Interactions in food chains are analyzed in terms of hunt success and selective elimination of prey by predators. This problem is important to understand the selective effect of predation. The ...examination of remains of the prey of wild predators does not reveal the reasons for elimination of particular individuals. A model of wild canids hunt was developed with the help of windhound dogs, which made it possible to analyze the procedure of pursuit and inspect the entire the prey but not only its parts. Was proved that the predator’s coursing speed is not the major factor in prey capture. The windhound’s hunt success was found to be 27% for saiga antelope and 12% for brown hare (of the number of pursuits). Hunt success in wild predators (large felids and canids) is usually less than 50% but sometimes may reach this value. The low efficiency of windhound hunt is the result of selection by chasing any prey without a preliminary estimation of pursuit perspectives, which is typical for wild predators. The use of windhounds for hunting wild animals revealed that only unhealthy animals were eliminated by the dogs: the saiga antelopes had some pathology of internal organs, and the brown hares caught by dogs were in a poorer condition than those killed by hunters. The abnormalities established in saiga antelopes could not be found when examining the remains of wild predator prey. The low hunt success is combined with a very high selectivity. Thus, the preliminary assessment of the accessibility of prey by predators is unreliable; however, the elimination of any deviations that decrease the adaptability of prey is effective. A predator is a universal breeder that removes adverse deviations from the populations of consumers of the first level, thereby preserving the adaptability of phenotypes and the population norm.
A partir del análisis arqueozoológico del sitio Punta Santa Ana 1 y la integración de resultados previamente publicados para otros yacimientos de cazadores marinos tempranos de Patagonia, se ...describen y discuten modalidades de explotación de recursos animales y estrategias de subsistencia desarrolladas por grupos adscritos a la tradición cultural Englefield, desarrollada en Patagonia meridional entre el V y III milenio antes de nuestra era. La aplicación de índices de utilidad económica, de densidad mineral ósea y la incorporación de otras fuentes de información, permiten discutir algunas propiedades para el conjunto de yacimientos de tradición Englefield que cuentan con información arqueozoológica detallada. Los resultados permiten plantear al menos dos tipos de yacimientos residenciales, a partir de la intensidad de uso y modalidades de consumo de pinnípedos. Esta diferenciación de conjuntos puede tener como explicación las estrategias de movilidad y el uso diferenciado del espacio por parte de estos grupos de cazadores recolectores marinos tempranos.
The present study attempted to estimate the socioeconomic impacts on hunting demand caused by a 2006 wildfire on a typical Mediterranean ecosystem in Greece (Kassandra peninsula). A questionnaire ...administered to a sample of local hunters was used to test the hypothesis that the wildfire and the consequent hunting ban, which was used by the Greek Forest Service as a measure for wildlife protection, posed a significant impact on the demand of hunters for hunting licenses and hunting trips. Using questionnaires as a source of information it was assessed what these impacts meant for the economy, either on local, or national scale, by estimating the income elasticity of demand for hunting licenses in the area of Kassandra and the expenses for hunting excursions before and after wildfire. It was observed that hunters attempted to preserve their activity despite the excessive hunting restrictions. Implications for hunting management and policy decision making were examined.
In the beginning of the Holocene, hunter–gatherer populations settled in the Pamir plateau, especially in the tectonic depression of Markansu near the Kara Kul Lake (Osh Kona site, 4100 m, 9580 BP ...and 7145 BP). These populations were well adapted to high altitude life conditions in summer. They were using stone tools related to a cobble tool tradition that Ranov considered as the local continuation of an Asian Middle Palaeolithic (Ferghana, Darwaz or Punjab). However, they disappeared during the second half of the Holocene. As well, hunters–gatherers characterised by a tradition close to Markansu Culture, namely Hissar Culture, appeared during the Holocene in the northern mountains of the Tajik–Afghan depression (Amu Darya upper basin) occupying the middle altitude valleys (Gissar Range) when Neolithic populations began to develop at lower altitudes. For Ranov, origin and destiny of both Markansu and Hissar cultures were the most important questions to solve in this region. The Department of Prehistory, National Museum of Natural History (Paris) conducted field work in collaboration with the University of Peshawar between 1996 and 1998 in the northernmost valley of the Indus basin giving access to the Wakhan corridor. The upper Yarkhun valley (Chitral district, Pakistan), accessible only by foot, was surveyed from 2500 to 4000 m altitude. This allowed the discovery of 6 sites yielding lithic artefacts, among which half are cobble tools. They attest to human activity later than 5500 BP, suggesting population movements between the Amu Darya and Indus basins. The consequences of the Quaternary climate oscillations between South Asian monsoon and Northern hemisphere influences on the one hand, and the impact on biotopes of the increasing pastoral activity on the other hand, are discussed as probable causes for the disappearance of the mountainous nomadic hunters of Central Asia.
