Description of the mountain ram mouflon. Mouflon is an animal. Habitat and features of the mouflon Requirement for aviaries

Appearance

On average, mouflons reach a length of 130 cm. Height is 90 cm, weight is 50 kg in males and 35 kg in females.

Behavior

The place of distribution is mountainous landscapes. Females and lambs together form a herd of up to 100 individuals, while males are solitary and join the herd only during the current. Males are characterized by the presence of strong hierarchical relationships within the community.

Spreading

Currently, mouflon is common in the Armenian Highlands (for example, in the Khosrov Reserve in Armenia), in northern Iraq, and in northwestern Iran. Previously met in the Armenian Highlands, in the Crimea and the Balkans. From these areas, the mouflon has already disappeared about 3,000 years ago. There is also a mouflon in Cyprus, Corsica and Sardinia: however, it remains controversial whether these are true wild sheep or the descendants of the original domestic sheep.

Mouflons and man

Hunting for mouflons has been going on for a long time. About 10,000 years ago, man began to domesticate mouflons and the result was domestic sheep. It is believed that most likely the place of the first domestication was the Armenian Highlands. Domestic sheep appeared in Western Europe about 8000 years ago.

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See what "Mouflon" is in other dictionaries:

- (fr.). An animal from the genus of rams, found in the south of Europe. Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language. Chudinov AN, 1910. MUFLON wild sheep, on the mountains of Corsica and Sardinia. Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language. ... ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

Sheep, muflo Dictionary of Russian synonyms. mouflon noun, number of synonyms: 11 argali (5) arkar ... Synonym dictionary

MUFFLON, mouflon, husband. (French mouflon) (zool.). Wild ram. Ushakov's explanatory dictionary. D.N. Ushakov. 1935 1940 ... Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

Husband. animal stone ram, arkar, argali. Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary. IN AND. Dahl. 1863 1866 ... Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary

mouflon- a, m. mouflon m, it. mufflone. 1. Wild sheep, found on some islands in the Mediterranean. ALS 1. 2. Stupid, narrow-minded person. Sl. jarg. 1992. 3. Stubborn person. Sl. jarg. 1992. Lex. SAN 1847: muflo / n ... Historical Dictionary of Russian Gallicisms

mouflon- MUFFLE, fla, MUFLON, a, m., MUFLO, a, s. Iron. appeal; often used like a swear. Wed "Mouflon" is a type of argali (a genus of sheep); Possibility also the influence of muda, general consumption. simple. "Murlo" muzzle, face, bullshit, bullshit ... Dictionary of Russian argo

- (Ovis ammon musimon) argali subspecies; a ruminant cloven-hoofed animal of the ram genus (See Sheep) ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

- (Ovis musimon Schreb; see Sheep, pl. II. Fig. 2), muphrone (ram), mufra (sheep) wild ram, on the high mountains of Corsica and Sardinia, the only wild ram in Europe. The coat is rather short, flat-lying, elongated on the chest, the upper side ... Encyclopedic Dictionary of F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron

M. 1. The name of the year in the system of Avestan astrology and the Zoroastrian thirty-two-year calendar system, which presupposes the correspondence to each year of a sacred animal (totem), which creates an image of the best traits of human character. 2. transfer ... ... Modern explanatory dictionary of the Russian language by Efremova

Mouflon, mouflon, mouflon, mouflon, mouflon, mouflon, mouflon, mouflon, mouflon, mouflon, mouflon, mouflon (

Mouflon ... the last wild ram of Europe
29.12.2014

Mouflon (Ovis gmelini or Ovis orientalis) is a ruminant artiodactyl animal of the ram genus.

The Asian mouflon (Ovis orientalis, Ovis aries orientalis) is a mammal from the mountain sheep genus of the bovid goat family.

The Asian mouflon is taller than the European one, its height at the shoulders is up to 90 cm, the body length can reach 150 cm. The weight of the male is up to 80 kg, the female is up to 46 kg.

The Asian mouflon forms 5 subspecies and is distributed from the Transcaucasia and southern parts of Turkmenistan and Tajikistan to the Mediterranean Sea and northwestern India.

It is also found in Armenia, in the north of Iraq, in the Balkans and in the Crimea, where it was introduced in 1913.

Lives in the mountains, can rise to an altitude of about 4000 meters.
The horns of the Asian mouflon are large, spirally twisted, triangular, forming no more than one whorl. The horns are curved first outward and upward, and then downward, the ends are slightly turned inward.

