From the life of the department

New head of DGMWB

  On 1.2. 2024 was Ing. Miloš Ježek, Ph.D., officially appointed head of our Department of Game Management and Wildlife Biology for the next term of office of the dean, prof. Ing. Robert Marušák, Ph.D. Congratulations, and we wish Dr. Ježek only success and no inconvenience in his new position.

Christmas Party 2023(4)

  At the end of January, our department met at (after) the Christmas party, where we additionally celebrated Christmas, the New Year, but also the appointment of the new head of the DGMWB. It was a pleasant meeting full of positive atmosphere and good food. The party was a success, and we are already looking forward to this year's department trip. Where will it go this time? More photos in Gallery -> Department social events -> DGMWB Christmas party 2024.

Ph.D. Opportunity: Sleep in the Landscape of Fear in Red Deer

 We're excited to announce a Ph.D. project opportunity in collaboration with our colleagues, focusing on sleep in the landscape of fear of red deer. The application deadline is Wednesday, January 17th. This opportunity is available to international students and includes full coverage of fees and scholarships, along with 9K for research throughout the 3.5 years of the project. The primary supervisor is Dr. Isabella Capellini from Belfast, with collaboration from Luca Borger (University of Swansea), Miloš Ježek (Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague), and Oleg Lyamin (University of California, Los Angeles).

Project link: SLEEP IN THE LANDSCAPE OF FEAR

AI seminar

 FFWS representatives, including our colleague, attended the EdTech seminar on AI and ChatGPT in education in Bled, Slovenia. It discussed human adaptability, our evolving relationship with technology, and how AI, including tools like ChatGPT, enhances personalized learning and supports innovative teaching methods. It's starting to be clear that the next wave of educational innovation will be led by technology, and we must be ready to adapt and embrace these changes.

Namibia Study Tour 2023

 In September, our Prof. Ing. Jaroslav Červený, CSc. participated in the 14th African Small Mammals Symposium in Swakopmund. The study trip was focused on the mammalian fauna of different types of savannas in Namibia. Two annotated papers and posters were presented at the symposium, in which Prof. Červený participated as a co-author with the affiliation of FLD ČZU in Prague. In particular, the presentation on the discovery of a hitherto unknown species of wren (as yet unnamed) in the Dragon Mountains of Lesotho aroused great interest. More photos in Gallery -> Conferences -> 14th African Small Mammals Symposium.

Rector's Award

 We are very happy! Professor Červený was awarded the Rector's Prize for the publication output of CZU employees in Prague in journals included in the 1st decile of the Web of Science. Specifically, he is awarded for the article Human disturbance is the most limiting factor driving habitat selection of a large carnivore throughout Continental Europe. Congratulations!

Invitation to seminars

 Accept our invitation to the seminars organized by FFWS for SZIF. All information can be found in the attached picture.

Interview about collars

 On Tuesday, on Czech Radio, an interview was broadcast with Ing. Miloš Ježek, Ph.D., and Ing. Monika Faltusová about the collars we use to monitor animals in our case, specifically a wild boar and a red deer. You can find the interview at https://program.rozhlas.cz/zaznamy#/plus/22/2023-08-22 (time 7:22 Ranní Plus).

Call for video/photo materials 

 Dear wild boar and nature enthusiasts, Two years ago, we published an article documenting rescue behaviour in wild boar (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-95682-4; https://www.iflscience.com/wild-boars-caught-on-camera-rescuing-their-buddies-from-a-trap-60750). In that particular case, a female wild boar released entrapped boars from a cage trap (see picture). Now we are looking for a new photo or video material that would document similar helping behaviour in wild boar (also beyond the context of trapping). We are looking for photos or videos in which one (or more) boar help other boar from dangerous or stressful situations. Photo or video materials of any quality are appreciated. Kindly send the photos/videos or questions to masilkova@fld.czu.cz.

They wrote about us!

