New Zealand Journal of
Agricultural Research abstracts
Productive behaviour of red
deer (Cervus elaphus)
relocated to the Neotropical Realm
K. Flores1
A. A. Luna2
C. Tapia3
J. L. Rivera3
C. G. Vásquez4
A. Shimada1,2,*
1Laboratorio
de Rumiología y Metabolismo Nutricional (RuMeN)
Facultad de
Estudios Superiores-Cuautitlán
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de
México (UNAM)
Juriquilla, Qro.,
Meacute;xico
2Centro
Nacional de Investigación en
Fisiología Animal
Instituto
Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales
Agrícolas y Pecuarias
Ajuchitlán, Qro., México
3Fideicomisos
Instituidos en Relación a la Agricultura (FIRA)
Tantakin, Yuc.
México
4Coordinación
de la Investigación
Científica
Facultad de
Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia-UNAM
Ciudad Universitaria, D.F., México
*Author for correspondence.
Postal address: PMB 23-141; 413 Interamerican Boulevard WHI; Laredo, TX
78045; USA. shimada@servidor.unam.mx
Abstract In
1994, a herd of red deer (Cervus
elaphus) was introduced to
Mexico from New Zealand; animals were distributed among 17 farms.
Information was gathered from two farms situated in the Neotropical
Realm, south of the Tropic of Cancer. Farm A is a research facility in
the temperate highlands; Farm B is for extension purposes, in the dry
tropics. Being at similar latitudes (20°47′N and
20°04′N, respectively), both have comparable photoperiods.
Their main differences are their altitudes and climates (1990 versus
40 m above sea level;
17.4 versus 25.0°C average temperature; 460–630 versus
1000–1100 mm annual rainfall, respectively). On Farm A,
animals were either confined (30 weeks) in earth-floor pens and fed on
hay, or grazed (20 weeks) on a mixed irrigated pasture. Until 2000,
they were neither vaccinated, nor drenched or supplemented. Breeding
lasted 8–9 weeks in late autumn (single-sire mating; groups of
12–25 hinds). The herd’s fertility rate was 92%. Most calves
(80%) were born during June, weighing 9.4 kg. On Farm B,
animals grazed year round on a mixture of tropical pastures,
supplemented with assorted feeds. They were vaccinated against
clostridial diseases, shipping fever, and paralytic rabies; drenched
quarterly and dipped for tick prevention twice a month. They mated
under uncontrolled breeding management for 2.5 months; 81%
gave birth within May and June. Fertility was 79%; calves weighed
7.2 kg. In general, deer in Farm B seemed to be in a
comparatively better body condition, however their productive
performance appeared to indicate otherwise. On both farms, deer had
kept their characteristic reproductive seasonality, although the
calving season tended to last longer than in their place of origin.
Keywords red
deer; Cervus elaphus;
production
A04035; Received 28 April 2004;
accepted 1 June 2005; Online publication date 4 August 2005
New Zealand Journal of
Agricultural Research, 2005, Vol. 48:
321–328
0028–8233/05/4803–0321 © The Royal Society of New
Zealand 2005
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