Assesment of tree fodder preference, intake and digestibility by white tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus yucatanensis)

Extract

White tailed deer is distributed along America. In Yucatán, México, the sub specie O. virginianus yucatanenses was been hunted for food, leather and ritual purposes in prehispanic times. The yucatecan native white tailed deer (O. virginianus yucatanensis ) is considered an endangered sub specie due to severe hunting practices. The establishment of farms (governmentally approved) has been encouraged in recent years in order to alleviate the pressure upon its numbers in the wild. However, most of the incipient farms are been set without adequate knowledge of deer biology. In order to establish proper management practices it is necessary to gather information of deer biology including the forage feed preference, intake and digestibility. Thus, the objective of the present work was to evaluate white tailed deer preference, intake and digestibility of four forage trees.