THE USE OF TELEMETRY TO FOLLOW THE MIGRATION OF POLISH KONIK HORSE HERD

Mirosław Smugała, Ryszard Pikuła
Department of Horse Breeding, West Pomeranian University of Technology Szczecin, Poland

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to analyse the migration of Polish Konik horse herd in forest and meadow areas. Using GPS signals and an economic forest map, duration of stay of the horse herd in specific biotopes was calculated. Major reason for migration has been demonstrated to be fodder availability, variety and attractiveness. It was observed that duration of stay of the Polish Konik horse herd in a specific biotope has been affected to a greater extent by time of day than weather.

Key words: horses, migration, telemetry, reserve breeding, Polish Konik horses.

INTRODUCTION

Owing to habitat loss and fragmentation, large mammal populations all over the world are becoming increasingly small and isolated [20].

Polish Koniks are considered to be the only fully native breed of horses which is being managed under two management systems. The first system, traditional, is connected with the breeding of Polish Konik horses is stables, while the second one consists in their raising under conditions being most similar to the natural ones, i.e. so called reserve breeding system. This is connected with the theory of Prof. Tadeusz Vetulani who was of the opinion that from among the Tarpans living in the steppes of Eastern Europe a forest variety had isolated, being called Equus cab. gmelini Ant., forma silvatica Vet. [22, 23]. Primitive features of Polish Konik horses allowing them to be bred under difficult conditions of natural environment caused this system of raising to be even recommended within the framework of the Programme of Conservation Breeding for Polish Konik horses [15] as an element of natural selection, which in turn made the use of these horses to preserve biodiversity of biotopes, from forest to grassland ones, possible. A number of so called Polish Konik horse refuges has come into being where they take part in so called active nature conservation as “living mowers”. Furthermore, there is a possibility that their natural behaviour being inherited from ancestors, which occurs in them voluntarily or instinctively as a horse action pattern, will manifest under reserve breeding conditions [21]. Animals inherit part of their behaviours but another part is being gained by learning [5]. The behaviour of free-living animals is closely connected with their mode of life but specific species and breeds have a behavioural pattern owing to which we can distinguish behaviours being typical for them [7, 12, 14]. Time budget studies can provide information on whether organisms are coping with changes [4]. Boyd [2, 3] observed the 24-h time budget of a takh harem stallion_Equus ferus przewalskii  pre- and post-reintroduction and stated not significant differences. These time budgets provide evidence of successful acclimatisation to the wild.

One of the “youngest” natural breeding centres in Poland is a reserve breeding refuge of Polish Konik horses in the Kliniska Forest District near Szczecin [17].

The aim of this study was to analyse the migration of Polish Konik horse herd in forest and meadow areas taking into account the duration of stay of the horse herd under specific environmental conditions.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The study was carried out in November and December 2010 and May and June 2011 in a Polish Konik horse herd being kept within a 700 hectare “Corral” in the Kliniska Forest District in the Western Pomeranian Province. Initially, the horse herd numbered 8 Polish Koniks (herd stallion, gelding and 6 mares, approximately 5 years old each) but 5 foals emerged in it in March and April 2011 When observing the migration of Polish Konik horse herd, a Platform Transmitter Terminal device was used (PTT transmitter was hanged on a gelding’s collar ), satellite maps with ECOTONE software and economic forest maps of the Kliniska Forest District.

The area of the  “Corral” was divided into the following biotopes:

• Forest tracks, forest clearings, hunting plots
• Ina River meadows (70 ha)
• Forest plantations, up to 10 years old (non-fenced)
• Coppice, 11-20 years old
• Old-growth forest, more than 20 years old (fresh coniferous forest)

The data were compared and analysed according to the month of observation, time of day (from 6⁰⁰ to 12⁰⁰, from 12⁰⁰ to 18⁰⁰, from 18⁰⁰ to 24⁰⁰ and from 24⁰⁰ to 6⁰⁰) and biotope.

Weather conditions were as follows:

• November – cold, temperature from 3°C to 8°C, rainy days prevailed, without snowfall, meadows flooded by the Ina River;
• December – frosty, snowfall, snow cover at the end of month approximately 15–20 cm thick, meadows icebound (different thickness ice);
• May – warm but not hot, prevalence of sunny days without precipitation;
• June – cooler than May, cloudy days with small rainfall.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Observations show different migration activity of the Polish Konik horse herd. The herd was able to move around the same areas for a longer time to suddenly penetrate another part of the “Corral” for a couple of days. To confirm this fact, two maps are presented below.