The horns of males vary greatly in length and massiveness; their girth at the base is from 20 to 30 cm.

The horns of females are small, flattened, slightly curved, often completely absent.

In summer, the color of Asian mouflons is reddish-brown or yellowish-red in summer, the fur is short. In winter, the color is brownish, with poorly developed red and white tones. The belly and the inner side of the legs are lighter, with a yellowish or white color.

There is a dark stripe on the ridge, which is more pronounced in adult animals. Along the underside of the neck, Asiatic mouflons usually have a mane of black-brown and white hair. Young lambs are covered with soft brownish-gray fur.

The Asian mouflons are distributed in mountainous landscapes.

Females and lambs together form a herd of up to 100 individuals, while males are solitary and join the herd only during the rut. Males are characterized by the presence of strong hierarchical relationships within the community.

Mouflons feed on grasses, shoots and leaves of shrubs. They regularly go to watering places, and they can drink even very salty water. Starting in spring, they diligently gain weight, and in autumn and winter they lose a lot of weight.

Wild mouflons are hunted by wolves and leopards, while lambs are hunted by smaller predators such as foxes.

But the main enemy of the mouflon is the "man with the gun." This animal is not of great industrial interest, only the so-called "trophy hunters" hunt it as a "sport trophy". Large mouflon horns are an "enviable trophy" for such a "hunter".

It is very difficult to get a mouflon, because it is a very cautious animal that lives in hard-to-reach areas, and therefore "trophy hunters" use the most modern optics and long-range sniper rifles and carbines.

It is believed that the mouflon is the progenitor of all breeds of domestic sheep and was domesticated about 8 thousand years ago.

The successful acclimatization of the European mouflon is of great scientific and practical importance, since the ancestor of domestic sheep, the mouflon, easily forms crosses, hybrids with various breeds of sheep, improving their quality.

Soviet academician M.F. Ivanov, using mouflon, bred a new breed of sheep - mountain merino, which can graze on mountain pastures all year round.

Who is the mouflon? A wild animal, which is considered the oldest representative of the animal world, is called a mouflon. He is the ancestor of the domestic sheep. Outwardly similar to a ram, the main similarity lies in large rounded horns and thick wool.

Description

Mouflon is a critically endangered animal. Small wild mouflon. The height of an adult is ninety centimeters, and the length of the body is 1 meter 30 cm. Males are larger than females. The former weigh about 50 kg (also due to the heavy horns), and the latter - 30 kg. Interestingly, the age of a wild individual is determined by the ring-shaped growths on the horns. Females often have small horns. The animal's coat changes color depending on the season. In summer, it becomes red in color, in winter it is dark. The mouflon (wild ram) has an unusual structure of horns and valuable fur, therefore, in many countries where these amazing animals live, they are hunted.

Due to the fact that the number of mouflons is rapidly decreasing due to human fault, this type of sheep is listed in the Red Book. Mouflon is a rare and beautiful animal that needs protection from mass extermination. The wild oriental ram (Asian species) differs from the European one in its massive structure. These artiodactyls have a beard on their muzzles. The body length is 1 m 50 cm, the height is 95 cm, the male weighs up to 80 kg, the female - 45 kg. The male has powerful horns, strongly curled back, the sternum is white.

Mouflon is also called "the last ram of Europe", because there are few individuals left there. This animal belongs to the bovid family. The legs of the mouflons are long and thin, the head is raised up, humpbacked and proportional.

Where dwells

If you look at the photo, the mouflon looks vaguely like a ram. He lives in the highlands. There are two varieties of this breed, which differ from each other in the places of distribution: this is the wild Asian and European. The latter species lives mainly on the mountainous coast of the Mediterranean Sea (in Corsica, Cyprus, Sardinia). The European lives and breeds in Iraq and Armenia.

The artiodactyl is also found on the island of Crimea. There he lives mainly in reserves and has adapted to the local climate as much as possible. In European countries, it lives in natural conditions, but there are not so many individuals left. The Asian mouflon, in contrast to the European, has a massive body structure, the horns are more curled back. This artiodactyl lives in South Asia: Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan.

Mouflons were brought to Crimea at the beginning of the 20th century. Weather conditions and climate contributed to their acclimatization, so they successfully took root on the peninsula. Artiodactyls began to breed, but after a while poachers began to hunt them. Due to the destruction of wild sheep, only eight individuals remained in the Crimea. In order to preserve the population, in 1923 they decided to open a nature reserve. There, the animals are under constant protection, this helped to preserve and increase the number of artiodactyls.

