darkening from just above theknee and heel-joints. Thecrown and front of the rostrumare blackish, as are bothsurfaces of the ears, which arelarge and tapered at the tips.The tail is not visible in thephoto, and the head is blurred,but appears to lack antlers.Color photos can be viewed athttp://amazonconservation.org/home/. We believe that it is not

a subadult M. americana,which at this size would haverelatively longer legs in relationto body size, and obvious whitespots (see photo in Tirira,1999). M. americana fawnsalso apparently lack black onthe legs and face (Tirira, 1999).All adult M. americana that wephotographed at the samemineral licks have some tomany pale irregularities in thefur, of the kind visible in thedwarf deer (Photo 2, taken byD. LaRosa). We do not knowif these are just irregularities inthe lie of the fur or scars frombot-flies or other causes.

We have compared ourphoto with several photos ofMazama nana (in Czernay1987; Duarte, 1996; two sentby M. Barbanti, and one by D.Varela), M. chunyi (six photosfrom Bolivia supplied by

Damián I. Rumiz), and M.rufina (Czernay 1987,Hershkovitz 1982). The dwarfbrocket from lowland Madre deDios resembles neither the(geographically closest)Peruvian species, M. chunyi,nor M. rufina, (which hasrecently been recorded in theNW Andes of Perú; J. Barrio,pers com.) in either bodyproportions or shape of thehead (Table 1). M. chunyi ismore robust, with relativelyshorter legs, and has smaller,broader, more rounded ears anda shorter and broader muzzle.

We have compared ourphoto with several photos ofMazama nana (in Czernay1987; Duarte, 1996; two sentby M. Barbanti, and one by D.Varela), M. chunyi (six photosfrom Bolivia supplied by

Deer Specialist Group

April, 2004

4

Figure 1. Dwarf brocket deer at Rio Los Amigos, with parallel photo of LHE for scale.

Damián I. Rumiz), and M.rufina (Czernay 1987,Hershkovitz 1982). The dwarfbrocket from lowland Madre deDios resembles neither the(geographically closest)Peruvian species, M. chunyi,nor M. rufina, (which hasrecently been recorded in theNW Andes of Perú; J. Barrio,pers com.) in either bodyproportions or shape of thehead (Table 1). M. chunyi ismore robust, with relativelyshorter legs, and has smaller,broader, more rounded ears anda shorter and broader muzzle.M. chunyi has a gray to blackhead and neck and blackishmid-dorsum, while M. rufina issimilar in color to the Rio LosAmigos deer. The deer in ourphoto looks similar to M. nanain shape, but differs in somecolor features, includingblackish lower legs and anapparently pale inner thigh (M.Brabanti, pers. comm.; Table1). These lowland dwarf deerare more gracile than any

Andean deer, with slender legsand head and body morphologylike miniature gray brockets(M. gouazoubira).

A lifetime resident ofthe Madre de Dios region andexperienced hunter and formerhunting guide and park guard,Darío Cruz Vani, told us thathe has seen similar deer severaltimes along the río Heath andadjacent Bolivia, usually infloodplain forest, but that herarely encounters them.Mazama nana is said to favordense vegetation such asbamboo thickets (Redford andEisenberg 1992; Emmons andFeer 1997), and the small sizeof the dwarf brockets may bean adaptation to life in denseundergrowth. This inaccessiblehabitat may explain why thedwarf brockets have so rarelybeen found. Our total camera-trapping effort for the mammalsurvey in the Rio Los Amigosarea was 501 camera-trappingnights. We obtained ninecaptures of Mazama americana(Fig. 2) and M. gouazoubira

and only one of the dwarfbrocket. Camera traps wereplaced mainly on human trailsin relatively open, tall forestand by mineral licks. Theunique photographic capture ofa dwarf brocket may imply thatthe favoured habitat of thespecies is dense vegetation suchas bamboo thickets, andsuggests that a more habitat-focused approach may beneeded to catch it.

In conclusion, we feelcertain that the dwarf brocketphotographed in lowlandMadre de Dios is not the

Figure 2: Adult Mazama americanaphotographed in the same area asthe dwarf species (photo G. D.LaRosa).

Deer Specialist Group

Newsletter Nº 19

5

montane Mazama chunyi, norM. rufina and, thus, it is anew species for Peru. Weprovisionally consider thisdeer as an unidentifiedMazama species,identification must awaitconfirmation with a specimen.If it turns out to be an M.nana of different coloration,this would constitute a majorrange extension for M. nana,from the Rio Parana basin ofBrazil and adjacent rainforestareas, to the western Amazonrainforest, approximately2,000 km distant. Unlike themajority of the larger lowlandungulates of South Americathat have large geographicranges (Emmons and Feer1997), the dwarf brockets allseem to have relatively limiteddistributions. Brocketsapparently have a relativelyhigh potential for divergencein different biomes, as attestedby the approximately 45named forms. It is thereforepossible that the reddish-brown dwarf brocket inlowland Madre de Dios is anundescribed species.

AcknowledgementsWe thank the Amazon

Conservation Association forsupporting our research,Damián Rumiz for kindlyproviding photos of Mazamachunyi by photographers G.Córdoba, C. Azurduy andothers; and Enrique Ortiz fortranslating the Resume. Weare grateful to reviewer M.Brabanti for helpful commentsand additional photos of M.nana.

BibliographyCzernay, S. F. 1987. Die

Spiesshirsche und Pudus. A.Ziemsen Verlag, WittenbergLutherstadt, Germany.

Duarte, J.M.B. 1996. Guia deIdentificação dos CervídeosBrasileiros. FUNEP,Jaboticabal, Brazil.

Duarte, J.M.B. (ed.). 1997.Biologia e Conservação deCervídeos Sul-americanos:Blastocerus, Ozotoceros eMazama. FUNEP,Jaboticabal, Brazil.

Duarte, J.M.B., and M.L.Gianonni. 1996. A newspecies of Deer in Brazil(Mazama bororo). DeerSpecialist Group News 13:3.

Eisenberg, J.F. 1989. Mammalsof the Neotropics, Vol. 1,The Northern Neotropics:Panama, Colombia,Venezuela, Guyana,Suriname, French Guiana.University of Chicago Press,Chicago.

Eisenberg, J.F., and K.H.Redford. 1999. Mammals ofthe Neotropics, Vol. 3, TheCentral Neotropics: Ecuador,Peru, Bolivia, Brazil.University of Chicago Press,Chicago.

Emmons, L. H., and F. Feer.1997. Neotropical RainforestMammals: A Field Guide.2nd edition, University ofChicago Press, Chicago.

Hershkovitz, P. 1982.Neotropical deer (Cervidae).Part 1. Pudus, genus PuduGray. Fieldiana: Zool., n.s.,1:1-86.

IUCN. 2002. Red List ofThreatened Species. TheIUCN Species Survival

C o m m i s s i o n ,www.redlist.org.

Redford, K.H., and J.F.Eisenberg. 1992. Mammals ofthe Neotropics, Vol. 2, TheSouthern Cone: Chile,Argentina, Uruguay,Paraguay. University ofChicago Press, Chicago.

Rumiz, D.I. 2002. An update ofstudies on deer distribution,ecology and conservation inBolivia. Deer SpecialistGroup News 17:6-9.

Rumiz, D. L., E. Pardo, C. F.Eulert, R. Arispe, R. B.Wallace, H. Gómez, and B.Ríos-Uzeda. in review. Newrecords and a statusassessment of a rare dwarfbrocket deer from themontane forests of Bolivia.

Tirira, D. S. 1999. Mamíferosdel Ecuador. Mus. Zool.Cent. Biodiv. Amb. Pont.Univ. Católica Ec., Quito.Publ. Esp. 2.

Trolle, M. 2003a. Mammalsurvey in the southeasternPantanal, Brazil. Biodiversityand Conservation 12(4):823-836.

Trolle, M. 2003b. Cameratrapping in the Rio LosAmigos region, Madre deDios, Amazonia, SE Peru.Report, AmazonConservation Association,h t t p : / /www.amazonconservation.org/h o m e /camera_trapping_losamigos.html

Wemmer, C. (ed.). 1998. Deer:Status Survey andConservation Action Plan.IUCN/SSC Deer SpecialistGroup, http://www.iucn.org/themes/ssc/actionplans/deer/Deer_contents.pdf.

Deer Specialist Group

April, 2004

6

Possible cattleinfluence on thepopulation of twodeer species at thehighlands of RioAbiseo NationalPark, PeruJavier BarrioAsociación Peruana para laConservación de la Naturaleza,APECO. E-mail: javbar@ufl.edu

ResumenEste estudio considera

la posibilidad dedesplazamiento por parte delganado (Bos taurus) sobre laspoblaciones de taruka(Hippocamelus antisensis) yvenado cola blanca (Odocoileusvirginianus), y explora ladivisión de hábitat entre estosdos cérvidos en el ParqueNacional Río Abiseo, Perú.Tres áreas similares, cada unade 30km2, fueron comparadascalculando la densidad deganado por muestreo detransecto lineal. El uso dehábitat por parte de las dosespecies de cérvidos fueestimado por la tasa deencuentro de camas porkilómetro de transecto. Losresultados sugieren que lasdiferencias en el uso de hábitatde taruka y venado cola blancaentre las tres áreas fueroninfluenciados por la presenciade ganado. Las densidades deganado entre las tres áreasfueron estadísticamentediferentes. La tasa de encuentrode camas de las dos especies decérvidos se diferenciaron conun patrón de correlacióninversa comparado con la

densidad de ganado. Todos losavistamientos de taruka y lamayoría de los avistamientos devenado cola blanca ocurrieronen dos de las áreas. Las dosespecies de cérvidos sesegregaron por hábitat y altitud,con mayor probabilidad deencontrar a la taruka en zonasrocosas y a mayor altitud. Ladiferencia del uso de altitud fuesignificante, sin traslape en suslos respectivos intervalos deconfianza al 95%.

