Eurasian lynx hunting red deer: is there an influence of a winter enclosure system?

摘要: As in several Central European areas, the Bohemian Forest Ecosystem (Germany and Czech Republic), fenced feeding enclosures are used for winter management of red deer (Cervus elaphus), which is an important component Eurasian lynx’s (Lynx lynx) diet. Using GPS telemetry data, we tested whether (1) lynx hunted mainly selecting high prey densities environmental characteristics like a good level habitat heterogeneity, independently enclosures’ presence; (2) attracted (3) positively influenced their predation on deer, being predictable abundant sources throughout winter; or (4) extremely inside rather negatively this species. We first compared space usage outside enclosures. Then, investigated effects environment, enclosure distance area Prey usage, whilst probability was highest at medium to low densities. Habitat heterogeneity terrain ruggedness both deer. Regarding effect enclosures, ratio “area during night vs. daytime” larger by factor 2 three times higher than enclosures; however, these differences were not statistically significant, suggesting that influence very pronounced.