Based on the present study and earlier several-year-long field observations [17], no greater effect of weather conditions on horse migration was seen. The horse were able to stay in meadows even during a heat wave or rain. A significant factor (but not the only one) inducing the migration of this horse herd seems to be availability of the feeding base. In winter, ice-bound meadows were not attractive for horses as a source of fodder. However, when the ice cover just disappeared in spring (end of March and April), the horse herd was able to stay in the flooded areas for days, pulling out young reed shoots from under the water. Many authors [1, 8, 13] in their studies on the migration of cervids and European bison emphasise that direction of herbivore displacement, its rate, and feeding time in given biotopes depend primarily on fodder preferences, diversity of plant species and their quality and first and foremost on fodder availability.

Sablik et al. [16] in their study on the behaviour of domesticated herbivores (cattle and horses) stated that their keeping under conditions being similar to the natural ones induces a change in the herd behaviour and favours the occurrence of behaviours being typical for their free-living ancestors, like coming up clearly marked hierarchy [9, 24] or  manifesting atavistic behaviours, like for instance ability of animals to search for herbs and medicinal plants when they are sick [18]. Furthermore, Sablik et al. [16] demonstrated a replicating pattern of daily behaviour in the herds of cold-blooded horses and cattle being observed. This may result from the fact that these animals stayed only in grassland areas. No biotope differentiation and thereby low fodder diversity could affect the stereotypicality of their behaviours as opposed to the Polish Koniks from the “Corral” in Kliniska.

Table 1 presents summarisation of the duration of stay of the Polish Konik horse herd in the ecosystems under analysis in respective months of observations.

The above table shows that the horse herd clearly preferred staying in forest plantations and old-growth forests in November, whereas duration of their stay is specific biotopes in December levelled out. This was related to the fact that November had been a rainy month then, with temperatures above zero, whereas the whole December had been frosty, with thick snow cover. In consequence, the horses had a difficult access to the feeding base in December and were forced to increase their migration in search for fodder. In May, the animals clearly preferred the grassland ecosystem (appearance of young, sweet sprouts of common reed Phragmites australis) but in June the duration of their stay in grassland shortened, while became longer in old-growth forest. This was related to the behaviour of foals which needed more diversified diet for the growth and development of young organisms and this they could find in these forest stands. Apart from wavy hair-grass Deschampsia flexuosa, purple moor grass Molinia caerulea and chee reed grass Calamagrostis epigeios being browsed by adult horses, the foals intensively fed on young, this year’s shoots of European spruce Picea abies, ferns] Polypodiopsida, leaves of bird cherry Padus avium, lichens Lichenes, mosses Bryophyta, heathers Calluna, tree bark, rotten tree branches and stumps, etc.

Table 2 presents summarisation of the duration of stay of the Polish Konik horse herd in respective months and ecosystems according to time of day.

When analysing Table 2, it is possible to state that the horses clearly avoided coppices (so called pole woods) in the whole study period and at every time of day. This environment is poor in undergrowth and underbrush. Furthermore, tree stand density is large and impedes the horse movement faster than walk.

In winter months, the horses prefer forest plantations, which can be an unfavourable phenomenon due to a possibility of causing considerable forest damages in this environment, as it is being done by cervids [19].

Having regard to the time of day, a tendency to stay in environments being abundant in fodder (meadows and old-growth forest) from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., particularly in late spring months, can be observed among the horses.

At night-time, the horse herd stayed mot frequently in a mature tree stand (old-growth forest) in all months being analysed, avoiding the open space (Ina River meadows).

Jaworski [9, 10, 11] noticed, when observing Polish Koniks from reserve breeding in Popielno, that they finished their morning grazing between 700 and 800, depending on currently prevailing atmospheric conditions, whereas they started their evening grazing between 1800 a 1900. They chose a fresh mixed coniferous forest, a pine forest or, more rarely, a spruce forest as a place to stop. Furthermore, this author noticed that Polish Koniks increased the grazing intensity in the evening, at night-time and in early morning hours during summer heat waves. Feh et al. [6] observed Gobi khulan Equus hemionus subsp. They stated that Khulan form year-round stable, non-territorial families. These families and all-male groups join together into ‘‘bands’’ in winter.

RECAPITULATION

The study and observations being carried out show that migration of the Polish Konik horse herd within forest and meadow areas depended mainly on the feeding base, its diversity, tastiness and availability but frequently had a spontaneous,  non-stereotyped character, with different degree of the motor activity. In winter, with fodder shortage, the horse herd increased its migration rate in search for it, spending more or less the same amount of time in respective biotopes.

The second factor determining the movement of the horse herd was time of day. At night-time, the horse herd stayed primarily in mature tree stands (old-growth forest), whereas chose the open space during the day, irrespective of weather.

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Accepted for print: 10.12.2013

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