IntroductionT a r u k a s

(Hippocamelus antisensis) livein the Andes, from northernPeru to northern Argentina andChile, ranging from 2,000-3,500masl at the south to3,500-5,000masl in Peru andBolivia (Barrio 1998;Thornback and Jenkins 1982).Usually, tarukas live in groups,within rocky outcrops amonggrasslands (APECO 1996;Barrio 1999; Merkt 1987; Roeand Rees 1976). In SouthAmerica, white-tailed deer(Odocoileus virginianus) arefound from Venezuela throughthe Andes to Bolivia (Jungius1974). White-tailed deer rangein Peru from sea level to over4,000masl, enduring a greatvariety of habitat and weather,covering both Andean slopes,thriving particularly in openareas. Currently, the taruka islisted as “Endangered” in Peru(MINAGR 1999), and as “DataDeficient” by the IUCN(IUCN 2002).

In Peru, taruka andwhite-tailed deer share theirhabitat with wild and domestic

ungulates (Barrio 1998).However, domestic ungulatesmight compete with deer forfood and space, affecting theirpopulations. This projectaimed to detect the effect offree-ranging cattle over tarukaand white-tailed deer, and todetermine the spatialsegregation between the twodeer species.

Study areaResearch was

conducted in April-June 2001at the highlands of Rio AbiseoNational Park (RANP) and itsbuffer zone (Fig. 1). The studyarea was a 30km long bandalong the eastern AndeanCordillera, at 3,800-4,300masl.Ecologically, the study areainvolved tropical sub-alpineparamo (ONERN 1976).Grasses and herbs dominate,shrubs occur at very lowdensities, and relict forests aresmall and isolated betweenthem. The study area involvedthree areas with similar habitat(Lock 1988)—around 30km2

each—differing in the densityof cattle occupying themountain ridges. Main cover inthe three areas (76-83%) wererocky outcrops (44-59%) and aCalamagrostis sp. association(24-32%) formed byCalamagrostis sp., Paspalumpilgerianum and Bromuslanatus (Lock 1988).

MethodsThe cattle density at

each area was calculated fromdata gathered from non-randomtransects in conjunction withline transect techniques,

Deer Specialist Group

Newsletter Nº 19

7

Figure 1: Study area

processing the data with theDistance population estimationsoftware (Buckland et al.,1993). Results were comparedusing an ANOVA. An index ofuse–-presence of beddingplaces–-was applied tocompare deer use between theareas. Only beds observedfrom the transects–-roughly 50meters at each side–-wereincluded in the analysis. Theutilization index in each areawas the average number of

bedding places encountered perkilometer. Several assumptionsvalidated the use of beddingplaces. Each species’ habitatuse was based on location ofsightings and bedding places.Habitat type was broadlyqualified.

Results1) Cattle density in thesampled areas

Cattle average densityfrom south to north was: A) 6.4

individuals/km2, B) 1.2individuals/km2, C) 0.2individuals/km2. Statisticaldifferences were: A-B(t=12.31, d.f.=32, p<0.01) andB-C (t=2.12, d.f.=7,0.05<p<0.1). Density averageswere more different if A and Care compared.2) Encounter rate of deerbedding places

The encounter ratewas measured by kilometer oftransect traveled on each area.

Deer Specialist Group

April, 2004

8

Due to the large number ofzeros and high skewness of thedata distributional curves forboth species, the data wasanalyzed by the Wilcoxon-Ranks test.

White-tailed deer.-Total beds for each area were:A: 8; B: 11; C: 30.Comparisons were: A-B (Z=-1.83, p=0.068); A-C (Z=-1.35,p=0.176); B-C (Z=-1.18,p=0.237). Actual observations:A=1, B=3, and C=5 sightingsinvolving eight individuals.Sexual structure was 4 adultmales, 6 females, 1 juvenilemale, and 1 fawn. There wasno statistically significantdifference between the areas,but total bedding places andsightings showed a largerpopulation in the northern area(C).

Taruka.- Total bedsfor each area were: A: 2; B: 34;C: 58. Comparisons were: A-B(Z=-2.02, p=0.043); A-C (Z=-1.83, p=0.068); B-C (Z=-0.14,p=0.893). The only statisticallysignificant difference at 0.05level involved A and B,however, between A and C wasalso significant. Actualobservations: A=0, B=2sightings involving 9individuals, and C=4 sightingsinvolving 13 individuals.Sexual structure was 5 adultmales, 1 juvenile male, 12females, and 4 fawns. Averagegroup size was 3.7±2.07. Totalbedding places and sightingsshowed that tarukaconcentrated in B and C,especially in C.3) Segregation betweentaruka and white-tailed deer

Twenty-five out of 28taruka records (>100 individualbeds and sightings), but onlyhalf of white-tailed deerrecords, were located insiderocky areas. Tarukas weremore likely to be found inrocky outcrops than white-tailed deer. The habitat usedifference between deer specieswas highlighted by altitude use.Altitude intervals (95%C.I.)were 4152-4204masl fortaruka, and 4035-4098masl forwhite-tailed deer. Thisdifference was significant(F=2.33, p=0.05).Interestingly, white-tailed deerbeds were located at a higheraltitude than sightings. While 9out of 12 sightings (75%) werebelow 4,000masl, only 12 outof 39 bedding locations (31%)were below 4,000masl

Discussion andConclusions

There was aninverse correlation betweencattle density and habitat use byeither taruka or white-taileddeer. Also, despite the lowdensity for both species, actualsightings were lower in the areawith higher cattle density. Weinfer that both deer speciespreferred areas without cattle.Therefore, for whicheverreason, deer species are beingaffected and displaced by cattleranching around RANPhighlands.

Other factorscontributed to these results.The southern areas—A andB—endure heavier huntingpressure than C. However,taruka data were very similar

between B and C, questioningthe hunting effect on taruka.But hunting could affect white-tailed deer, which densitieswere higher in C. The presenceof hunters and cattle are relatedconsidering that feral cattlebelong to the same people thathunt. Furthermore, cattleowners walk with dogs, whichrun down tarukas (Barrio1998), and probably kill tarukafawns (APECO 1996). Thedisplacement-because-of-cattlecorrelation existed and shouldbe taken into account formanagement purposes inAndean protected areas.

Habitat segregationmight allow the coexistence ofthe two similar-sized species.Taruka used rocky areas morefrequently than white-taileddeer. Isolation is a threat to thesurvival of this taruka sub-population. There is fewavailable habitat to thenorthwest of RANP, and thesoutheast is affected by heavygrazing and hunting. Based onthe study, I estimate that thetaruka population aroundRANP highlands does notexceed 50 individuals. If thetaruka population to thenorthwest does not largelyexceed this number, thesurvival of this sub-populationis at risk. Overall, the tarukapopulation in Peru isfragmented (Barrio 1998),making it vulnerable toextinction (McCullough 1996;Wiens 1996).

AcknowledgmentsJohn D. and

Catherine Mac Arthur

Deer Specialist Group

Newsletter Nº 19

9

Foundation, APECO, WCS andChicago ZS funded this study.

ReferencesAsociación Peruana para la

Conservación de laNaturaleza (APECO). 1996.Evaluación preliminar delestado de la población detarucas Hippocamelusantisensis en el ParqueNacional del Río Abiseo(PNRA) y de susrequerimientos deconservación. APECO,Cooperación TécnicaHolandesa - Embajada de losPaíses Bajos. Perú.

Barrio, J. 1998. Populationand habitat viability analysisof the taruka (Hippocamelusantisensis) in the southernAndes of Peru. M.S. Thesis.University of Florida,Gainesville, Florida.

Barrio, J. 1999. Población yhábitat de la taruka en la ZonaReservada Aymara-Lupaca,Perú. Pages 453-460 in T.Fang, O. Montenegro, and R.Bodmer (eds.). Manejo yConservación de FaunaSilvestre en América Latina.La Paz, Bolivia.

Buckland, S., Anderson, D.,Burnham, K., and Laake, J.1993. Distance Sampling:estimating abundance ofbiological populations.Chapman and Hall, London,U.K.

International Union forConservation of Nature andNatural Resources (IUCN).2002. The 2002 IUCN RedList of Threatened Species.IUCN, Gland, Switzerland.

Jungius, H. 1974.Beobachtungen amWeißwedelhirsch und ananderen Cerviden in Bolivien.Z. Säugertierkunde, 39:373-383.

Lock, R. 1988. Proyecto dedesarrollo ganadero en áreasvecinas al Parque NacionalRío Abiseo: Inventario yevaluación agrostológica.Convenio APECO-AIDER.Pataz, Perú.