Now there are more than thirty sheep in the reserve. All conditions for a comfortable life of mouflons have been created on the territory, because they prefer gentle mountain slopes, open spaces, mountain-steppe vegetation. These artiodactyls try to avoid very narrow gorges, steep slopes, high rocks.

European mouflon is mainly found in Spain and southern France. Loves open spaces, small mountain slopes. The European individual has a modest size, but they can jump two to three meters in height. The peculiarity of the cloven-hoofed animal is that it can live a long time without water.

What eats

The mouflon is a herbivore, grasses and grains make up the bulk of its diet. It often feeds on agricultural fields, destroying crops. Mouflons feast on sedge, leek, feather grass, berries, mushrooms, lichen, moss. In winter, animals from under the snow extract the roots of plants.

Lifestyle

Mouflon is a wild, freedom-loving animal, therefore it prefers to migrate rather than settle strictly in one area. Its main route is watering and pastures. Mouflons are predominantly nocturnal, resting during the day in forests or wide mountain gorges. Females with cubs live in a herd of up to one hundred individuals. Males prefer solitude, they can be found in the herd only during mating periods. These artiodactyls have a strict hierarchy. Young males up to three years old are not allowed by mature individuals to mate. The enemies of the mouflon include wild predators: lynx, steppe wolf and wolverine.

Reproduction

Mouflon females are capable of reproducing offspring from two years old. Pregnancy lasts five months. Most often, one or two mouflon cubs are born. On the very first day of their life, they can move freely. The birth of offspring falls in the spring months in most cases. The lifespan of this artiodactyl is about fifteen years. European mouflons reproduce well in captivity, while Asian mouflons do not.

The man is actively engaged in the selection of rams. The meat, skin and wool of this animal are highly valued. Mouflon meat tastes better than ordinary mutton. In winter, the coat of a cloven-hoofed animal becomes dense and thick. In the northern countries, fur coats are made from it. Artiodactyls are actively bred on farms, because of the valuable qualities of these animals. The Asian species does not have such a high value, its meat is less tasty and healthy.

Peculiarities

If you know the way of life of this wild ram, then you can do its acclimatization and independent breeding. Mouflons are successfully crossed with ordinary sheep. This selection makes it possible to develop a new resistant breed that produces tasty meat. For example, Academician Ivanov M.F., with the help of a mouflon, brought out a mountain merino. This is a new breed of sheep that can graze on pastures in the mountains for a whole year. To improve the quality of domestic sheep, mouflons are used for crossing and further breeding.

Sometimes a foolish person who has no opinion is called a "mouflon". In a certain context, this word sounds the most offensive. Do not use it in speech when addressing someone (even as a joke) if you are afraid of offending the person.

Kira Stoletova

Mouflon is one of the oldest representatives of the animal kingdom. These artiodactyls are considered the ancestors of the domestic sheep. Even those who have never seen a wild ram will be able to recognize it by its characteristic rounded horns.

Wild mouflons are widespread throughout Eurasia, however, due to the unusual structure of the horns and the valuable fur coat, they are hunted in many countries. The extermination of the animal population by humans has led to the fact that some breeds of Mouflon are placed in the Red Book. Today, such animals are kept in reserves and zoos, and in some countries they are bred at home.

Habitat and species of animals

Mouflon is a herbivorous cloven-hoofed animal, whose habitat is predominantly mountainous. These rams are considered the ancestors of domesticated sheep and are considered one of the most ancient representatives of the animal world.

There are two main varieties of this breed, which differ in exterior and habitat:

• European mouflon;
• Asian wild Mouflon, or Arcal.

The European breed of artiodactyls inhabits the mountainous coasts of the Mediterranean Sea, in particular, its representatives inhabit:

• Cyprus;
• Sardinia;
• Corsica.

The European Mouflon lives in Armenia and Iraq. This breed can also be found in the Crimea, where it was brought from southern countries. Mouflon has adapted to the Crimean climate and leads a semi-free existence in reserves. In European countries, it is considered the last mountain sheep living in its natural habitat.

The Asian wild ram differs from the European species in a more massive body structure, in addition, the horns of the representatives of the eastern wild ram curl back, and not on the sides. You can distinguish between European and Asian mouflon by the photo.

