Damage caused by wild game animals to field crops in the Czech Republic – a historical summary from 1786 to the year 2005

Abstract

Wild game animals have caused significant damage to agricultural crops for many years. The oldest written documents concerning this issue date back to 1786 and the reign of Habsburg Emperor Josef II. Damage inflicted upon sugar beet was first mentioned in 1895. In the past, the damage caused by game to field crops was not paid adequate attention in the Czech lands. This was due to the fact that farmers were poorly informed about this issue while also tolerant towards the results of the damage. In addition, it was difficult for them to establish conclusively the cause of the damage. Consistent but incomplete information can be found in documents for the period 1961 – 2005. During this period, damage caused by mouflon (Ovis musimon), wild boar (Sus scrofa), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), brown hare (Lepus europaeus), wild rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), pheasant (Phasianus colchicus), geese (Anser) and rook (Corvus frugilegus) was documented. According to these documents, the damaged crops included cereal crops, maize, rape, potatoes, sugar beet, cole, and lettuce.