McCullough, D. 1996.Spatially structuredpopulations and harvesttheory. J. Wildl. Manage.,60: 1-9.

Merkt, J. 1987. Reproductiveseasonality and groupingpatterns of the north Andeandeer or taruca (Hippocamelusantisensis) in southern Peru.Pages 388-401 in C. Wemmer(ed.). Biology andmanagement of the cervidae.Smithsonian Institution Press.Washington, D.C.

Ministerio de Agricultura(MINAGR). 1999. Anexo:Categorización de especiesamenazadas de faunasilvestre. Decreto SupremoNº 013-99-AG. Prohibencaza, extracción, transporte y/o exportación con finescomerciales de especies defauna silvestre no autorizadospor el INRENA, a partir delaño 2000, publicado el 19 demayo de 1999.

Oficina Nacional de Evaluaciónde los Recursos Naturales(ONERN). 1976. MapaEcológico del Perú. Guiaexplicativa y mapa. ONERN,Perú.

Roe, N., and Rees, W. 1976.Preliminary observations of

the taruca (Hippocamelusantisensis: Cervidae) insouthern Peru. J. Mammal.,57:722-730.

Thornback, J. and Jenkins, M.1982. The IUCN MammalRed Data Book. Part 1:Threatened mammalian taxaof the Americas and theAustralasian zoogeographicregion (excluding Cetacea).IUCN, Gland, Switzerland.

Wiens, J. 1996. Wildlife inpatchy environments:metapopulations, mosaics,and management. Pages 53-84 in: D. McCullough (ed.).Metapopulations and wildlifeconservation. Island Press.Washington, D.C. andCovelo, California.

Deer Specialist Group

April, 2004

10

Environmentalcatastrophe inducea decline in theendangerednorthernmostHuemul(Hippocamelusbisulcus) deerpopulation incentral ChileGerardo Acosta-JamettDpto. Patrimonio Silvestre.Corporación Nacional Forestal.Región del Biobío. Casilla 5.Chillán. Chile. gacosta@conaf.cl

RESUMENEl futuro de la

población más septentrional delhuemul es incierto. De hecho,según los análisis realizados aprospecciones realizadas desde1980 hasta 2003 se observóque la población de la ReservaNacional Ñuble y sectoresaledaños disminuyó hasta en un80%. Posterior a 1995 seobservó una fuerte disminuciónde la abundancia de huemulestanto en los grupos ubicadosdentro como fuera de lareserva. Estos datos estaríanrelacionados con la ocurrenciade una tormenta de nieve,evento climático sinproporciones ocurrido en 1995,el cual habría extinguidolocalmente varios grupos dehuemules tanto dentro comofuera del área protegida. Sesugieren actividades de manejomás intensivas para larecuperación de la poblacióncomo restauración de hábitat ytranslocación de individuos, delo contrario la especie se

extinguirá definitivamente deChile central.

INTRODUCTIONThe huemul deer

(Hippocamelus bisulcus) whichinhabits only in Chile andArgentina, is endangered inboth countries and today is atthe edge of extinction (IUCN,2002). Its original distributionextended from 34º to 53º S inChile along the Andean foothillsand mountains. Today remainaround 45 huemuls in thenorthernmost population(Nevados de Chillán area)distant almost 500 km of itcloser population (InArgentina). Here, huemuls livein fragmented groups mainly inmountainous private ownedfarms and in two protectedareas. One of them is the ÑubleNational Reserve (NR).

In despite ofconservation actions developedas habitat acquisition,protection by wildlife guards,public education, it has couldn’trevert its condition andpopulation has continuedreducing even inside the ÑubleNR and if the current scenariocontinues it population wouldextinguish soon (Povilitis, 1998,2002). Though these activitiesbegan on ‘70s, the causes of thepopulation decline are stillunclear, but is suspected thathuman activities as forestclearing, poaching, and theconstruction of pipe and gas-line in huemul habitat in theÑuble NR are among principalsthreat to its survival joint to thecompetence with livestock and

genetic depression (Povilitis,1983; López, et al 1994).

Nevertheless, thedisappearance of huemulsinside a protected areacomplicate the explanation forits reduction. According toPovilitis (1979) “the fluctuationin group size, resulting fromrandom demographic andenvironmental events, likelyplays a key role in thedisappearance of small, isolatedhuemul groups”. In this paper Ianalyze a large data set of up to23 years and propose anenvironmental catastrophe, asnow storm ocurred in 1995 asa source for the reduction ofthe huemul population in theÑuble NR and borderingplaces.

METHODSThe study area is placed

in Ñuble NR and surroundingsites around it in central Chile(36º58‘ S, 71º25‘ W: Figure 1).The zone is a hillside, withabundant rocky outcrops andscarce soil’s development. Ingeneral, this area ischaracterized by presentingvalleys of glacial origin wherethe Nothofagus pumilio forestsare dominant at 1.700 m.a.s.l.

Between 1980 and2003, 1524 field surveys wereconducted within and outsideÑuble NR to detect huemulpresence. Surveys coveredeight places inside and fourteenaround Ñuble NR. Huemulpresence was registered troughfresh tracks presence (Povilitis,1979). An estimator of huemulsfrequency (F) was calculatedfor year’s surveys with the

Deer Specialist Group

Newsletter Nº 19

11

Figure 1. Current distribution of the huemul in the Ñuble National Reserveand sourrondings sectors. In black filled figures are sites with presence ofhuemul groups.

formula: F= (V*100)/P. Where,P is the total of surveys peryear and V is the number ofsurveys with positive results. AChi-square analysis was carriedout to determine preferences ofthe animals for the sectorslocated inside or outside theprotected area. Also, aKruskal-Wallis test wasemployed to assess the effect ofthe environmental event in theabundance of huemuls in thegroups inside or outside thereserve (Zar, 1984).

RESULTSA total of 758 surveys

were carried out inside ÑubleNR and 766 in the sectorsbordering to this. Of them 360and 278 surveys were positive,for Ñuble NR and borderingsectors, respectively. Huemul’stracks were found more oftenin sectors located inside thanoutside the reserve accordingto those expected by random(c2=5.55, p <0.05, d.f. =1;Figure 2). Huemul abundancediffered between before andafter the occurrence of snowstorm in 1995 considering thehuemul abundance for thereserve (H

1.21= 11.75; p <0.001)

and for surrounding sites(H

1,21= 14.53; p <0.001).

A tendency of anincrease of the frequency ofgroups placed into Ñuble NRand a reduction in thefrequency of groups outside thereserve between 1980-1990was observed, respectively.Nevertheless, a evidence of astrong reduction in 1996surveys was detected for both,inside and outside the reserve

Deer Specialist Group

April, 2004

12

groups, which could be relatedto the strong snow stormoccurred in 1995 in themountainous zone of Chile andPatagonia (Figure 2).

DISCUSSIONTo protect effectively a

species that has suffered anintense populational reductionand that is at the edge of theextinction, it should be firstdeterminate the causes thathave led it to this state(Caughley, 1994). Huemulpopulations it had reducedprimarily of course becausehuman effect and its relatedactivities, thus, in 1974 wasestablished a program toconserve the species in thewhole country (Aldridge &Montecinos, 1998). In theNevados de Chillán area, theeffort were assigned to protecthabitat and public education.Thus, in earlier stage of this(between 1985-1995) thepopulation inside Ñuble NRshowed a tendency to recovery.In the meantime, outside thereserve, threats continuedacting and the populationfollowed decreasing, mainly byhabitat fragmentation byurbanization and competencewith livestock (López, 1994).

In the Ñuble NR andsurrounding areas, huemulpopulation after 1995 suffereda strong reduction in theirrelative abundance which isrelated to the occurrence of astorm of snow, anenvironmental catastrophe,which affected to southernChile and preferably to the

Figure 2. Relative abundance of huemul population in groups located insideand outside Ñuble National Reserve between 1980 and 2003 in central Chile.

mountainous areas, where theaccumulation of snow wasenormous (5 mts in somecases). Furthermore, a droughtoccurred among 1997 and 1998could be have worsened thescenario. In fact it is calculatedthat the current population isonly 20% of what there were in80’s, that was already scarce.Also, all the existent groupslocated outside of the reservehave extinguished, and persistonly two groups inside thereserve (Las Parías and LasCatalinas), those which seem tobe isolated one of another,which complicates even morethe population’s future (Figure1).

The climaticphenomenon is suggested as abig responsible for thispopulation’s sudden and drasticdecrease, due to the fact thathuemuls could have dieddirectly for effect of theexcessive accumulation ofsnow or by hunters or dogpersecution when they had

down to lower places whereless snow existed. Anotherexplanation is the reducednumber of this population andthe potential inbreeding, low ofgenetic variation, and randomloss of adaptive alleles throughgenetic drift. Loss of geneticvariation can be particularlyhigh for populationexperiencing local extinctions(Gilpin, 1991). Genetic factorsmay contribute to diseasesusceptibility and lessadaptability to the environment(Allendorf and Leary, 1986;Gilpin, 1987) in huemul.

