Evaluation of reproductive performance in camels

Bc. Hana Čelakovská

Diplomová práce

Abstract:

This study describes the evaluation of reproductive performance of camels in the zoological gardens. Camels play an important role in everyday life of people from Africa and Asia, however the biggest problem in management is low reproductive performance. Even in good management in the zoological garden the reproduction is limited by late age of puberty, long lasting gestation period and other environmental factors.The aim of the thesis was to analyze the low reproductive performance in camels (Camelus sp.) kept under different breeding systems and managements by literature review and by data analysis of animal records. The data were collected in the zoological gardens in Prague, Brno, Ostrava, Ústí nad Labem, Liberec and Plzeň. The total number of 288 animals was included in the statistical assessment.Based on our results, most of the calves were born in spring season (75.89%). The highest number of dead calves was in the first month of its age (20.16%). The mean lifespan in camels was 13.83 (± 1.32) years, the oldest she-camel was Zulejka (29 years) from Liberec zoo. The percentage of female calves born in zoo was slightly higher (51.11%) than the percentage of male calves (48.59%). Based on our results, the highest mean age in leaving was in Brno 21.65 (± 5.44) months and in Ostrava 19.85 (± 3.35). Calves were moved to another zoological garden or private farm.Finally, the mean calving interval for all zoological gardens was 25.22 (± 1.44) months. Generally, the calving interval was approximately same, except for Ostrava zoo where the mean calving interval was 49.07 (± 15.3) months. Study concludes that calving interval cannot be reduce up to 18 months and the Trivers-Willard hypothesis was not proved.

Keywords

camelus, calving interval, herd management, sex ratio, zoological garden

Jazyk práce: angličtina

Datum vytvoření / odevzdání či podání práce: 27. 4. 2018

Obhajoba závěrečné práce

• Vedoucí: Ing. Tamara Fedorova, Ph.D.

Česká zemědělská univerzita v Praze

Fakulta tropického zemědělství

Magisterský studijní program / obor:
Tropické zemědělství / Animal and Food Sciences in Tropics and Subtropics