Abstract

The objectives of the survey were to protect and increase the European bison (wisent) population size and to study its economically important traits under the environmental conditions of their habitats and ranges shifted with advancing northward as far as the northern European part of Russia. The subject of the survey was the purebred European bison in the Vologda oblast. High-level resistance to helminthes, flexibility and adaptability under new habitat conditions, and gaining the required phenotypic traits in the European bison were ascertained. The liveweight, the height at withers, the width of a hoof horn of a fore limb, and the hind-limb hoof horn width in the free-ranging wild oxen comprised 900 kg, 180 cm, 100 mm, and 80 mm, respectively. Thickness of hide in the forehead comprised 13 mm. Hide thicknesses of the neck and nape made up 9 mm each. The metatarsal, tarsal, carpal, and metacarpal areas comprised 7 mm thickness each. The hide at abdomen and sides of the animal was 6 mm in thickness. Therefore, the European bison hide parts are thicker than that in large cattle by 2–4 mm. In addition, rich ruminal microflora is typical for the European bison, since the bison, compared to farm animals, consume a wider variety of feeds. In Vologda oblast, the bison consume more than 100 plant species. Woody-stem fodder is used throughout the year. In the summer and winter seasons, it comprises up to 5 and 70% of their ration, respectively. Natural dietary dry-matter digestibility comprises 53–67.5%. The plant-fiber digestion level reaches 69%. The European bison meat-protein content is twofold greater than the value for the same item for medium fat beef. European bison meat contains 183.8–195.3 g amino acids per kg, including 193.9–117.3 g essential amino acids, since there are collagen and elastin of a lower amount in the muscle tissue. The gene pool of the European bison as a representative of ungulates has the potential future effects on improving the existing cattle breeds. The species introduction should assume assigning the European bison to both the herbivorous ungulate community in a certain locality and the whole biocenosis. The areas of a free-ranging European bison habitat in Vologda oblast rich in the natural fodder resources have been considered reasonable and prospective for increasing the population size of the protected species. The climate and the geographical position of the region and the feed resources available in the area can provide the European bison with conditions appropriate for existence of species and manifestation of the effective biological traits typical to the species.

中文翻译：

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自由放任的欧洲野牛是一种基因库资源

摘要

这项调查的目的是保护和增加欧洲野牛（有节制）的人口规模，并研究其栖息地环境条件下其经济上重要的特征，范围随着北移至俄罗斯北欧而向北移动。调查的对象是沃洛格达州的纯种欧洲野牛。确定了在新的栖息地条件下对蠕虫的高水平抵抗力，灵活性和适应性，以及在欧洲野牛中获得了必需的表型性状。自由放养的野牛的活重，肩高，前肢的蹄角宽度和后肢的蹄角宽度分别为900公斤，180厘米，100毫米和80毫米。前额的生皮厚度为13毫米。颈部和颈背的皮革厚度各为9毫米。meta骨，骨，腕骨和掌骨区域每个厚度为7毫米。腹部和动物侧面的皮厚度为6毫米。因此，欧洲野牛皮的部分比大牛厚2–4毫米。另外，丰富的瘤胃微生物群是欧洲野牛的典型特征，因为与农场动物相比，野牛消耗的饲料种类更多。在沃洛格达州，野牛消耗100多种植物。全年使用木质茎秆饲料。在夏季和冬季，它分别占配给量的5％和70％。天然饮食中干物质的消化率占53-67.5％。植物纤维的消化率达到69％。欧洲野牛的肉蛋白含量比中脂肪牛肉的同类产品高两倍。欧洲野牛肉每千克包含183.8–195.3 g氨基酸，包括193.9–117.3 g必需氨基酸，因为肌肉组织中胶原蛋白和弹性蛋白的含量较低。作为有蹄类动物的代表，欧洲野牛的基因库对改善现有的牛品种具有潜在的未来影响。引入物种时应假定将欧洲野牛分配给某个地方的草食性有蹄类动物群落和整个生物群落。在沃洛格达州拥有丰富天然饲料资源的自由放养的欧洲野牛栖息地的区域被认为是合理的，并且有望增加受保护物种的种群数量。