The extinction ofspecies without doubts is amulticausal phenomenon.Reason why, only by means ofa detailed study of the diversevariables that affect huemul’spopulational dynamics of the lwe will be able to determine thecorrect management activitiesfor their conservation. In thisregards, we are now focused inprotect wintering habitats ofthe remainder groups and in arestoration program to increase

Deer Specialist Group

Newsletter Nº 19

13

huemul population throughtranslocation and habitatrestoration with both exotic andnative species. Managementactivities are urgent becauserandom events asenvironmental catastrophe andgenetic drift could have thistime irreversible results.

AcknowledgementsI thanks the work of

wildlife guards who give theirlives to protect the fauna, toIdea Wild and CONAF for thesupport of this study.

Huemul(Hippocamelusbisulcus) ecologyresearch:conservationplanning in ChileanPatagonia

Cristián Saucedo & Robin GillCONAF, Chile. e-mail:csaucedo@conaf.clForest Research, UK. e-mail:robin.gill@forestry.gsi.gov.uk

ResumenEl huemul

(Hippocamelus bisulcus) esuna especie que habita el sur dela cordillera de los Andes deChile y Argentina. Seencuentra actualmente enpeligro de extinción (IUCN) ysu población se estima enmenos de 1000 individuos engrupos aislados yfragmentados. En Chile, elhuemul se encuentra protegido

en 13 Parques y ReservasNacionales, manejadas por laCorporación Nacional Forestal(CONAF). La conservación delhuemul es prioridad paraCONAF, sin embargo suprotección se considerainadecuada debido al pequeñotamaño de las áreas protegidasy a su baja conectividad. Lasprincipales amenazas para laespecie son: pérdida yalteración de los hábitatsnaturales por incendiosforestales, tala de bosques yganadería, caza furtiva ypredación por perros,enfermedades trasmitidas porganado doméstico y predaciónnatural por puma (Pumaconcolor).

El año 2000, confinanciamiento de la IniciativaDarwin, comenzó este proyectode tres años. El objetivoprincipal fue abordar algunosaspectos de la ecología delhuemul. Se seleccionaron tressitios de estudio y secapturaron diecisiete animales(10 machos y 7 hembras) loscuales fueron marcados conradio collares durante esteperíodo. Se ha recolectadoinformación sobre patrones demovimientos, ámbito de hogar,mortalidad y uso de hábitat.

Introduction and statusThe huemul

(Hippocamelus bisulcus)inhabits the southern Andes ofChile and Argentina (Figure 1).Historical accounts suggest thathuemul were abundant betweenCentral Chile (34° S) and theMagellan Strait (54° S) butnow the geographical range has

become reduced andfragmented, and the species isclassified as endangered(Wemmer at al 1998). Huemulare now protected in 13Chilean National Parks andReserves, which are managedby CONAF (National ForestService). Conservation of thehuemul is considered a highpriority for CONAF, but thereare concerns that protection isinadequate, due to insufficienthabitat within the protectedareas and poor connectivityamong them. The main threatsto the species are: habitat lossand degradation due to forestfires (mainly during the 1930-40’s), logging and farming,diseases from livestock,poaching, disturbance andpredation by domestic dogs, aswell as natural predation bypuma (Puma concolor).

In 2000, a three-yearproject funded by the DarwinInitiative was started. Theproject was developed jointlybetween CONAF, RaleighInternational, the ForestResearch Agency, theMacaulay Institute and theUniversidad Católica de Chile,(with support from theWellcome Trust). The mainemphasis of the project was toobtain information on theranging behaviour of huemul,particularly in relation to thetwo main land uses in the area,logging and livestock grazing.In addition, we wanted todevelop capture and handlingmethods for huemul and obtainpreliminary information onsurvival rates and sources ofmortality. We also promoted

Deer Specialist Group

April, 2004

14

Figure1. Adult huemul at Tamango National Reserve, Chile (Photography byC. Galaz).

environmental education andhuemul conservation issues inschools and local communities.

MethodsThree study sites were

used for the project. Oneprotected area, TamangoNational Reserve (47° 11’S,72° 29’W), with an area of6,925 ha and two unprotectedareas, La Baguala (47° 08’S,72° 12’W; 1,600 ha) andCandonga (46° 14’S, 72°26’W; 1,300 ha), providingopportunities to assess theeffects of logging and livestock.The animals were captured bydarting using anaestheticdrugs. As a result of tryingdifferent protocols, acombination of Medetomidineand Ketamine, reversed withAtipamezole proved the mostsatisfactory. During eachcapture, samples were taken forgenetic analyses, and to assesscondition of the animals (blood,tissue, faeces, and hair).

Seventeen animals werecaptured and fitted with radio-collars (14 VHF, 2 GPS, and 1satellite transmitter). We alsoestablished pellet counttransects, and vegetation plotsfor plant composition andcoverage.

ResultsWe found that adult

huemul have a relatively smalland stable home range, andusually associate in smallgroups. For those individualswhich did not undertake long-distance movements (themajority), mean home rangearea was approximately 400 ha.Analysis of habitat selectionrevealed a preference for lenga(Nothofagus pumilio) forestand rocky cliffs, and avoidanceof grassland and steppe.

Previous observationshave suggested that huemulmake altitudinal migrations,moving up slope in summer anddown in winter. However only

some of the radio-collaredanimals in our study areas madesuch movements, revealingconsiderable differencesbetween individuals, but atendency for greater movementin some sites than others. Mostanimals made only relativelysmall seasonal movements (if atall) indicating that year-roundhabitat needs are normally metwithin a relatively small andstable home range.

Animals were found tobe affected by loggingoperations, in one case makinga long distance (9 km)movement to avoiddisturbance. Huemul alsotended to avoided areas grazedby livestock.

Several deaths ofmarked animals occurredduring the study, from a varietyof causes. Taking account ofknown births and deaths tomarked animals, the net rate ofincrease was only 0.98,suggesting that populationswere barely able to maintaintheir numbers. Given that mostof marked animals were livingin protected areas, this is notencouraging. The low rate ofgrowth was due to acombination of mortality toboth fawns and adult females.The causes of death includedpuma predation (2 cases onadults), fox (Pseudalopexculpaeus) predation on fawns(4cases), drowning (1 collareddeer), poaching (1case), andattack by dogs (3cases onadults). We did not findevidence that huemul areaffected significantly byinfections or parasitic diseases,

Deer Specialist Group

Newsletter Nº 19

15

including those typical ofdomestic livestock.

During the projectattacks or chases by dogs wereobserved on two occasions andwe received many anecdotalreports of similar attacks tohuemul in the region. It isbelieved that many instances ofpoaching are motivated by theneed to feed dogs owned bysubsistence livestock farmers.

In addition to ecologicalresearch on huemul, the projectwas also involved in publicityand education, to raiseawareness of the need forconservation of the species.Talks were given to farmers,forestry companies and schools,as well as radio and televisionprograms and support given tosponsored events. The projecthas attracted interest frompolitical leaders, particularlyfollowing publicity over theillegal killing of one of theradio-collared animals by alocal farmer.

Final ConferenceThe end of the project

was marked by a conference,presenting the results obtainedfrom field research. Theworkshop involved 50participants from differentcountries and was held inCochrane (Aysén Region,Chile), in October 2003. Theabstracts and presentations holdat the conference are availablein English and Spanish in a CD.For information please contactCristián Saucedo.

Conclusions &Recommendations

This project hasdeveloped methods of capturefor huemul which will proveuseful for future researchprojects and possible re-introduction programs, in areaswhere huemul have becomescarce or locally extinct.

The little informationwe have on populationdynamics suggests that huemulnumbers are limited by acombination of high adult andjuvenile mortality. Clearly,efforts to reduce illegal huntingthrough public educationprogrammes need to continue.In the meantime, more evidencefor causes of fawn mortalityneeds to be sought.

Huemul occur at lowdensities in all environments in

Region XI, and adult homeranges are relatively small andstable. This suggests thateffective breeding sizes may below, unless augmented byoccasional immigration.Conservation planning isneeded to identify and ifpossible maintain corridors toreduce the risk of isolation inthe future.

AcknowledgementsWe thank the Darwin

Initiative for the Survival ofSpecies funding, Idea Wild &CONAF for supporting ourresearch. We thank RenéMillacura, Hernán Velásquez,and many other park rangersfor their fieldwork support anddedication. We appreciatePaulo Corti’s and AmparoEchenique’s comments andideas.