The range of the eastern artiodactyl is southern Asia. Mouflon is found in countries such as:

• Tajikistan;
• Uzbekistan;
• Turkey;
• Turkmenistan.

Arkal is also found on the territory of Kazakhstan, the locals of which worship this artiodactyl. The Ustyurt ram is found in the steppes of Mangyshlak and Ustyurt.

The nature and lifestyle of wild sheep

Artiodactyls prefer a migratory way of life. The route of their movement is usually laid between watering holes and pastures. Animals live in gentle mountainous terrain. Unlike wild goats, Arkaly feel insecure in rocky regions.

Wild rams are nocturnal, sleeping in mountain gorges or forest plantations during the day. Females with lambs create a herd of up to 100 heads.

Males prefer a solitary lifestyle, joining the herd during the mating season. Artiodactyls are characterized by a strict hierarchical system: males under 3 years old are not allowed to mate and larger individuals are driven away.

In the wild, the animal's natural enemies are predators such as:

• Steppenwolf;
• Wolverine;
• Lynx.

For young animals, a fox or a wild dog can be dangerous.

Artiodactyl exterior

Representatives of the European breed are smaller in size than a domestic sheep. Artiodactyls of this species have the following characteristics:

1. The height of an adult ram is 90 cm, body length is about 131 cm.
2. The female weighs up to 30 kg, the male usually weighs about 50 kg due to the heavy horns.
3. The age of the animal is determined by the ring-shaped growths on the horns.
4. The female is usually hornless or has small horns.
5. The hair of a cloven-hoofed animal changes color, depending on the season: in summer the hairline has a reddish color, in winter the shade becomes darker.

Mouflons are characterized by a black stripe on the back. The belly, nose and hooves are usually light in color.

Representatives of the Asian breed have a more massive body structure, and the beard on the muzzle is also characteristic of the Armenian mouflons. The exterior of the oriental wild ram includes the following features:

1. The height of an adult animal reaches 95 cm, and the body length is 150 cm.
2. The weight of the male varies from 53 to 80 kg, depending on the weight of the horns. Females reach a weight of 45 kg.
3. The horns of the males curl backward, and have a diameter of up to 30 cm at the base.
4. Females are most often hornless.

The coat color of the Arkalov is similar to its European relatives, but the eastern breed is characterized by a white color of the sternum.

Wild Sheep Diet

Mouflons are herbivores; therefore, cereals and forbs are the main part of their diet. The animal is often found on crops, thereby harming the crop.

The usual diet of an artiodactyl consists of the following components:

• green forage: feather grass, wheatgrass, sedge;
• shrubs and young trees;
• mushrooms and berries;
• moss, lichen.

In winter, artiodactyls extract plant roots from under the snow. Wormy berries and volunteers are valued as herbivores, as they provide the Mouflons with the necessary proteins.

Reproduction of artiodactyls

Mouflon females reach sexual maturity at 2 years old, which is considered the fastest maturation among other representatives of artiodactyls. Pregnancy lasts 5 months, after which one or two lambs are born.

Cubs get to their feet on the first day and are able to follow the herd. Most often, the birth of offspring falls in March and April, since it is easier to raise lambs in the warm season.

The average lifespan of a wild ram is 15 years. European mouflons breed best in captivity. Unlike European, Asian wild Mouflon does not reproduce well in zoos.

Mouflon and man

The European breed of wild sheep is actively used in breeding. On the basis of this species, new breeds of domestic sheep have been developed, which are capable of grazing year-round in mountain pastures. The meat of the European artiodactyl has good taste, and the leather is used in light industry.

In winter, the hair of the animal becomes thick and dense, therefore fur coats are made from Mouflons in northern countries. Due to the large number of positive qualities in some countries, not only the hunt for wild mouflons is carried out, but also the breeding of animals on farms.

The Armenian wild or Transcaucasian mountain sheep is in the Red Book, because hunting for Mouflon and environmental pollution have reduced the animal population.

Mouflons are one of the oldest herbivorous cloven-hoofed animals from which domestic sheep originated. The unusual structure of the horns, warm and durable fur have long made them an object of hunting, a desired, but not always legally acquired trophy. Today, some species of wild sheep are on the verge of extinction and are listed in the Red Book. Conservation measures, keeping in reserves and zakazniks help to improve the situation and preserve the gene pool of these rare animals. Also in this sense, breeding work with them in the conditions of specialized farms deserves attention and becomes more and more promising.

