Despite the importance of rearing wild lagomorphs in captivity for hunting and predator conservation in Spain, little is known about this production sector. Taking official data into account, in this work the number and distribution of farms in Spain and the possible number of animals produced were analysed during the period 2005-2010. In 2010, 114 wild rabbit farms were widely distributed throughout the country (especially Cataluña, Galicia, Andalucía and Castilla La Mancha regions), while 21 hare farms were registered, the majority in Extremadura, Castilla La Mancha and Andalucía. A possible production figure of 225 000-265 000 rabbits and 1 034 hares was estimated in 2010. Game farms of wild lagomorphs are established in Spain and placement would be related to a high demand for hunting and predator conservation in certain regions. Although more research is needed, the number of animals produced would be an important part of the total animals released to the wild.

This paper studies the visits of wild fauna, the influence of vegetal cover and fencing at water site election, and consumption tendency in water troughs designed for small game species distributed in an agricultural Mediterranean area during the summers from 2002 to 2005. Red-legged partridges (Alectoris rufa), lagomorphs (Oryctolagus cuniculus, Lepus granatensis), and other autochthonous species (birds and wild canids) visited water sources throughout the study. The number of visits by target species was higher than nongame. Lagomorphs preferred protected troughs (with surrounding vegetal cover) while partridges opted for open ones (without cover). Fencing had no effect on the visits of birds and lagomorphs, but it did reduce the visits of wild canids. Harsh climatic conditions determined an increase in water consumption in summer. Before designing a water trough device for this fauna, managers should consider that (1) target and non-target species could try to make use of it, (2) water points should be adapted to target species self protection, (3) fencing can prevent undesirable visitors (particularly predators), and (4) water requirements increase in the harsh moments of the dry season.

The activity of 2 populations of wild rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus, L. 1758), consisting of 14 adults (>9 mo of age) each (4 males and 10 females), was analysed over 2 consecutive years. Rabbits were captured in the wild and kept in 2 separate enclosures of 0.5 ha, with each enclosure divided into 2 zones: a smaller area where warrens were located (breeding area) and a larger area where food and water were provided (feeding area). Seven rabbits in each enclosure were individually tagged with a microchip (2 males and 5 females) and, after installing 2 detection devices, it was possible to identify which of the 2 areas they were located in and record the length of time spent in each. To regulate the size of the breeding population, young rabbits produced in the enclosures were captured and removed regularly. Considering the number of movements between areas and the time spent in the feeding area, a circadian activity pattern was found, reporting 2 maximum activity peaks coinciding with twilight (18.35% of the total movements, 6-8 a.m.) and daybreak (22.95%, 7-10 p.m.) while activity was dramatically decreased during the midday hours (1.86%, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.). Rabbits displayed a seasonal pattern throughout the year, with maximum activity levels during winter (45.76% of the total movements, January-March) and spring (42.91%, April-June), which could be related to higher reproductive activity at this time of the year as a higher breeding output was reported in June and September. The levels of activity exhibited by males (13.44% daily activity rate) were significantly higher than those displayed by females (9.80%). No significant differences were found regarding time spent on the feeding area in relation to season or gender. The average duration of each foray to the feeding area was higher during the summer, higher for females than males and higher during the middle of the night than the rest of the day.

ResumenEn los últimos años, el comportamiento del ganado vacuno en pastoreo ha sido poco estudiado, en comparación con el comportamiento en granja. Además, en determinadas razas criadas en sistemas extensivos, la presencia humana puede modificar o interrumpir sus pautas etológicas: los animales se alejan de quien los observa. El uso de la tecnología GPS-GPRS en la monitorización de bovinos explotados en régimen extensivo nos permite disponer de datos de interés en tiempo real; proporciona información sobre desplazamientos, distancias recorridas, territorio pastoreado, zonas más frecuentadas, pautas de comportamiento, etc. En esta investigación, se monitorizaron, mediante la implantación de collares GPS, 21 vacas de diferentes edades, de tres ganaderías de la provincia de Salamanca pertenecientes a la raza bovina lidia. El estudio se llevó a cabo durante ocho meses, distribuimos a los animales en cercados de diferentes dimensiones y características orográficas, y recogimos datos de su posición geográfica cada 15 minutos. Además de corroborar el buen funcionamiento de los dispositivos GPS, se estableció el área de campeo para cada animal: la media fue de 56 ha. Elaboramos un gráfico de su ritmo circadiano con las distancias recorridas por horas, donde se observa una tendencia a iniciar la actividad diaria unas horas antes del amanecer, atenuar su actividad al anochecer y durante la noche, así como mantener una fase de reposo nocturno de aproximadamente siete horas. También analizamos la distancia diaria recorrida (3.15 km media/animal), donde encontramos diferencias sustanciales en función de la edad, la superficie/animal disponible en el cercado, el día y la noche, y la época del año. Nuestros resultados son valiosos para un mejor manejo de las superficies pastables con cercados en los que los animales utilicen toda la superficie disponible.Palabras clave: GPS, GPRS, distribución espacial, pastoreo, sistemas extensivos, percepción remota, telemetría, ámbito hogareño.Monitorización del ganado lidia con tecnología GPS-GPRS; estudio del comportamiento en pastoreo y la distribución espacial