Research of red deer (Cervus elaphus L., 1758) population ecology in akdag wildlife development area

The Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) is the largest of the 3 deer species belonging to the Deer family (Cervidae) in our country. In this study, for the first time in Turkey, in addition to spot counting, Faecal pellet counting, camera trap counting and spotlight counting methods were applied separately and in combination. In order to detect the red deer and other wild animal species that are distributed in Akdağ Wildlife Development Area and are our target species, presence-absence traces and signs scanning studies were carried out at 283 points. Within the borders of Akdağ WDA, camera traps were installed at 236 points, where the signs and traces of the red deers are concentrated, as a result of the presence-absence studies between April 2019 and January 2021. As a result of the camera trap studies, 12292 camera trap days value was reached in the study area with opportunistic sampling. By analyzing the images, 6481 camera trap days worth of wild animal species, domestic animal species and humans were captured. As a result of the evaluation of the obtained camera trap images, 12055 images were obtained. Red Deer was the most viewed species with 2746 images. By evaluating the records obtained by the camera trap method, the daytime activity patterns of the red deer were obtained. It was determined that the most active time of the red deer was between 17:30-18:30. With the census results obtained from the census inventory at the point made in the Akdağ WDA in 2019 and 2020, the densities of red deer were determined as 1,315 units/100 ha in 2019 and 1,351 units/100 ha in 2020. The fact that humans, dogs and sheep and goats are very dense in the red deer habitat indicates that there is an important human-wildlife conflict in this area. It can be stated that this thesis study has a critical value in terms of its potential to contribute to the solution of the problems regarding the populations of the red deer, one of the most important game and wild animal species of our country.