La Universidad Nacional de la Amazonía Peruana (UNAP), el Durrell Institute ofConservation and Ecology (DICE) de la University of Kent, Canterbury y la WildlifeConservation Society (WCS) se sienten muy complacidos de anunciarles la realizacióndel VI Congreso Internacional sobre Manejo de Fauna Silvestre en la Amazonía yLatinoamérica. El mismo, a llevarse a cabo entre el 05 al 10 de setiembre del 2004en la ciudad de Iquitos, capital Amazónica del Perú.En tal sentido, los organizadores de este VI Congreso les dan la mas cordial bienvenidainvitándoles a participar de este gran evento que cada vez va creciendo en númerode participantes y en calidad.Durante este congreso se pondrá especial énfasis en la presentación de leccionesaprendidas. Es por ello, que las áreas temáticas deberán incidir en las leccionesaprendidas, para poder ser aplicadas según cada caso. Es decir, se dará oportunidadde presentar y discutir los logros alcanzados a la fecha sobre las acciones de manejode fauna silvestre y en base a las lecciones aprendidas poder aplicarlas en el diseño,formulación, implementación, evaluación de metodologías y de planes de manejo defauna silvestre.

http://www.vicongreso.com.pe/

congresofauna@amauta.rcp.net.peCopyright © 2003-2004. Todos los derechos reservados

Deer Specialist Group

April, 2004

NORTHNORTHNORTHNORTHNORTHAMERICAAMERICAAMERICAAMERICAAMERICA

Diversificaciónproductiva pormedio del venadocola blanca(Odocoileusvirginianusveraecrucis), en elCampoExperimental “LasMargaritas”,México

Villarreal Espino Barros, O. A.1;Guevara Viera, R. V.2; ReséndizMartínez, R.1; Castillo Correo, J.C.3; Tomé Torres, F. J.3

1Escuela de Medicina Veterinaria yZootecnia, Benemérita UniversidadAutónoma de Puebla. 4 sur Nº 304,Tecamachalco, Puebla, México. CP75480.E-mail: oaveb@yahoo.com.mx2Facultad de CienciasAgropecuarias, Universidad deCamagüey. Circunvalación NorteKm. 5½, Camagüey, Cuba. CP74650.E-mail: ragueviera@yahoo.es3Mazamiztli, A. C. 77 Poniente Nº1516, Puebla, Puebla, México. CP72450.E-mail: mazamiztli@yahoo.com.mx

AbstractThe Experimental Field

“Las Margaritas”, in the NorthMountain Range of the PueblaState, Mexico, possessesextensive surface and preservesome areas of tropical rainforest, where permits that exist“ in situ” the white-tailed deer,subspecies “veraecrucis”. Bythe indirect transects method of

tracks census, we concludethat the animal is distributed in1.271.58 Has to the north ofthe Experimental Field. Thedensity deer populationaverage of 2,13 animals/Km2;s = 0,35; and VC = 16,62%.By it, the absolute populationis of 27 individuals. We madelisting than other wildlifeanimals in the area, weregistered six species ofreptiles. A great diversity ofbirds with 96 species, existingspecies in danger of extinctionas: Cairina moschata,Micrastur ruficolis, Craxrubra, Amazona oratrix,Ramphastos sulfuratos andDryocopus lineatus. Twentyspecies of mammals,emphasizing felids in dangerof extinction as: Leoparduspardalis and Panthera onca.It is logged off that “LasMargaritas”, has highrepresentative biologicaldiversity of the tropicalhumid, the ecosystem morediverse of Mexico. This is anarea of great importanceecological. Therefore theinvestigation, the biologicalexperimental and technologytransfer, for conservation,management and sustainableits wildlife. Is very importantthe natural presence form thewhite-tailed deer, and speciesin danger of extinction. Thetechnological DiversifiedCattle model, is a social,environmental, and economicalternative for the ruralproducers, to stop thetendencies of deterioration ofthe natural resources, and todiminish the levels of poverty

and exclusion in the NorthMountain Range, from PueblaEstate, Mexico.

IntroducciónEl Campo Experimental

“Las Margaritas” (CE “LasMargaritas”), pertenece alInstituto Nacional deInvestigaciones Forestales,Agrícolas y Pecuarias(INIFAP), ubicado en la SierraNororiental de Puebla, México.Su objeto es fortalecer lainvestigación básica, aplicada ytransferencia tecnológica, paraincrementar la producciónagropecuaria en formasostenible, para la conservacióny aprovechamiento de losrecursos naturales. Su extensasuperficie cerril de 2.523 Ha,altitud promedio de 500 msnmcon clima subtropical húmedo,precipitación media anual de3.000 mm y temperatura mediaanual de 21ºC; y laconservación de 404 Ha debosque tropical perennifolio, hapermitido que aún exista “insitu” el venado cola blanca dela subespecie de Veracruz(Odocoileus virginianusveraecrucis) (Villarreal y col.2002)

MetodologíaPara determinar la

distribución y densidadpoblacional de la especie, seaplicaron varias metodologías.Sin embargo, debido a factorescomo la densa vegetación delárea muestreada, la bajapoblación de vendos y al acosoal que han sido sometidos, losmétodos directos en transectosdiurnos y nocturnos resultaron

16

Deer Specialist Group

Newsletter Nº 19

ineficientes ya que esprácticamente imposible ver unvenado. Por otro lado, entre losmétodos indirectos, aquellosque se aplican al Nº de gruposde excretas fecales, tambiénresultaron ineficientes; debido alos factores antes señaladosademás de la humedad del sitio,que descompone rápidamentelos pellets de las excretas; queson utilizados por insectoscoprófagos. Por tal motivo, seoptó por el método indirecto deconteo de huellas en transectos(Tyson, 1959).

Resultados y discusiónEl área de distribución

de la especie se ubica al nortedel predio, en una superficie de1.271 Ha de las cuales 240 sonde bosque tropical perennifoliointacto, 600 Ha de acahual y elresto de pastizal. El Coeficientede Agostadero es de 4,74 Ha/Unidad Animal (COTECOCA,2001): por lo que el área tieneuna capacidad de carga de 268UA. La media ponderadaobtenida fue de C = 2,13(individuos/Km2 o 46,9 Ha/ind.); con desviación estándarde s = 0,35; y un coeficiente devariación de CV = 16,62 %.Por lo tanto, podemos estimaruna densidad absoluta en elárea de distribución de 27individuos. La densidadpoblacional del venado colablanca veracruzano, es muybaja comparándola con otrasregiones de México. Ladensidad promedio del venadocola blanca texano (Odocoileusvirginianus texanus), en losmatorrales xerófilos de laPlanicie Nororiental es de 20

ind./Km2 (Villarreal, 1999).Algunos otros trabajos en elnorte del país muestrandensidades semejantes, entre1,2 y 2,0 ind./Km2 en laReserva de la Biosfera “LaMichilia, en Durango (Galindo-Leal y Weber, 1998), con lasubespecie de Coues(Odocoileus virginianuscouesi) .

En cuanto a regionestropicales también en México;en la Estación Biológica“Chamela” en Jalisco, con lasubespecie sinaloae, en bosquetropical caducifolio, la densidadpoblacional varia entre 5,5 y22,2 ind./Km2 (Mandujano yGallina, 1993). Por otra parte,en diferentes ejidos forestalescon bosque tropicalperennifolio y acahuales deQuintana Roo, se hanencontrado densidadessemejantes al CE “LasMargaritas”, que van de 1,76 a2,9 ind./Km2 de la subespecieyucatanensis (Ávila, 1996).Los resultados obtenidos endiferentes estudios de venadocola blanca mexicano(Odocoileus virginianusmexicanus) en la Mixteca delEstado de Puebla, arrojandensidades entre 1,4 y 12,5 ind/Km2 (Villarreal y col. 2002) .La baja densidad poblacional,del venado cola blanca en elpredio, indica que esteimportante recurso faunísticose encuentra en peligro deextinción en la zona.

También se obtuvo unlistado de otras especies defauna silvestre existentes en elpredio con los siguientesresultados: se registraron

solamente seis especiespertenecientes a cinco familiasde reptiles. En cuanto a avesexiste una gran diversidad, yaque se identificaron 96 especiespertenecientes a 36 familias de14 ordenes, destacandoespecies en peligro de extincióncomo: pato real (Cairinamoschata), halcón selváticomenor (Micrastur ruficolis),hocofaisán (Crax rubra), lorocabeza amarilla (Amazonaoratrix), tucán real(Ramphastos sulfuratos) ycarpintero grande crestirrojo(Dryocopus lineatus). Porúltimo, se identificaron 20especies de mamíferos,clasificadas en 11 familias y 6órdenes, es importante destacarla presencia de felinos enpeligro de extinción como:ocelote o xaltigrillo (Leoparduspardalis) y el jaguar o tigre(Panthera onca). La presenciade hábitat con densa coberturavegetal, abundante agua ysuficientes presas, permiten laexistencia de estos importantesdepredadores.

El CE “Las Margaritas”tiene alta diversidad biológica,que es representativa deltrópico húmedo, el ecosistemacon mayor biodiversidad deMéxico. Por lo que debe serconsiderada como un áreaecológica de gran importancia,posiblemente única en el Estadode Puebla y la región centro delEstado de Veracruz. Por lotanto, el predio posee granpotencial para la investigación yla diversificación experimentalbiológica y productiva, asícomo la transferencia detecnología, por medio de la

17

Deer Specialist Group

April, 2004

conservación y manejo delvenado cola blanca veracruzanoy su hábitat.

La transferenciatecnológica denominadaGanadería Diversificada, la cualcombina la explotaciónextensiva de bovinos de carnecon el aprovechamientosostenible del venado colablanca y otras especies de faunasilvestre, en la cacería deportivay el turismo ecológicodesarrollado por la ANGADI(Asociación Nacional deGanaderos DiversificadosCriadores de Fauna), en elnoreste de México (ANGADI,2001). Es la alternativatecnológica, que es posibleinstrumentar en CE “LasMargaritas” y otros predios dela región.

