Ecology, Conservation and Management of Wild Pigs and Peccaries - edited by Mario Melletti November 2017

Infectious diseases in captive pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) are well known, but there is a lack of knowledge about occurrence and distribution of pathogens in free-ranging pheasants in Germany. We investigated 604 sera from hunted pheasants and 152 sera from wild caught pheasants between 2011 to 2015, with the aim to determine the prevalence of specific antibodies against different viruses: Avian influenza virus (AIV) of subtypes H5, H7, H9, paramyxovirus type 1 (PMV-1), avian encephalomyelitis virus (AEV), infectious bursitis disease virus (IBDV), infectious bronchitis virus (IBV), infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV), avian metapneumovirus (aMPV) and Salmonella sp., Mycoplasma synoviae (MS) and Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG). In addition, 178 caeca were investigated for Histomonas meleagridis. The study reveals an ongoing circulation of IBV in the wild pheasant population during the study. Also high seroprevalences of specific antibodies against aMPV depending on the area and a strong increase in prevalence of IBDV antibodies in sera of pheasants in Lower Saxony were detected. ILTV antibody prevalences differed between areas and AEV antibody detection differed between years significantly, whereas specific antibodies against PMV-1 could not be detected and antibodies against AIV-H5, -H7 and -H9 and Mycoplasma spp. were detected in very few cases.

As one of the most abundant game species in Europe, European wild boar (Sus scrofa) populations prove highly adaptable to cultivated landscapes. The ongoing process of climate change and the high agricultural yields seem to further optimize the living conditions for this species. In long-term reproduction monitoring, we collected data on the body weight of wild boar females. Over an 18-year period, the body weight of wild boar females increased continuously, then stopped and decreased. It was possible to detect differences between the body weights of animals from forest and agricultural areas. For these areas, differences in body weight development also led to a significant distinction in the onset of puberty. We conclude that, even in a highly cultivated landscape, forested areas provide habitat characteristics that may strongly influence reproduction. Second, with dominant agricultural areas in Germany, wild boar reproduction has been favored in recent decades.