Eine bedeutende Salzquelle in Karapınar Konya – Meke Gölü (Meke Maar) und ein Gleichsetzungsvorschlag für liki „Salzlecke“ im Staatsvertrag des Kuruntija und Tutḫalija IV.

A systematic archaeological survey in the Southeast provinces of Konya has started to reveal the settlement pattern of the Bronze and Iron Ages in this region, which sheds light on the geo-environment, economy, road networks, interactions and cultures. This paper will specifically deal with the region of and around Meke Gölü and Karacadağ, located in Karapınar – Konya, and discuss the surveyed settlements and possible implications of the economy with salt trade as one of the main trade commodities. In this context the salt source of the saline lake Meke Gölü (Lake Meke), which is located south of Karacadağ, its significance and usage of salt will be explored. Finally, the equation of Meke Gölü with the liki (salt-lick) mentioned in the frontier description in the treaty between the Great Kings Kuruntija and Tutḫalija IV on the well-known Bronze Tablet discovered in Boğazköy – Ḫattuša, the capital of the Hittite Empire, will be suggested and debated.

Impact of natural salt lick on the home range of Panthera tigris at the Royal Belum Rainforest, Malaysia

Natural salt lick (sira) is a strategic localisation for ecological wildlife assemblage to exhibit geophagy which may act as a population dynamic buffer of prey and predators. Undoubtedly, many agree that geophagy at natural licks is linked to nutritional ecology, health and assembly places facilitating social interaction of its users. Overall, natural salt licks not only save energy of obtaining nutrient leading to health maintenance but also forms the basis of population persistence. The Royal Belum Rainforest, Malaysia (Royal Belum) is a typical tropical rainforest in Malaysia rich in wildlife which are mainly concentrated around the natural salt lick. Since this is one of the most stable fauna ecology forest in Malaysia, it is timely to assess its impact on the Malayan tiger (Panthera tigris) home range dynamics. The three-potential home ranges of the Malayan tiger in this rainforest were selected based on animal trails or foot prints surrounding the salt lick viz (e.g. Sira Kuak and Sira Batu; Sira Rambai and Sira Buluh and Sira Papan) as well as previous sightings of a Malayan tiger in the area, whose movement is dependent on the density and distribution of prey. Camera traps were placed at potential animal trails surrounding the salt lick to capture any encountered wildlife species within the area of the camera placements. Results showed that all home ranges of Malayan tiger were of no significance for large bodied prey availability such as sambar deer (Rusa unicolor), and smaller prey such as muntjacs (Muntiacus muntjac) and wild boar (Sus scrofa). Interestingly, all home range harbour the Malayan tiger as the only sole predator. The non-significance of prey availability at each home range is attributed to the decline of the Malayan tiger in the rainforest since tigers are dependant on the movement of its preferred prey surrounding natural salt licks. Thus, the information from this study offers fundamental knowledge on the importance of prey-predator interaction at salt lick which will help in designing strategy in rewilding or rehabilitation programs of the Malayan tiger at the Royal Belum Rainforest.

Livestock production pattern of agropastoralists in peri-urban centres of south-west Nigeria

The remarkable reduction of tsetse fly and its vector disease trypanosomosis in the South West zone of Nigeria has led to the development of agropastoralism in the zone. This study was carried out by administration of structured questionnaires to farmers in three towns (Oyo, Ogbomosho and Saki) in order to highlight some of the factors influencing production in the area. It was found that in all the three towns animals were maintained on free range grazing, browsing and offer of crop residues. The most favoured breed kept is the Bunaji and Ogbomoso had the highest concentration (52.16%) of this breed. Labour allocation among agropastoralists was based on sex. Diarrhoea was the prevalent disease among the adult animals in wet and dry seasons while sand eating was common among the calves. In all the centres, cattle constituted the major ruminant in stock(77%) while sheep and goats accounted for 15% and 8% respectively. A preponderance of female cattle over the male for all the breeds was recorded in all the towns, But Saki had the highest number of cattle in stock and Ovo the lowest. Feed supplements offered all year round were salt lick and grains. Most of the agropaturalists depended on the use of local herbs and such other orthodox methods of combating diseases affecting the herd.

