The Biology and Management of Capricorn is and Related Mountain Antelopes

A skelch of a Japallese serow drawlI by Ms Masako Takasaki

Capricorn is and its related species include the mountain ungulates such as chamois, Rocky mountain goats, saigas, Mongolian gazelles, gorals, Japanese serows, Formosan serows and Sumatran serows. This book presents over thirty selected papers from a major international conference on these groups held in Japan in May 1986, with contributors from Europe, North America and Asia. It is one of the first books specifically to focus on these animals. Topics covered include distribution and breeding, behaviour, ecology and reproduction, pathology and veterinary aspects, and conservation of endangered species. The book is likely to interest zoologists, veterinarians and animal conservationists concerned with these groups of mammals. A Japanese serow standing by Mt Gozaisho

Photograph taken by Japanese Serow Center The Biology and Management of Capricornis and Related Mountain Antelopes c

Edited by Hiroaki Soma

CROOM HELM London· New York· Sydney © 1987 Hiroaki Soma Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1987 Croom Helm Ltd, Provident House, Burrell Row, Beckenham, Kent BR3 lAT Croom Helm Australia, 44-50 Waterloo Road, North Ryde, 2113, New South Wales

Published in the USA by Croom Helm in association with Methuen, Inc. 29 West 35th Street New York, NY 10001

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data The biology and management of Capricornis and related mountain antelopes. 1. Japanese serow - Ecology 1. Soma, H. 599.73'58 QL737.U53 ISBN 978-94-011-8032-0 ISBN 978-94-011-8030-6 (eBook) DOl 10.1007/978-94-011-8030-6

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data ISBN 978-94-011-8032-0

Typeset in Times Roman by Leaper & Gard Ltd, Bristol, England

BiddIes Ltd, Guildford and King's Lynn Contents

Acknowledgements IX Preface xi

Part One: Evolution and Breeding History of the Rupicaprini 1 On the evolution of the Caprinae Valerius Geist 3 2 The saiga (Saiga tatarica) in captivity, with special reference to the Zoological Society of San Diego James M. Dolan Jr 41 3 Evolutionary aspects of the biology of chamois, Rupicapra spp. (Bovidae, Caprinae) Sandro Lovari 51 4 Evolutionary pathways of karyotypes of the tribe Rupicaprini Hiroaki Soma, Hidemi Kada and Kunio Matayoshi 62

Part Two: Ecological Distribution and Behaviour of Capricornis 5 Survey of 217 Japanese serows, Capricornis crispus, bred in captivity Atsushi Komori 75 6 Distribution of Japanese serow in its southern range, Kyushu Teruo Doi, Yuiti Ono, Toshitaka Iwamoto and Toshiyuki Nakazono 93 7 Family break-up in Japanese serow, Capricornis crispus Ryosuke Kishimoto 104 8 Censusing Japanese serow by helicopter in deciduous mountain forests M anabu T. A be and Eiji K itahara 110 9 Radio tracking of Japanese serow in Akita Prefecture, Japan Kazuhiko Maita 119 10 A preliminary study on the ecology of Formosan serow, Capricorn is crispus swinhoei Kuang Yang Lue 125 11 Social behaviour of Japanese serow, Capricorn is crispus crispus Mitsuko Masui 134

Part Three: Keeping and Breeding of Capricornis 12 Breeding of Sumatran serow at Dusit Zoo Chira Mer::kvichai andAlongkorn Mahannop 147 13 Breeding and behaviour of Formosan serow at Taipei Zoo Chen Pao-Chung 154 v 14 Behaviour of the Japanese serow ( Capricorn is crispus) at the San Diego Wild Animal Park Judith K. Berg 165

Part Four: Ecology and Breeding of the Rupicaprini 15 Keeping and breeding of chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra rupicapra Linne 1758) at the Alpine Zoo, Innsbruck/Tirol Helmut Pechlaner 185 16 Experiences of keeping and breeding saiga antelope at Tierpark, Berlin Claus Pohle 191 17 Breeding of Mongolian gazelle at Osaka Zoo Minoru Miyashita 205 18 Nemorhaedus cranbrooki Hayman Cizu Zhang 213 19 Breeding of goral, Formosan serow and chamois Takeyoshi Ito 221

Part Five: Anatomy of Capricornis 20 Morphological characteristics of Japanese serow, with special reference to the interdigital glands Makoto Sugimura, Yoshitaka Suzuki, Yasuro Atoji, Toshiko Hanawa and Koji Hanai 227 21 Histology and lipid analysis of the infraorbital gland of Japanese serow, and functional considerations Y61sushi Yokohata, Shuhei Kodera, Harumi Yokoyama, Makoto Sugimura, Yoshitaka Suzuki, Takao Nakamura and YasuroAtoji 243 22 Brachial and lumbosacral plexuses and brains of the Japanese serow YasuroAtoji, Yoshitaka Suzuki and Makoto Sugimura 257 23 What can serow horns tell us? Shingo Miura 269