This article presents a part of conclusions of a research concerning the Mytilus edulis shells coming from a shellmidden or "conchales" of Imiwaia I site on the edges of the Beagle channel in ...Argentina. Our main objective was to bring further information on the method of preparation of bivalves by canoe hunter-gatherer-fishers for their alimentation (~6400 BP). The project concentrated on the comparative analysis of modern M. edulis valves collected in the region and opened by various methods, and those excavated from the archeological site Imiwaia I. The analysis of the inorganic structure of both layers of valves (calcite and aragonite) allowed to conclude on the opening technique employed and the parameters of preservation offered by the shellmidden. During the development of the study, we worked from a multidisciplinary approach of historical, ethnographical, archaeological and chemical information to better understand and interpret the opening methodology of bivalves and their effect on the state of preservation of the information carried by the archaeological specimens. //ABSTRACT IN FRENCH: Cet article présente les conclusions d'une partie des recherches portant sur les coquilles de Mytilus edulis provenant d'un amas coquilliers ou « conchales » du site Imiwaia I sur les bords du canal Beagle en Argentine. Notre objectif principal a été d'apporter un complément d'informations sur la méthode de préparation des bivalves par les chasseurs-cueilleurs-pêcheurs marins dans leur alimentation (~6400 BP). Le projet s'est concentré sur l'analyse comparative de moules M. edulis modernes collectées dans la région et ouvertes par différentes méthodes, et celles extraites du site archéologique Imiwaia I. L'analyse de la structure inorganique des deux couches constituantes des valves (calcite et aragonite) a permis de conclure sur la technique d'ouverture employée et des paramètres de conservation qu'offre l'amas coquilliers. Au cours de cette étude, nous avons travaillé à partir d'une approche pluridisciplinaire d'informations historiques, ethnographiques, archéologiques et chimiques afin de mieux comprendre et interpréter la méthodologie d'ouverture des bivalves et de leur effet sur l'état de conservation des informations portées par les spécimens archéologiques. All rights reserved, Elsevier
Hunters, anglers and lovers of the great outdoors will fall for the many charms of Hunting the Grisly and Other Sketches, a compendium of ripping yarns from Theodore Roosevelt, the famed outdoorsman ...and early conservationist who also happened to be the 26th president of the United States.
Hunting participation is declining in many Western countries. We surveyed 1,113 persons in Norway who had completed the mandatory hunting education program but not continued to hunt in order to ...examine reasons for desertion. Key barriers included lack of knowledge, associated expenses, and a lack of people to hunt with. Measures that may increase participation include improved knowledge about hunting practices and weapon handling, hunting opportunities, how to treat harvested game, as well as support from family and friends. We recommend the following measures to increase recruitment: a mentor arrangement where experienced hunters take the responsibility for assisting new hunters through their first season; a practical follow-up course in shooting, weapons handling, and field skills; and improved information about hunting opportunities that are accessible locally and regionally.
This study draws on the local ecological knowledge of 58 hunters from seven communes in the Ngoc Son Ngo Luong Nature Reserve (Hoa Binh province, North Vietnam) to examine the local status of 40 ...threatened vertebrates. The reserve forms part of a biodiversity-rich mountainous corridor. Respondents were shown photographs of the species and asked to rate their abundance on a scale of 0–3 (0, extinct; 3, very abundant) in two periods: pre-1975 (before Doi Moi) and in 2009. The results show that 39 species have lived in the area and five are now extinct (Delacour's langur Trachypithecus delacouri, northern white-cheeked crested gibbon Nomascus leucogenys, dhole Cuon alpinus, oriental small-clawed otter Aonyx cinereus, Indochinese tiger Panthera tigris corbetti) and the presence of another six is doubtful (Phayre's leaf-monkey Trachypithecus phayrei ssp. crepuscula, sun bear Helarctos malayanus, binturong Arctictis binturong, fishing cat Prionailurus viverrinus, leopard Panthera pardus, wreathed hornbill Anorrhinus undulatus). The results show a general decline in numbers and abundance, with mammals declining fastest, especially carnivores and primates. The differences in abundance between species have narrowed since 1975, converging towards trends of general impoverishment at similar low abundances. The survey results were similar among communes and also concord with the findings of research in nearby areas. This study demonstrates the usefulness of local ecological knowledge for planning, decision-making and management of protected areas in the absence of historical records or financial resources for conducting intensive fieldwork in remote and little-known areas.
Archaeozoological investigations carried out at Grotta del Clusantin in the Italian north-eastern Alps suggest that this late Upper Palaeolithic site hosted small groups of marmot hunters. Taxonomic ...data describe an alpine grassland environment with arboreal and shrubby vegetation in proximity. The bone assemblage is extremely fragmented as a result of anthropic activities and post-depositional agents. The presence of percussion cones, butchering cutmarks, burnt bones, and the almost total absence of carnivore traces and animal lairs, suggests that humans are responsible for faunal accumulation. Experimental approaches on marmot specimens supported archaeological evidence, demonstrating elements of systematics and/or explaining anatomical absences. From field-evidence, lithic, and functional data, it has been inferred that this site was a specialized camp, used for exploiting and consuming several rodent carcasses, in the context of the first human occupations of the highlands at the onset of the LateGlacial interstadial.
This is the first comprehensive environmental history of California’s Great Central Valley, where extensive freshwater and tidal wetlands once provided critical habitat for tens of millions of ...migratory waterfowl. Weaving together ecology, grassroots politics, and public policy, Philip Garone tells how California’s wetlands were nearly obliterated by vast irrigation and reclamation projects, but have been brought back from the brink of total destruction by the organized efforts of duck hunters, whistle-blowing scientists, and a broad coalition of conservationists. Garone examines the many demands that have been made on the Valley’s natural resources, especially by large-scale agriculture, and traces the unforeseen ecological consequences of our unrestrained manipulation of nature. He also investigates changing public and scientific attitudes that are now ushering in an era of unprecedented protection for wildlife and wetlands in California and the nation.
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