Además, elestablecimiento de una UMA(Unidad de Manejo para laConservación de la VidaSilvestre) (SEMARNAP;1977), que opere también comoEstación Biológica, para laconservación, investigación ytransferencia tecnológica de lafauna silvestre y su hábitat, escompatible con el actual usoproductivo y experimental delsuelo en ese predio. El manejary aprovechar en forma racionaly sostenida la fauna silvestre, esuna alternativa económica,ambiental y social para losproductores rurales, que puedecoadyuvar a detener y revertirlas tendencias de deterioro delos recursos naturales, así comoa disminuir los niveles depobreza y marginación, en laSierra Norte de Puebla y elcentro de Veracruz

Referencias BibliografíasANGADI (Asociación Nacional

de Ganaderos DiversificadosCriadores de Fauna). 2001.XIII Asamblea GeneralOrdinaria y XII CongresoNacional de GanaderíaDiversificada. Nuevo Laredo,Tams.

Ávila, G. 1996. Estudio deAbundancia y Distribución delVenado en Selvas deQuintana Roo, en: Memoriasdel V Simposio SobreVenados En México. UNAM,ANGADI, UQR. pp.119-124.

COTECOCA (ComisiónTécnico Consultiva para laDeterminación Regional delos Coeficientes deAgostadero), 2001..SAGARPA, Delegación en elEstado de Puebla,Subdelegación Agropecuaria.

Galindo-Leal, C y M., Weber.1998. El Venado de la SierraMadre Occidental: Ecología,manejo y conservación.Primera “ed.” EDICUSACONABIO, México D. F. 272pp. (141 y 142; 153).

Mandujano, S. y S. Gallina.1993. Densidad del VenadoCola Blanca Basada enConteos en Transectos en unBosque Tropical de Jalisco.Acta Zoológica Mexicana.Instituto de Ecología, A. C.Nº 56: 37 pp.

SEMARNAP (Secretaría delMedio Ambiente RecursosNaturales y Pesca). 1997.Programa de Conservación dela Vida Silvestre yDiversificación Productiva enel Sector Rural.1997-2000.México. Primera “ed.”

México. pp. 10-14, 82-93, y135-136.

Tyson, E. L. 1959. A deer driveVS track census.Transnational North AmericaWildlife Conference. 24: 457-464.

Villarreal, J. 1999. VenadoCola Blanca; Manejo yAprovechamiento Cinegético.Unión Ganadera Regional deNuevo León. 401 pp.

Villarreal, O.; F. Tomé y J.Castillo. 2002. DiversificaciónProductiva por Medio delVenado Cola Blanca(Odocoileus virginianusveraecrucis), en el CampoExperimental “LasMargaritas”. Memorias delVIII Simposio sobre Venadosen México. UNAM, UAT,ANGADI. Huamantla,Tlaxcala, México. pp 65-75.

18th Annual MeetingSociety for

Conservation BiologyJuly 30th to August 2nd, 2004 -

New York, New York, USAhttp://cerc.columbia.edu/scb2004/

18

Deer Specialist Group

Newsletter Nº 19

Identificación defuentes de agua deorigen vegetal, parael venado colablanca mexicano(Odocoileusvirginianusmexicanus), en elsur del Estado dePuebla, MéxicoMarín Fuentes, M. M.1;VillarrealEspino Barros, O. A.2

1Instituto Poblano de DesarrolloRural, A. C. Río Nexapa Nº 6162-2,Colonia Jardines de San Manuel,Puebla, Pue. México. CP 72570E-mail:mmarin_fuentes@hotmail.com2Escuela de Medicina Veterinaria yZootecnia, Benemérita UniversidadAutónoma de Puebla. 4 sur Nº 304,Tecamachalco, Puebla, México. CP75480.E-mail: oaveb@yahoo.com.mx

AbstractThe Mexican white-

tailed deer, has a distribution of547.540 Has in the Mixtecaregion, to the south of thePuebla State, Mexico. Thisregion excluded and poor, hassemidry climate, its principalvegetation are the tropicaldeciduous forest and aridbrushwood. One of the habitatcomponents, to keep up andmanagement that species is thewater. We identified the vegetalwater sources available,because in the region arepresented long time ofdrought,. We made 25 traveledthrough of field, covering allthe places of a representativearea. We collection all thespecies of flowers and fruits,that they were identified as

consumed by the deer. Thecollection was weighed in field,and subsequently they weredehydrate in laboratory. Weidentified ten species, 61,5 %are fruits, 30,8 % flowers and7,7% Opuntia spp. The flowersof Ceiba parvifolia obtainedgreater humidity contains89,24%, followed by theflowers of Pachisereus webery89,1%; in third place the fruitsof Ficus spp. 86,89% and infourth place the fruits ofSpondias purpurea 86,6 %: theplant with smaller percentageof humidity contains wasOpuntia spp. 65,72%. Themost abundant species in theplace of study is Acaciafarnesiana, followed by theCeiba parvifolia andPachycereus webery. Weconsider as basic to conservethe deer in the region to: Ceibaparvifolia, Pachisereus webery,Ficus spp., Ficus contifolia,Acacia farnesiana and Opuntiaspp. The countrymen have todeveloped diverse activities ofmanagement, that take intoaccount the basic factors of thehabitat, the water, food, coverand space. Conserve andpromote the establishmentalternative watering sites, as thewild plants that providesucculent flowers and fruits,consumed for the white deer. Itis a important strategy, to theconservation an managementthe deer, in the tropicaldeciduous forest of the Mixtecaregion, in Puebla Estate,Mexico.

IntroducciónEl venado cola blanca

mexicano (Odocoileusvirginianus mexicanus) es unade las catorce subespecies quese distribuyen en México (Hall,1981; Halls, 1984). Al sur delEstado de Puebla en la regiónMixteca, esta subespecie tieneuna distribución de 547.540 Ha(Villarreal y Guevara, 2002).La región es pobre ymarginada, su economía estasustentada en las actividadesagropecuarias; los tipos devegetación en su topografíacerril son: el bosque tropicalcaducifolio, los matorralesxerófilos y el bosque de galeríaentre otros. Su clima va delsubhúmedo, al semiseco y seco(Villarreal, 2000).

El venado cola blancaes el animal de caza mayor másimportante de México(Villarreal, 2001). Por lo tanto,la región representa un granpotencial para el manejo yaprovechamiento sostenible deesa especie, mediante elturismo cinegético en UMA’s(Unidades de Manejo para laConservación de la VidaSilvestre) (SEMARNAP,1997). Para el manejo de laespecie y su hábitat, esnecesario tomar en cuenta loscomponentes como: agua,alimento cobertura y espacio(González, 2001). Ladisponibilidad del agua varíadurante las diferentes épocasdel año (Mandujano y Gallina,1995): los requerimientos de laespecie también varían deacuerdo a la distribución delrecurso, y la etapa fisiológicadel animal (Bello y col. 1996).

19

Deer Specialist Group

April, 2004

En regionescaracterizadas por largosestiajes, la especie tiene comoalternativa de consumo deagua, el roció de la mañana y lacontenida en frutos comoSpondias purpurea(Mandujano, Gallina y Bullock,1994; Mandujano y Martínez-Romero, 1997). El agua, esutilizada por los venados paramantener el balance hídrico ydisminuir su temperaturacorporal: si su pérdida es mayorque la ganancia, el animal entraen estrés y puede morir(Mandujano y Gallina, 1995).Los requerimientos de aguapara venados adultos delgénero Odocoileus, es de 2 a 4litros diarios (Alcalá yEnríquez, 1999). Debido a queen la Mixteca poblana el estiajees entre seis y ocho meses(Villarreal, 2000): identificarlas especies de flores y frutosque el venado cola blancaconsume, como fuentealternativa de agua, es unaimportante contribución para laconservación y manejo de laespecie y su hábitat.

Área de estudioEl sitio de estudio fue la

UMA (Unidad de Manejo parala Conservación de la VidaSilvestre) San Miguel Ejido,Municipio de Chiautla deTapia, Puebla, México; debidoa que ese predio, representa enforma general las condicionesecológicas de la Mixtecapoblana. La UMA tiene unasuperficie cerril de 1.250 Ha yaltitud de 800 a 2.060 msnm.Su vegetación es la selva bajacaducifolia, en las partes

superiores de los cerros seencuentra bosque latifoliadoesclerófilo caducifolio, y en lasbarrancas selva medianasubcaducifolia (Villarreal,1997). Existen dos climas conlluvias en verano, el cálidosubhúmedo y el semicálidosubhúmedo; el uso de suelo esla ganadería extensiva debovinos (Villarreal, 1997).

MetodologíaSe realizaron 25

recorridos de campo cubriendotoda la superficie de la UMA:se colectaron las especies deflores y frutos de temporada,que se han identificado comoconsumidas por el venado en elárea y la revisión literariacomo: Mandujano, Gallina yBullock (1994); Mandujano yGallina (1995); Bello y col.(1996); Mandujano y Martínez-Romero (1997); Villarreal(1999); Arceo (1999); Alcalá y

Enríquez (1999); Villarreal(2000) y ANGADI (2001).