What mouflons look like

Wild rams are medium-sized, harmoniously built animals. Their sexual dimorphism is well expressed. The height at the withers in adult males is 80–83 cm, in smaller females - about 70 cm. The main external difference is the presence of horns in males. They are quite abruptly set in relation to the longitudinal axis of the skull, most often curved in a homonymous type (cochlea, spirally twisted), with their ends facing straight and forward, parallel to the sides of the head (sometimes forward and slightly inward). The length of the horns along the outer bend can reach 75–80 cm with a girth at the base of 20–25 cm. Due to this massive decoration, males are 20–25 kg heavier than females, which are either hornless or have small horns and weigh 35 kg on average.

The main external features of these animals are quite remarkable:

Habitats and species of wild sheep

Depending on the origin and habitat, two types of them are distinguished: European and Asian (Arkal or Ustyurt).

The places of origin of the representatives of the European species are the islands of the Mediterranean. Originally endemic to Sardinia and Sicily, wild sheep have recently been artificially settled in Cyprus and the mountainous coasts of the European south. In Russia, the European variety is found only in the Crimea, where it was acclimatized more than a hundred years ago.

Anatolian, Corsican, Sicilian individuals, after transportation and acclimatization, adapted to the southern latitudes of Russia

Arkals are more common. Their habitat is Kazakhstan, southern regions of Turkmenistan and Tajikistan, Transcaucasia, northwest of the mountain systems of Hindustan, Baluchistan, Iran, Afghanistan.

Ustyurt variety due to the scorching sun is inevitably more hardy than European

Apart from the areas of distribution, there is practically no difference between the European mountain sheep and its larger Asian relative. The favorite habitats of wild sheep are mountainous landscapes with a calm relief of rounded peaks, plateaus and gentle slopes with rich vegetation. On steep rocky slopes, animals feel insecure, and on dangerous edges of gorges they become completely helpless. In summer, they inhabit shaded areas of alpine meadows. In winter, animals prefer to stay on the foothills of mountain slopes warmed by the sun and shelter from the weather in canyons sheltered from the wind.

Lifestyle

Under natural conditions, individual herds of these artiodactyls, numbering up to one hundred individuals, represent communities of adult females with underyearling lambs and reared juveniles. Sexually mature males join them only during the mating period, and the rest of the time they live separately. In their habitats, wild rams are sedentary, adhering to permanent grazing, watering and resting places. When crossing, animals use the same paths - well-marked trodden paths.

Seasonal migrations are rare in them: only in dry years do animals wander in search of a sufficient amount of food and water. Movements to a higher strip of mountains with its succulent food are observed in summer.

Wild rams are most active with the onset of dusk: before sunset, they go out on meadows, often far from the places of daytime shelters, and graze all night with short rest breaks. At dawn, they go to their shelters in the gorges of rocks or in the shade of the spreading crowns of trees, where they arrange permanent beds - rather deep (about 1.5 m) pits with a bottom well compacted for the purpose of thermal insulation.

The overwhelming majority of the herd are females and young

What do these animals eat?

Wild rams are herbivores. Their main food sources change with the season.

• The spring-summer diet of mountain sheep consists of forbs typical for a particular habitat, young shoots of shrubs, and tree foliage.
• In autumn, the “menu” is complemented by acorns, mushrooms, berries, and fruit scavengers.
• From under the snow cover, these artiodactyls are not adapted to forage, so in winter they graze during daylight hours and feed on what is within reach: shoots of coniferous trees, moss, lichens, dried grass.

They are able to satisfy the need for drinking even with very salty water, if fresh water is absent.

Features of their behavior

Mountain rams are cautious animals, it is not easy to get closer to them than 300 meters: well-developed sense of smell, hearing, vision allow animals to quickly respond to potential danger. Sensing a threat, they make loud sounds, similar to a sharp whistle.

The ability to run quickly, overcome heights of up to 2 meters, jump off 10-meter ledges allows wild rams to avoid enemy attacks. The rapid jump of the animal is very effective: the head is thrown back, the front and hind limbs are closed, the landing takes place on widely spaced legs. Even lambs do not hide in case of danger, but prefer to flee. The exception is males, who lose their usual vigilance during the mating season, which is why they often become the prey of a hunter or a predatory animal. At the same time, these animals are quite curious: running away from their pursuer, they can suddenly stop and turn around, as if showing a semblance of interest in what is happening.

