POPULATIONAL ATTRIBUTES OF THE CENTRAL AMERICAN RED BROCKET DEER (Mazama temama) IN THE SIERRA DE ZONGOLICA, VERACRUZ, MEXICO

Abstract

The Sierra de Zongolica is a biogeographic region with ecosystems and species of nearctic and neotropical affinity in the state of Veracruz, Mexico. However, no studies have been conducted on populations of the red brocket deer (Mazama temama Erxleben 1777) in this region. Such type of studies is essential to propose actions for sustainable management of the species and the habitat by the rural communities. The objective of this study was to describe the populational attributes of M. temama (distribution, population abundance, and patterns of activity) in the Sierra de Zongolica. Information was gathered through interviews, spoor detection and camera trapping from September 2014 to May 2015. To identify the sites where the deer is present, 76 inhabitants of four municipalities of the Sierra de Zongolica were interviewed. In the localities described with presence of the deer, 20 walking trails 300 m long by 1 m wide were identified. Six of the trails were in primary vegetation (1.8 km), 10 in secondary vegetation (3 km), and four in the area of cultivation (1.2 km) where 54 spoors were recorded (45 hoofprints and nine droppings), equivalent to nine signs of deer per km. The population of M. temama was higher in the farming area than in primary or secondary vegetation. In the 43 stations of camera traps, 71 independent images of M. temama were obtained. Of these images, 79 % were between 18:00 and 05:00 h, indicating a pattern of crepuscular and nocturnal activity. This species had a relative abundance index of 2.5 brockets per km2 in the Sierra de Zongolica, suggesting a population susceptible to management under the system of Management Units for Conservation and Sustainable Use of Wildlife (in Mexico, UMAs).