THE INFLUENCE OF SUPPLEMENTS OF COTTON SEED CAKE ON THE UTILIZATION OF SORGHUM GLUME BY THE GOAT

The influence of supplements of cotton seed cake (CSC)on the voluntary intake and utilization of sorghum glume (SG) by the goat was studied in a 4 x 4 Latin Square digestibility trial. The study involved a total of 12 West African dwarf goats made up of 8 dry, non-pregnant does and 4 bucks aged between 14 and 20 months with av, live weight of 13.7kg. there were diets in all made up of 3 experimental diets in which cotton seed cake replaced, in each case, 25, 50 and 75% of the sorghum glume. The control diet was the unsupplemented sorghum glume. The goats were fed dry matter at 4% of body weight and water and mineral salt lick were provided ad-libitum. The dry matter intake (DMI) increased (P < 0.05) with CSC supplementation but the DMI value between 50 and 75% CSC levels were comparable (P > 0.05). Weight gains in all treatments were positive being highest (63.34±12.7 g/d) with the 50% CSC supplementation of the sorghum glume and lowest (11.67 ± 12.7 g/d) with the (control) unsupplemented sorghum glume. Increase in the oil seed cake supplementation of the sorghum glume resulted in increase (P < 0.05) in nitrogen intake across the treatment. Increase in the feed digestibility, nitrogen retention, digested feed energy and organic matter were significant (P < 0.05) up to 50% cotton seed supplementation of the sorghum glume. The performances of the goats on the 50% CSC and 75% CSC supplementation of sorghum glume are comparable (P < 0.05) in respect of feed intake, nitrogen retention and nutrients digestibilites. A juidicious use of the protein concentrate for optimum feed intake and feed utilization makes the 50% CSC supplementation more desireable. A 50% cotton seed cake supplementation of the sorghum glume is recommended as suitable in the dry season feeding of the goat

Physical factors at salt licks influenced the frequency of wildlife visitation in the Malaysian tropical rainforest

Mineral reservoirs or salt licks are commonly used by wildlife to regulate the concentration of salt and minerals in their bodies. Salt lick utilisation is known to be influenced by the chemical composition, but information on their physical properties, particularly vegetation surrounding the salt licks is scarce. In this study, physical factors and wildlife utilisation at two natural salt licks (SPU and SPS) located in Perak, Malaysia, were determined. Wildlife visitation data were retrieved from camera traps. SPU exhibits two reservoirs represented by rocky and clay substrate, with minimally dense vegetation dominated by hardwood species and climbers. SPS encompasses muddy topsoil, open canopy cover, with highly dense forest floor vegetation. The wildlife survey shows a higher frequency of visitation in SPS, especially by ungulates, potentially due to dense understorey foliage that provides foraging sites for these animals. SPU exhibits more diverse but less frequent wildlife species, particularly primates, carnivores, and avian groups. High emergence and closed canopy cover at this lick serve as perching sites for primates and birds, while less dense understory vegetation could aid in prey detection among carnivore. Regardless of their physical assemblages, salt licks are an essential local hotspot for wildlife, therefore, elucidating the need to prioritise conservation areas by maximising the complementarities of salt licks.

SHORT-TERM MEASURES TO AVOID RETALIATORY KILLING OF A TAPIR (Tapirus bairdii ) DURING A CASE OF HUMAN CONFLICT AT LA AMISTAD BIOSPHERE RESERVE, COSTA RICA

The increase in human tapir conflict and lack of management options is worrying and has been identified as a research priority in previous conservation planning reviews for the group. Crop-raiding by Baird’s tapir was reported on a private farm within the La Amistad Biosphere Reserve, Costa Rica. We conducted an open interview with the owner and baited the tapir out of the damaged area using an artificial salt-lick. The measures taken (quick response, assistance on alternative solutions, and the decision to use of salt-licks) were successful short-term measures to avoid lethal retaliatory control of tapirs.Key words: conservation, crop-raiding, hunting, interview, salt-lick, tapir.ResumenEl aumento en los conflictos humano-tapir y la falta de opciones de manejo es preocupante, por lo que han sido identificados como una prioridad de investigación en revisiones previas de planeación para la conservación del grupo. En una finca privada ubicada dentro de la Reserva de la Biósfera La Amistad, Costa Rica, se reportó el daño a cultivos de un tapir centroamericano. Se realizó una entrevista abierta con el propietario y se atrajo al tapir fuera del área afectada usando un saladero artificial. Las medidas a corto plazo tomadas (respuesta rápida, asistencia en soluciones alternativas y la decisión del uso de saladeros) al parecer fueron exitosas para evitar el control letal retaliativo de tapires.Palabras clave: asalto de cultivos, cacería, conservación, entrevistas, saladeros, tapir.

Estimation of technical efficiency of cattle feedlot system in Adamawa State, Nigeria: Comparison among estimators

This study adopts an output oriented Shephard Distance Function (SDF) to estimate Technical Efficiency (TE) in cattle feedlot under five distinct estimators (Data Envelopment Analysis /DEA/, Free Disposal Hull /FDH/, Order-m, Order-α and Bootstrap). The aim is to rank the efficiency estimates based on descending order of the TE estimates from the five estimators and test the hypotheses of mean difference across the estimators. In addition, the independent variables used in the feedlot system were also ranked based on magnitude to total cost. Results show initial cost of animal, feed cost, water cost, labour cost, depreciation, medicaments and cost of salt lick are ranked 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th, respectively, in terms of proportion to total cost. The study found a combination of inappropriate scale of production and managerial problems as the causes of inefficiency in the cattle feedlot. The study advocates for proper pricing of inputs, commensurate and timely utilization of inputs to avert input waste. Similarly, the study recommends up-scaling (178 cattle feedlot) and down-scaling (92 cattle feedlot) the cattle feedlot production owing to their operation at increasing and decreasing returns to scale, respectively, to attain enhanced efficiency.