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This dissertation has been proposed as a part of long-time wide research conducted on farmed elands (Taurotragus oryx) at university farm at Lány. This thesis is planned to be closely connected with the study of influence of the nutrition and diet to the growth and meat composition and quality. Eland meat is traditionally considered as tasty and nutritionally valuable, but in fact the knowledge on the eland meat composition and technological processing potential is limited. The research will be focused on the analyses of physical and chemical properties of meat with emphasis on the influence of the diet and age of animals on the meat. Next part of the work will be to experimentally produce meat products (e.g. pâté, fermented salami) and evaluate theirs physical, chemical and organoleptic properties. The most of the analysis are planned in cooperation with Department of agriculture products quality on Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources.

Representatives of family Bovidae are subjects of many studies concerning with their phylogeny, phylogeography, time of divergence or genetic diversity. Taxonomy is solved by comparison of morphological characteristics or by genetic approaches, genetic diversity could be solved by pedigree or by genetic analyses too. Tragelaphinae number nine species of two genera, Tragelaphus sp. and Taurotragus sp. The antelopes of the genus Taurotragus (T. derbianus and T. oryx) belong to the largest antelopes of the world. Derby eland (Taurotragus derbianus) has two subspecies, Western Derby eland (T. d. derbianus) and Eastern Giant eland (T. d. gigas), which are distinguished on the basis of morphological characteristics. Western subspecies (T. d. derbianus) is classified as critically endangered. There lives the only population in Niokolo Koba National Park in Senegal, which numbers fewer than 200 individuals. For the conservation, the semi-captive breeding programme has been established in 2000. It was created by six founders (one male and five females), which are presumed to be non-related. The population within this programme had 95 living individuals in 2013, living in seven herds in Bandia and Fathala reserves in Senegal. The population is under breeding management, which efforts to minimize kinship of the individuals. Studbook was established for the Western Derby eland (T. d. derbianus) in 2008 and is published annually. It acts about small population with low number of founders and no gene flow, which is threatened by inbreeding and genetic drift. Genetic diversity of the population was evaluated by means of microsatellite markers and the results were compared with the results of pedigree analysis. Pedigree analysis showed the highest genetic diversity in the generation of founders (FOUNDERS). It decreased in the generation of founders' offspring (OFFSPRING 1; born in season 2007/2008), due to the fact, that the only male took part in the reproduction. And it increased again in the generation of offspring of founders' offspring (OFFSPRING 2; born in the season 2009/2010), because more individuals were included into the reproduction. Fifteen individuals and five polymorphic microsatellite loci (from the total number of 13 tested loci) were chosen for the genetic study. The parameters of genetic diversity (HE and HO, Ar and deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, and FIS and FST) were evaluated. Not any deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium were found out. The results of genetic analysis confirmed the highest genetic diversity in the population of founders (Ar = 2.79; HE = 0.664; HO = 0.750; FIS = --0.154). In both generations of offspring values of allelic richness and observed and expected heterozygosity decreased (Ar = 2.15; HO = 0.580; HE = 0.586 in OFFSPRING 1 and Ar = 2.14; HO = 0.370; HE = 0.480 in OFFSPRING 2). Contrary to the results of pedigree analysis, there was not been observed any improvement in OFFSPRING 2. The resultant values of genetic diversity parameters were quite satisfactory, despite of the low number of founders and mating of related individuals.

The thesis is focused on the analysis of feeding, comfort and social behavior in a herd of farmed eland (Taurotragus oryx) initiated by the presentation of browse to the tree stand. In 2008 and 2010 were obtained 15-hour video behavior gradually with three different adult males of elands at Czech University of Life Sciences farm at Lány. The aim of this work was to evaluate the accessibility of a limited food source (browse), the frequency of feeding behavior in relation to a rank in the herd, age and sex and find out if the stand can be also used as a enrichment to increase proportion of comfort behavior (scratching, grooming). Adult male in the herd has always been high ranking and no one attacked him, followed by females and juveniles. Access to a limited browse was influenced by the level of aggression of adult female towards the younger and lower ranking ones, these females attacked with the same frequency also the youngs. The dominant male attacked especially the dominant females. The length and frequency of all types of behavior were related to a sex of the individual, the rank and the presence of a calf. With higher rank individuals had longer access to a browse, display longer comfort behavior than lower ranking ones. We can conclude that both types of behavior performed more often males than females. Length and frequency of interactions with browse was supported during absence of calf in vicinity of stand.

Common elands (Taurotragus oryx) belong between the world's biggest antelopes. The basic social unit is created by several females with offspring, males are joining them only in the breeding period. There is a dominance hierarchy in a herd, which eliminates strong negative conflicts mainly between adult females. Except agonistic interactions, affiliative ones are taken place as well, which have positive impact on relationships in a herd. The aim of this work is t o summarize previous studies dealing with social structure and behaviour of common eland focusing on affiliative, maternal and agonistic interaction in a herd. Experimental part is focused on preferences of females for a choice of the closest companion, if the choice is influenced with age, kinship or maternal state of a female. Data were collected through direct observations of a herd of common elands on a farm Lány using 15 min scans of chosen females. Distances were measured between females and all the other herd members. Selected social behaviour of any two members of a herd was recorded using an all occurrence sampling method. The statistical analysis showed that the most (98,77 %) of interactions were negative, females preferred contactless agonistic interactions, threat and withdrawal. Allogrooming was more often found between a...