title: Effects of the feeding of wild Yeso sika deer (Cervus nippon yesoensis) on the prevention of damage due to bark stripping and the use of feeding sites.
abstract: Feeding sites for wild Yeso sika deer around Lake Akan, Japan, were established. Effects on the number of deer using the feeding sites, the prevention of bark stripping damage, the amount of feeding, and eating time in a 5-year period (1999-2003) were evaluated. The number of deer using feeding sites increased with years during the feeding period. The damaged tree ratio after the initiation of feeding markedly decreased compared with 16.5% before the initiation of feeding. After the start of feeding, there were no trees with damage the entire circumference. According to tree species, the number of damaged trees of Ulmus laciniata Mayr as a percentage of all investigated trees was high (5.2%). The total amount of beet pulp feeding increased with the feeding year, showing 4.5-fold increase. At feeding sites in deer culling, eating behavior was observed during the night. The preventive effects on bark stripping damage continued during the 5-year feeding period. However, with the course of feeding years, the number of deer using feeding sites and the level of feeding increased.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Bioindustry, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Abashiri, Hokkaido and Setagaya, Tokyo Maeda Ippoen Foundation, Kushiro, Hokkaido, Japan. t-masuko@bioindustry.nodai.ac.jp
authors.forename: Takayoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Masuko
authors.forename: Kousaku
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Souma
authors.forename: Hirofumi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kudo
authors.forename: Yukari
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takasaki
authors.forename: Emi
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fukui
authors.forename: Reiko
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kitazawa
authors.forename: Rikihiro
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nishida
authors.forename: Toshimitsu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Niida
authors.forename: Teiji
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Akio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nibe
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003670:Deer / Q000502:physiology*; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D007564:Japan; D014197:Trees