Colectadas las muestrasde flores y frutos, se pesaron encampo con una balanzaCHAUS de 120 x 0,1 g; luegose depositaron en bolsas depapel, apuntado nombrecomún, fecha y sitio de colecta.En laboratorio, los ejemplaresse introdujeron en una secadorabotánica, a temperaturaconstante de 60º C, durantecinco días. Deshidratadas lasmuestras se pesaronnuevamente, para obtener elpeso de agua y materia vegetal,por la diferencia de ambospesos se obtuvo el porcentajede humedad. Después se realizóuna sumatoria por especie, y seobtuvo la media aritmética paraconocer el porcentaje final dehumedad, para cada especie deplanta colectada.

)ocifítneic(númocerbmoN adatcelocetraPedejatnecroP

dademuho/ynóicarolfedacopÉ

nóicacifitcurf

(etohcoP ailofivrapabieC ) )solatép(rolF 42,98 orerbeFaerbmeivoN

(ayatiP irebewsuerecyhcaP ) rolF 1,98 oiluJaoinuJ

(ocnalBetamA .ppssuciF ) oturF 98,68 oyaMalirbA

(ertsevlisoleuriC aeruprupsaidnopS ) oturF 6,68 ozraMaorenE

(ayatiP irebewsuerecyhcaP ) oturF 86,68 erbutcOaotsogA

(etamalaczeT ailofitnocsuciF ) orudamnioturF 41,97 erbutcOaorenE

(etohcoP ailofivrapabieC ) )olucátpecer(rolF 42.87 orerbeFaerbmeivoN

(etamalaczeT ailofitnocsuciF ) orudamoturF 26.67 erbutcOaorenE

(ocnalBetauhasaC sediocyrumaeomopI ) rolF 52.67 ozraMaerbmeiciD

(ollinipsE .ppsaicacA ) )aniav(oturF 50,47 oiluJyoinuJ

(lihcúmauG ecludmuibollecehtiP ) )aniav(oturF 33,37 oyaMaerbmeivoN

(ehcaziuH anaisenrafaicacA ) )aniav(oturF 90,86 oyaMaerbmeiciD

(lapoN .ppsaitnupO ) oidodalC 27,56 oñaleodoT

Tabla 1. Especies de plantas que consume el venado cola blanca,porcentaje de humedad y época de floración en la regiónMixteca, Puebla, México

20

Deer Specialist Group

Newsletter Nº 19

Resultados y discusiónSe colectaron e

identificaron un total de diezespecies, de las cuales el 61,5%son frutos, 30,8% son flores y7,7% cladodios. La flor deCeiba parvifolia, obtuvo elmayor porcentaje de humedad,seguida por la flor dePachycereus weberi, el menorporcentaje de humedad fue deOpuntia spp. (Tabla 1).

La especie másabundante en el sitio es Acaciafarnesiana, seguida de Ceibaparvifolia y Pachycereuswebery. La más escasa esSpondias purpurea. La flor deCeiba parvifolia es consumidaávidamente por los venados enla Mixteca poblana (Villarreal,2000). Los cladodios deOpuntia spp., aun y cuando sonlos que presentaron menorporcentaje de humedad, sonmuy importantes ya que puedenser consumidos durante todo elaño, siendo una buenaalternativa de agua.Consideramos que todas lasespecies colectadas son unaimportante fuente de agua, parala especie durante el estiaje enla región (Octubre a Junio).Consideramos como másimportantes: Ceiba parvifolia,Pachycereus weberi, Ficusspp., Ficus contifolia, Acaciafarnesiana Opuntia spp.

Para la conservación yaprovechamiento sostenible delvenado cola blanca en laMixteca poblana, debendesarrollarse diversasactividades de manejo, quetomen en cuenta los factoresbásicos del hábitat como son elagua, alimento, cobertura y

espacio. Debido a ello,conservar y fomentar elestablecimiento de fuentes deagua alternativa, como son lasplantas silvestres queproporcionan flores y frutossuculentos, que sonconsumidos por el venado colablanca, resulta ser importanteestrategia de conservación ymanejo del hábitat en favor deese cérvido en las UMA’s de laregión.

Referencias bibliografíasANGADI (Asociación Nacional

de Ganaderos DiversificadosCriadores de Fauna). 2001.XIV Asamblea GeneralOrdinaria y XIII CongresoNacional de GanaderíaDiversificada. ANGADI.Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas,México.

Alcalá, C. y E. Enríquez. 1999.Manejo y Aprovechamientode Venados. INIFAP(Instituto Nacional deInvestigaciones Forestales,Agrícolas y Pecuarias);Centro de InvestigaciónRegional de Noroeste; CampoExperimental Carbó. FolletoTécnico Nº 3. pp. 18-19.

Arceo, G. 1999. HábitosAlimentarios del Venado ColaBlanca en un Bosque TropicalCaducifolio de Jalisco. Tesisde Maestría. Facultad deCiencias. UNAM.

Bello, J.; R. E. Sánchez-Mantilla; A. Pérez-Arteaga; S.Mandujano, S. Gallina y MEquihua. 1996. Patrones deuso de Asociaciones vegetalesy fuentes de agua por elvenado cola blanca en unmatorral xerófilo de Nuevo

León. V Simposio sobrevenados de México. UNAM,ANGADI, UAQR. pp 158-169.

González, F. 2001.Evaluaciónde Poblaciones y Hábitat de laFauna Silvestre. Manual delCurso Taller Internacionalsobre Técnicas Aplicadas a laConservación y Manejo deFauna Silvestre. COLPOS,US Fish and Wildlife Service,BUAP, FPPUE, Mazamiztli,A. C., SDR, SEMARNAT,CEFFASIP, SEDURBECOP.Puebla, Pue. México. pp 59-98

Mandujano, S. y L. E. MartínezRomero. 1997. Fruit fallcaused by chachalacas(Ortalis poliocephala) on redmombim trees (Spondiaspurpurea): Impact onterrestrial fruit consumers,especially the White TailedDeer (Odocoileusvirginianus). Studies onNeotropical Fauna andEnvironment. 32: 1-3.

Mandujano, S.; S. Gallina y S.H. Bullock. 1994. Frugiboryand dispersal of Spondiaspurpurea (Anacardiaceae) ina tropical dry forest ofMexico. Revista de BiologíaTropical 42: 105-112.

Mandujano, S. y S. Gallina.1995. Disponibilidad de aguapara el venado cola blanca enun bosque tropical caducifoliode México. Vida SilvestreNeotropical 4 (2): 107-118.

SEMARNAP (Secretaría delMedio Ambiente RecursosNaturales y Pesca). 1997.Programa de Conservación dela Vida Silvestre yDiversificación Productiva en

21

Deer Specialist Group

April, 2004

el Sector Rural.1997-2000.México. Primera “ed.”México. pp. 10-14, 82-93, y135-136.

Villarreal, O. 1997. Estudio dePreinversión: InfraestructuraBásica Complementaria paraun Criadero de Venado ColaBlanca (Odocoileusvirginianus mexicanus) en SanMiguel Ejido, Chiautla,Puebla. Programa deDesarrollo Rural Sustentablede la Mixteca. SEMARNAPDelegación Federal en elEstado de Puebla.

Villarreal, J. 1999. VenadoCola Blanca; Manejo yAprovechamiento Cinegético.Unión Ganadera Regional deNuevo León. 401 pp.

Villarreal, O. 2000. ElAprovechamiento Sustentabledel Venado Cola BlancaMexicano (Odocoileusvirginianus mexicanus); unaAlternativa para el Uso delSuelo en Región de laMixteca Poblana. Memoriasdel VII Simposio sobreVenados de México. UNAM,ANGADI. CuidadUniversitaria, México. D. F.pp 127-152.

Villarreal, O. 2001. PotencialCinegético de la RegiónCentral de México. Manualdel Curso Taller Internacionalsobre Técnicas Aplicadas a laConservación y Manejo deFauna Silvestre. COLPOS,US Fish and Wildlife Service,BUAP, FPPUE, Mazamiztli,A. C., SDR, SEMARNAT,CEFFASIP, SEDURBECOPPuebla, Pue. México. pp 333-338.

Inuitqaujimajatuqangitof winter habitatuse and populationchanges of Pearycaribou andmuskoxen on HighArctic islands inNunavut, CanadaA.D.M. Taylor1, M.A.D.Ferguson2

and P. Treitz1.1Laboratory for Remote Sensing ofEarth and Environmental Systems,Department of Geography, Queen’sUniversity, Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6,Canada 2admt@qlink.queensu.ca2 Nunavut Wildlife Service,Department of SustainableDevelopment, Government ofNunavut, P.O. Box 400, Pond Inlet,NU X0A 0S0, Canadabaffbio@nunanet.com

During the last 40years, population fluctuationsof endangered Peary caribou(Rangifer tarandus pearyi) andmuskoxen (Ovibos moschatus)living on the Queen Elizabeth,Prince of Wales and Somersetislands have caused concerns atlocal, national and international

levels. Until recently, biologistshave largely attributed declinesof these populations to density-independent snow coverconditions. On the other hand,Inuit have also attributed somepopulation fluctuations to pastseismic exploration, density-dependent population growth,and interactions between thetwo species. To betterunderstand these fluctuationsand conserve these populations,patterns of historic and recentpopulation change and habitatuse need to be examined. Thebest source of long-terminformation may be fromknowledgeable persons whohave regularly interacted withthese populations over severaldecades. We are collecting andcompiling historical and recentInuit qaujimajatuqangit (i.e.,ecological knowledge of Inuit)regarding long-term patterns ofhabitat use by Peary caribouand muskoxen on the HighArctic islands. Hunters andTrappers Organizations(HTOs) in Resolute Bay, Grise

22

Villarreal, O. 2002. El “GrandSlam” del Vendo Cola BlancaMexicano, una AlternativaSostenible. Archivos deZootecnia, Vol. 51, Nº 193-194. Instituto de Zootecnia;

Facultad de Veterinaria.Universidad de Córdoba,España. pp 187-193.