 In the attached link, you can find an important media output about an article from the prestigious journal Science, on which our colleagues collaborated. They provided data on red deer and wild boar for the article. Congratulations on your success.

Link to the article: How life for animals changed when humans stayed home during the pandemic

Interview about a new study in Science

 We have already informed you about the study in the prestigious journal Science, in which our colleagues participated. Now we bring you an interview with one of the authors Ing. Václav Silovský. The interview is at https://program.rozhlas.cz/zaznamy#/plus/2023-06-12 (time 17:33 Odpolední Plus - scroll to time 17:49).

Large mammals changed their behavior during the lockdowns - they moved longer distances and appeared closer to roads

 Human behavior changed dramatically during the lockdowns in the early months of the global COVID-19 pandemic, which also resulted in changes in the behavior of terrestrial mammals. This follows from a study published in the prestigious journal Science by a large international research team, including scientists from the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Science of the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague. Free-living mammals moved longer distances during strict lockdowns and were found closer to roads.

Link to the article: Behavioral responses of terrestrial mammals to COVID-19 lockdowns

A cordial invitation

 We cordially invite you to the Central Bohemian Region Game Management Seminar.

Natura Viva 2023

  This year, too, we took part in the popular NATURA VIVA 2023 exhibition at the exhibition center in Lysá nad Labem. Students of our faculty were at the FFWS stand and gave valuable information to new or potential students. Of course, they were not the only participants, and several visits followed either by colleagues from our department or the faculty. Part of the NATURA VIVA exhibition was also an exhibition of game trophies. This year was also exceptional for other content, namely the 100th anniversary of the CMMJ and the representation of taxidermy. We see the event as very successful and are already looking forward to the following year. Good luck to the forest and hunting! More photos in Gallery -> Propagation of DGMWB and FFWS -> NATURA VIVA 2023.

Three-day field trip to the Bohemian Forest

   Students in the second year of the full-time and combined study of the Game Management and Wildlife Conservation program took part in a three-day field excursion, which was part of the subjects Impact of Management in the Landscape on animal populations and Monitoring of wild animals. The students started the first day in Ratenice, where a talk was held on managing small animals and possible landscape modifications, focusing on hares. The next stop was the forests near Strakonice. Here, in the field, students learned the management of property affected by the bark beetle calamity and the possibilities of protecting forest culture, and the first day ended with night monitoring of rodents and smaller mammals with prof. Jaroslav Červený. The second day took place in the Bohemian Forest National Park, where we focused on revitalizing peatlands, managing habitats with the presence of black grouse, and the possibility of retaining water in the landscape. After this excursion, the students visited the wolf enclosure in Srní. The visit also included a talk about wolves in the Bohemian Forest National Park. On the last day, there was a visit to the Sedlice nature preserve with a demonstration of game management and a talk lecture on the history of the nature preserve. The last stop was the Lány nature preserve, where a parade of the past year's shed of antlers occurred. More photos in Gallery -> Practice, excursions and field lessons -> Field excursion Bohemian Forest 2023.

Game management practice

      On the days 19. to 21.5.  compulsory game management practice was held for students of the combined study program Game Management and Wildlife Conservation. The practice was conceived as a cynology weekend on the Ronova castle grounds.  The content of the practice was really rich - socialization, training on an artificial burrow, training in the field with a wild boar, preparation for color exams, walking by foot, practicing calmness at the stand, and much more, such as horn playing and thematic discussions. More photos in Gallery -> Practice, excursions and field lessons -> Game Management practice combined students.

Doctoral studies

   Are you still hesitating about where to take your career after your master's degree? We have an offer for you!