Diseases

In conditions with a sufficient food base and comfortable for living, wild sheep are resistant to diseases. Most often, worm infestations, which are divided into several types, cause damage to the health of animals and become the reasons for their death:

To a lesser extent, mountain sheep are susceptible to infectious diseases. Of these, the danger to animals is mainly bradzot - acute intoxication of the body with the gram-positive anaerobic bacillus Clostridium septicum, leading to death.

Unsatisfactory (incorrect) erasure of the horny substance of the hooves, when they take an arched shape, twist or bend upward, leads to pathological changes in the joints of the limbs. The reasons for this phenomenon are most often the habitation of wild sheep in areas with soft and moist soil, as well as inherited endocrine diseases. Individuals with such anomalies lose their ability to move and die of hunger or become easy prey for predators.

Reproduction

Wild rams reach sexual maturity at the age of one and a half years. However, if females are able to fertilize in the second year of life, then males enter into marriage no earlier than at the age of three or four.

The rutting period lasts from October to December. At this time, females are divided into small - 10–15 individuals - herds, in which there are 2–3 adult competing males. Seeking the favors of the chosen ones, they arrange real tournaments: having previously dispersed a rather large distance, up to 20 meters, the "suitors" are rapidly approaching and powerfully colliding with the bases of the horns. Cases of fatal wounds and mutilations inflicted in fights are unknown, but the struggle is prolonged, until the rivals are completely exhausted.

The expulsion of the defeated at the end of the battles does not take place, and in the covering of females, except for the dominant ones, less powerful males can participate. After mating, these animals do not create polygamous unions (harems): after completing their mission, the males leave the herd, live alone and do not participate in the custody of the offspring.

Pregnancy in females lasts about five months. Mass lambing usually occurs in early April. A sheep brings one or two lambs: three or four babies in one litter are very rare. Already two hours after birth, newborns are able to stand on their feet and follow their mother. For the first four weeks, the lambs feed exclusively on mother's milk, and when they finally get stronger, they switch to pasture.

As a rule, such babies are born 1–2, rarely when more

average life expectancy

In their natural environment, they live on average no longer than 8 years. This period increases to 10-15 years in the absence of enemies - lynxes, steppe wolves, wolverines, as well as when kept in zoos, hunting farms, nature reserves, where favorable conditions for animals develop. There are cases when, when breeding in captivity, with the possibility of receiving veterinary assistance and ensuring proper care, mountain sheep lived up to 19 years.

Recently, it has become important to breed wild sheep on farms and in private households. Keeping animals in open-air conditions sets the main goal of hybridization with domestic sheep to improve their economically useful qualities: the resulting offspring are distinguished by high vitality, good growth rates, and resistance to major diseases.

Aviary requirement

When designing enclosures, it is necessary to take into account the main functional diagrams of animal life:

• nutrition;
• absence of stress factors (proximity of predators, unfavorable climatic conditions);
• the ability to move;
• the presence of the corresponding species group;
• livestock reproduction prospects.

The infrastructure of the enclosure is set taking into account the landscape, terrain, the presence of pastures and should include the following main elements:

• special facilities for animal feeding and veterinary activities;
• complex feeding grounds;
• hay feeders;
• salt licks;
• reservoirs or structures to ensure an uninterrupted supply of water;
• shelter from bad weather.

The soil on which the mouflon enclosures are built must be dry and rocky.

Corsican mouflons can also be kept at home

Breeding

The high density of keeping these animals in enclosures significantly reduces the material costs of farm owners and at the same time negatively affects the rate of reproduction. For successful breeding of mouflons, the optimal density of the population is 15 adults per 1 hectare of aviary area. In this case, the breeding group should consist of three females capable of giving offspring, and one male ready for reproduction.

In captive breeding of wild sheep, modern intensive livestock grazing systems are used. At the same time, one should take into account the specifics of animal nutrition in their natural environment and take care of growing crops that form the main food base.

Correctly organized space of the enclosure, compliance with the basic norms of keeping and feeding ruminants, timely preventive and therapeutic veterinary measures increase the efficiency and profitability of breeding wild sheep on farms.

Keeping mountain sheep in a subsidiary plot

In the twentieth century, mountain sheep became a constant subject of hunting, and their numbers began to decline sharply. But they became interested in saving the species in time, and as a result, their habitat became protected, reserves were created.

Now in many farms they are trying to accustom them to the aviary way of life. Basically, these are animals born in captivity, adapted for life at home. Breeding them will not be difficult for an experienced femer, and the population of these artiodactyls will only increase.