SHORTSHORTSHORTSHORTSHORTCOMMUNICACOMMUNICACOMMUNICACOMMUNICACOMMUNICATIONSTIONSTIONSTIONSTIONS

Deer Specialist Group

Newsletter Nº 19

Fiord and other communitiesidentify Inuit elders and huntersthat can describe spatial andtemporal changes in Pearycaribou and muskoxpopulations within the studyarea. Each informant isinterviewed to establish his/herbiographical map, describechanges in caribou and/ormuskoxen seasonaldistributions and abundanceduring his/her lifetime, anddiscuss ecological, human andother factors that may havecaused changes observed in thepopulations. The geographicalinformation obtained fromthese interviews is stored in aGIS database. Inuit informantshave described massivepopulation changes, seasonalmigrations and emigrationsover the past 70 years onseveral islands, and haveidentified a variety of causes forthese changes. The informationprovided by each informantoften overlaps with that ofother informants, but severalinformants provided uniqueinformation because of theirspecial interests in certaingeographic areas or animalbiology. Compiled informationwill be reviewed at a meetingwith all informants to confirm,correct and add information asrequired The assembled Inuitqaujimajatuqangit will becompared with the results ofaerial and ground surveys,remote sensing, satellitetelemetry and ecologicalresearch.

Detection ofrecovery ofpopulations ofendangered Pearycaribou andmuskoxen, usingdistance samplingand skills of Inuithunters

Michael A.D. Ferguson1 and theResolute Bay Hunters and TrappersOrganization2.1Nunavut Wildlife Service (NWS),Department of SustainableDevelopment, Government ofNunavut, PO Box 400, Pond Inlet,Nunavut X0A 0S0, Canada(baffbio@nunanet.com). 2PO Box60, Resolute Bay, NU X0A 0V0,Canada

Dynamics of mostpopulations of endangeredPeary caribou and muskoxenare poorly understood, withthose populations on Bathurstand nearby islands being thebest documented. The BathurstPeary caribou populationpeaked in 1961 and again in1994 at about 3000, butdeclined to lows of about 250in 1974 and less than 100 in1997. Since1975, theindigenous Inuit population hasinitiated self-regulated actionsto conserve this population, buthave opposed other initiatives.They have also questioned thereliability of past surveyestimates. In 2000, wedeveloped a new ground-aerialsurvey methodology, which weimplemented on Bathurst Islandin May 2001 and also onCornwallis and western Devonislands in May 2002 and 2003.Inuit hunters surveyed large

areas by snowmobile to detectwatersheds where Pearycaribou and/or muskoxenoccurred; this ground surveyprovided the Inuit with anindependent minimum count forcomparison with aerial surveyresults. The Inuit identifiedextensive areas where neitherspecies occurred or where theywere confident that they hadcounted all animals present. Inwatersheds where the Inuitobserved signs of animals, weconducted an aerial survey at40% coverage, assuming 500-m strips x 2. In other areaswhere the Inuit could notadequately conduct a groundsurvey, we conducted an initial20%-coverage aerial survey,increasing coverage to 40% forany watersheds where signs ofcaribou or muskoxen weredetected. Using distancesampling on the aerial surveydata, we determined threepopulation estimates forBathurst and nearby islands,after truncating the maximumdistance from transects basedon varying criteria. The highestestimate (289, 95% CI: 166-503), with the best model fit,yielded coverage of only 21%.The sample size for caribouwas adequate, but not formuskoxen on Bathurst Island.Caribou recruitment was goodwith calf:cow ratios of 44:100.Since 1997, the populationapparently has been recoveringat a rate comparable to the 15-20% annual growth thatoccurred during 1981-94.Estimates for both species werealso determined for the otherareas surveyed in 2002 and2003. Evidence of significant

23

Deer Specialist Group

April, 2004

interannual changes in thedistribution of Peary caribouwas also detected. Themanagement implications ofthese surveys regarding thefuture recovery of thesepopulations as well as inestablishing harvest quotas arecurrently being discussed atlocal, territorial and nationallevels.

Remote sensing ofwinter foraginghabitats of Pearycaribou andmuskoxen on theQueen ElizabethIslands, Nunavut,Canada.A.I. Maher1, P.M. Treitz1, P.Budkewitsch2 and M.A.D. Ferguson3.1Laboratory for Remote Sensing ofEarth and Environmental Systems,Department of Geography, Queen’sUniversity, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6,Canada (2aim@qlink.queensu.ca).2Canada Centre for Remote Sensing,Natural Resources Canada, 588Booth Street, Ottawa, ON K1A 0Y7,Canada. 3Nunavut Wildlife Service,Department of SustainableDevelopment, Government ofNunavut, PO Box 400, Pond Inlet,NU X0A 0S0, Canada(baffbio@nunanet.com).

During the past 40years, populations of muskoxen(Ovibos moschatus) andendangered Peary caribou(Rangifer tarandus pearyi) onthe Queen Elizabeth Islands(QEI) have experienced widefluctuations. One hypothesisattributes the cause of seriousdeclines to severe snow coverconditions. However, researchhas not yet documented that

severe snow cover hasextended throughout the winterrange of any population, or thatsimilar snow cover conditionsdid not occur in years ofpopulation increase or stability.Furthermore, the proportion ofa population’s winter rangewhere snow prevents access toforage by these ungulates hasnot been estimated in winterswith either “normal” or“severe” snow cover. Between1995 and 1998, a dramaticpopulation declines occurredon Bathurst Island duringwinters that appeared severe. In1994 Inuit had predicted such adecline because they said thatthere were “too many” caribouand muskoxen on the islandafter previous populationincreases. This prediction raisesthe question whether density-dependent factors may havebeen aggravated by weather-related density-independentfactors. To adequately assessthe roles of such factors, amethod for assessing snowcover and winter forageconditions across the potentialwinter range of suchpopulations is required. As partof an interdisciplinary programneeded to conserve Pearycaribou and muskoxen, we areusing current and historicalLandsat and IKONOS data toindex and map usable winterforaging habitats of Pearycaribou and muskoxen on theQEI, based on the distributionof snow-free patches andassociated vegetation. We willalso estimate the inter-annualvariability in the proportion ofsnow-free patches where

animals may gain access toforage during winter. Landsatimages for the study area from1990 through to 2002 duringlate winter are being analysedto assess relationships betweensnow coverage and changes inPeary caribou and muskoxpopulations. During winter2003, Landsat-ETM+ andIKONOS imagery werecaptured in conjunction withfield validation of snowcoverage, depth, and ram andsurface hardness. These resultswere compared withdistributions of caribou andmuskoxen during aerialsurveys. This should allow usto develop a signature of snowcharacteristics where theseanimals forage during latewinter.

24

The 9th InternationalMammalogical Congress

Sapporo, Japan

July 31 - August 5, 2005

http://www.hokkaido-ies.go.jp/mammal2005/

Deer Specialist Group

Newsletter Nº 19

Conservation and Restoration of Eld’s DeerA ‘Workshop on the Conservation and Restoration of Eld’s Deer’, which was held 10-12

November 2003 at the Conference Center in Khao Kheow Open Zoo, Chonburi, Thailand. The 41participants included all the historic range states for the species: India, Myanmar, Thailand,Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and China (Hainan Island). Eld’s deer (Cervus eldi) is composed of 3subspecies that are all currently endangered with extinction in Southeast Asia. The meeting was co-sponsored by Smithsonian Institution’s National Zoological Park, the Wildlife Conservation Society,and the Thai Zoological Parks Organization. The 3-day workshop consisted of a one day reportingsession from all range state representatives and selected experts, and two days focused on strategicconservation planning designed to develop specific projects, action steps, timelines, and individualscommitted to carrying out specified projects. The highlights of the meeting were the reports of wildpopulations of Cervus eldi siamensis in Cambodia and Lao, and the commitment of Zoo Thailand toestablish a captive breeding facility for the species that incorporates genetic management. The groupagreed to meet again in late 2004 to review progress on action steps that were identified at theworkshop for each subspecies. A complete workshop report is available upon request. Bill McShea(wmcshea@crc.si.edu).

Eld´s deer DSG-Sub-Group

Following a successful meeting of researchers and managers interested inEld’s deer (Cervus eldi) at Khao Kheo Open Zoo in Thailand (November 10-13, 2003), the organizers have considered an interesting opportunity to forma formal study group within the framework of the Deer Specialist Group.This Eld’s Deer Conservation Group will post regular communicationsamong members and hold an annual conference for the next few years as itworks to turn around the decline of this Southeast Asian species. The nextannual meeting will be held in Thailand in November 2004. All interestedparties can obtain more information by contacting Bill McShea atwmcshea@crc.si.edu.

ASIAASIAASIAASIAASIA

25