Ph.D. students continue to succeed

    Ekolist published a report about an article by our doctoral students, which they prepared as part of the UGC project. Congratulations, and we wish you many more successes. The report can be read here: Zvýšený pohyb lidí v lesích během covidových lockdownů zhoršil spánek divočáků

Our Ph.D. students succeeded

    Our Ph.D. students achieved great success thanks to their publication within the UGC project, which was accepted on March 23, 2023, in the journal Science of the Total Environment. This magazine boasts an impact factor (IF) of 10.7. We, of course, congratulate and thank our doctoral students at the same time and wish them much success in the future. The article can be downloaded for free for the next 40 days here: Worse sleep and increased energy expenditure yet no movement changes in sub-urban wild boar experiencing an influx of human visitors (anthropulse) during the COVID-19 pandemic

Invitation to talk

   The DGMWB telemetry team invites you to the lecture "One model to rule them all" by Dr. Virginia Morery-Pujol of University College Dublin. Virginia will talk about the use of telemetry data and modern statistical methods in animals' spatial and food ecology. The lecture takes place on Wednesday, 29.3. from 15:30 to 17:00 in the Wood Pavilion FFWS (room DP410).

Film Forests of the Future on the occasion of the 10th International Day of Forests

    The Faculty of Forestry and Wood Science of the CZU in Prague and Czech Television and other partners filmed a documentary dedicated to the future of Czech forests. In it, leading scientists talk about the challenges facing contemporary Czech forests and describe technologies that can help them on their way to regaining their vitality. The premiere of the film, to which actor Aleš Háma lent his voice, will be broadcast by Czech Television on March 21 at 9:10 p.m. on ČT2.

    Hydrogel, drones, or bark beetle repellants, but also the largest forest fire in the modern history of the Czech Republic, which hundreds of firefighters fought for three weeks. The future of Czech forests, which in recent years have been struggling with the dangers of climate change, is in the hands of practical Czech foresters and scientists. A new documentary by the Faculty of Forestry and Wood ČZU in Prague, which was produced for Czech Television in cooperation with ČZU Forests, Hradec Králové Municipal Forests, Olomouc Archbishop's Forests and Estates and Wood for Life Foundation, poses challenging questions regarding the vitality and sustainability of Czech forests and finds them answers not only in the world of current scientific discoveries and technologies. The document is intended mainly for the general public with interest in nature. He tries to introduce the audience to who a forester is and what his job is. At the same time, it presents the current knowledge of forestry science, which has a crucial role in the future of our forests, understandably.

    On March 21, we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the UN International Day of Forests. It is more than appropriate to present current scientific knowledge used by today's modern forestry in the era of changing natural conditions caused by ongoing climate change.

We are attaching a press release: TZ_CZU_FLD_Film LESY BUDOUCNOSTI.docx

DGMWB Christmas Party 2022(3)

   Again after a year, we gathered to celebrate Christmas and the New Year. As in previous years, the party was held later because we have obligations to our families, relatives, and friends around Christmas and New Year. However, this did not prevent us from sitting together, talking, and inventing even the impossible later. The party was a great success, and we are all already looking forward to the department's spring meeting, which is inevitably approaching. More photos in Gallery -> Department social events -> DGMWB Christmas party 2023.

The 13th year of the Taxidermists' Championship in Salzburg

  The competition has been held since 1992 in various European countries, usually every three years. It is organized by ETC European Taxidermy Championships, based in the Netherlands. On average, 150 taxidermists from Europe and other countries of the world participate in the competition.

  The competition is divided into NOVICE, PROFESSIONAL, MASTERS, and EXCELLENT divisions. Furthermore, these divisions are divided into individual categories of stuffed animals. Only taxidermists who have not been involved in the activity for more than 5 years can be in the novice division. They then advance to the Professional category. If they are ranked first in the Professional category, they move to the Masters. The Excellent category is now only for a few excellent artists who advance from the Masters category. This year's ETC was a breakthrough in evaluation. The judges did not know which category they were judging. The Novice, Professional, and Masters categories were combined for the evaluation. The assessment was, therefore, very tough. That is why many of our novices have a red or yellow ribbon. Most of our preparations would be blue if the evaluation was according to the original rules. Getting the basic blue ribbon was already very difficult this year. This makes me appreciate the student works even more.

