Nutritional Quality and Quantity of Available Forages Relative to Demand: A Case Study of the Goitered Gazelles of the Golestan National Park, Iran

Elham Bagheri Rad, Mansour Mesdaghi, Norhayati Ahmad, Maimon Abdullah

Abstract


On the Ground
• Information on seasonal trends in quantity and quality
of available forage for the goitered gazelle may be
useful to wildlife managers in developing management
practices to maintain healthy populations and reduce
the consumption of toxic plants by protected wildlife.
• Goitered gazelles in Golestan National Park in Iran
relied on a variety of grasses, shrubs, and forbs, to
meet their nutrituional needs across seasons.
• Increased knowledge of the goitered gazelles diet is
expected to assist wildlife managers in determining
carrying capacity and assessing viable habitats for
future reintroduction programmes, including overall
successful management within the protected areas
of Iran.

Keywords: crude protein, metabolizable energy,
mineral concentration, goitered gazelle, nutritional
demand, Golestan National Park.


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