Part Six: Diseases of the Rupicaprini 24 Clostridial infections in chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra) in captivity H. Wiesner 279 25 Pathological studies on Japanese serow (Capricornis crispus) Yoshitaka Suzuki, Makoto Sugimura and YasuroAtoji 283 26 Serological survey for selected microbial pathogens in Japanese serow (Capricornis crispus) in Gifu Prefecture, Japan Toshio Kinjo and Nobuyuki Minamoto 299

VI 27 Haematological and biochemical findings on Japanese serow Hiroshi Hori and Hiroshi Takeuchi 312

Part Seven: Endocrinology and Reproduction of Capricornis 28 Reproduction of female Japanese serow based on the morphology of ovaries and fetuses Isao Kita, Makoto Sugimura, Yoshitaka Suzuki, Toshiro Tiba and Shingo Miura 321 29 Seasonal changes in male reproductive functions of Japanese serow Toshiro Tiba, Mikio Sato, Tadahiro Hirano, Isao Kita, Makoto Sugimura and Yoshitaka Suzuki 332 30 Steroid hormone synthesis and secretion by adrenals of wild Japanese serow, Capricorn is crispus Takao Nakamura, Yoshitaka Suzuki and Makoto Sugimura 339

Part Eight: Nutritional Status of Capricornis 31 The quantity of food taken by raised Japanese serow &~~~ 3~ 32 Nutritional estimation of Japanese serow by faecal analysis Yuriko Hazumi, Naoki Maruyama and Keiko Ozawa 355 33 Heavy metal accumulation in wild Japanese serow Katsuhisa Honda, Ryo Tatsukawa and Shingo Miura 365

Index 388

vii Acknowledgements

I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to all contributors in the plan• ning of this book. In particular, I wish to thank the people of Komono-cho, workers at the Japan Serow Center, Gozaisho Ropeway, Mie Prefecture, Mie Kotsu Co. Ltd, Kinki Nippon Railway Co. Ltd, the Japan Environ• mental Agency, the Japan Cultural Agency, the Japan Shipbuilding Indus• try Foundation, Gifu University, Kyushu University, Mie University, Tokyo Medical College, the Japan Association of Zoological Gardens & Aquariums, the Mammalogical Society of Japan, the Society of Chromo• some Research, the Genetic Society of Japan, and the Association of Museums in Mie Prefecture, for their generous support throughout the organisation of the International Symposium on Capricornis and its related species. I am also grateful to Mr T. Hardwick of Croom Helm for his help in the editing of this book.

Hiroaki Soma

IX Preface

The Japanese serow (Capricornis crispus) has been protected by law since 1955 in Japan, because it was becoming rarer and approaching extinction. Thereafter, the serow population has increased gradually. The Japanese serow is thought to be a primitive relict species on the islands of Japan, and the geographical range of the serow has retracted upwards into the moun• tain forests to avoid contact with humans. Little was therefore known about these animals. However, increasing losses of forest habitat due to exploit• ation of the mountain forests or expanding cultivation by local foresters have driven the Japanese serow back into the lowlands of Japan. Since then, complaints of damage to trees and other vegetation have accumulated against the serow. In some prefectures the shooting of Japanese serow was allowed in order to prevent damage to forests. The animals killed were taken for research by the Departments of the Environment and by universities. The Japan Serow Center was set up at the summit of Mt. Gozaisho, Komono-cho, Mie Prefecture, in 1962 and has made a great effort to breed the serow and its related species in captivity. In addition, the International Studbook of Capricorn is crispus in captivity was established in Japan, and the state of breeding of the Japanese serows is now reported annually. However, without detailed scientific research, it is impossible to conduct sensible protection, conservation or management of the serow in captivity or in the wild. Thus, the necessity for cooperative research into the unresolved problems regarding the biology and management of Capri• cornis and its related species that are also in danger of extinction has become apparent. With this in mind, the International Symposium of Capricornis and its related species was held at Komono-cho, Mie Prefecture, from 11 to 13 May 1986 with the assistance of the people of Komono-cho and the Japan Serow Center. The opening ceremony was honoured by the attendance of their Imperial Highnesses Prince and Princess Hitachi. At the symposium, the biology, ecology, anatomy, pathology, bacteriology, reproduction and genetics of serows, gorals, chamois, Rocky Mountain goats, saigas and Mongolian gazelles were discussed by distinguished investigators from Europe, North America, east Asia and Japan, and thereby good scientific cooperation between West and East for the management of wild antelopes was maintained. Accordingly, this book is based on the proceedings of the symposium held at the foot of Mt. Gozaisho. I hope that it will facilitate an understanding of the status of the serow and other related antelopes and the preservation of these animals.

Hiroaki Soma xi