The press service of the Voronezh Reserve has reported the results of the autumn count of European red deer stags. This indicator is very important for assessing the well-being of the population. In total, specialists heard at least 70 roaring stags. About 50 individuals were recorded in the reserve itself. Another 20 deer were registered in the reserve of the same name, although in previous years there were no more than a dozen of them there.
The count is traditionally carried out during the "roar". Scientists record the sounds made by males during the "mating season". This year, the deer's roar began later than usual due to the abnormally warm weather and was not very intense. This made it somewhat difficult to register animals.
Camera traps helped to clarify the data. They were installed in advance in places where traces of an adult male were found, for example, spots of trampled earth or trees stripped of their bark by antlers.
In some places, specialists came across several males of different ages. For example, three different deer came to a mud bath on a drying swamp at once: a yearling with spike antlers without branches, a young male 3-4 years old, and an adult stag with large branched antlers.
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