More information and photos in Gallery -> Competitions -> The 13th year of the Taxidermists' Championship.
We thank all participants for a successful representation.

Did you know you can meet a chamois in the territory of the Czech Republic?

   Our department is currently dealing with the chamois population in the Lusatian Mountains. The research mainly focuses on the effect of the wolf's (Canis lupus) return and the interaction of chamois with other ungulates. Last but not least, we are also studying the impact of human and especially tourist disturbance on this population.

   If you would like to visit it, remember the principles of proper behavior when observing wildlife. You can very likely run into one of our researchers there.

Do lesa

  The 9th episode of the program Do lesa focused on How to take care of a hunting dog. Doc. Ing. Vlastimil Hart, Ph.D., will explain why high demands are placed on hunting dogs. From Ing. Kateřina Benediktová, Ph.D., you will learn how our department works together to make the use of dogs more efficient during hunts.

Do lesa - 9. díl: Jak se starat o loveckého psa

Seminar

  A seminar organized by the Ministry of Agriculture in cooperation with the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences of the CZU in Prague and the Research Institute of Forest Management and Hunting will take place tomorrow.

Polish hunting magazine

  The latest issue of the Polish hunting magazine reports about the successful “Wild Boar Symposium” conference in Barcelona, where five of our colleagues were also present. Conferences are an excellent opportunity to establish new contacts. We look forward to a new cooperation with Dr. Hab. Ing. Katarzyna Tajchman from the University of Life Sciences in Lublin (Poland).

FFWS Christmas party 2022

  On Wednesday, there was a Christmas faculty party, which we attended. Many thanks to the faculty management for preparing the party and the opportunity to pause and chat with colleagues at the end of the year. More photos Gallery -> FFWS social events -> FFWS Christmas party 2022.

FFWS Christmas concert 2022

  This year's Christmas concert took place again in the Church of the Most Holy Salvator (Salvator means Savior in Latin). The whole time there was an amicable Christmas atmosphere. Many thanks to all the organizers. More photos Gallery -> FFWS social events -> FFWS Christmas concert 2022.

Faculty driven hunt

  This year, the faculty driven hunt took place again in Kostelec nad Černými lesy. More photos Gallery -> Hunts -> FFWS driven hunt 2022.

Block practices

  Professor Červený prepared two block practices in the past weeks. The first was a practice of the Zoology subject, which took place in the National Museum in Prague exhibition. The students also visited the depositories, where, of course, photography was not allowed. They were accompanied at both workplaces by a zoologist doc. RNDr. Petr Benda, Ph.D. The second block practice was a Game Management subject excursion to the Sedlice preserve. More photos in Gallery -> Practice, excursions, and field lessons > Block practice of the subject Game Management and Block practice of the subject Zoology.

Conference ČSEtS

  We participated in the 49th annual ethological conference of the Czech and Slovak Ethological Society, which took place on November 3-6, 2022, at Mendel University in Brno. We presented here two contributions from our research, which we carry out as part of the scientific work at FLD. Both contributions garnered unprecedented interest. In particular, the presentation about action cameras on hunting dogs, used for researching the behavior of dogs in spatial orientation, was a great success thanks to the funny concept with the story of the James Bond dog. Thanks to the conference, we established new working friendships and gained interesting knowledge and ideas for implementing further research in the field of dog and game ethology.

GPS devices in camera traps!!!

   Scientists from the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences of the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague, in cooperation with the HIVE-Zox International company, have developed a device with which it is possible to monitor a camera even after it has been stolen. Read more here Nové zařízení z ČZU pomůže dopadnout zloděje fotopastí.

Celebrating Professor Červený's 70th birthday

  One of the greatest hunting personalities of the present time, prof. Ing. Jaroslav Červený, CSc., celebrated his 70th birthday. His colleagues from ČZU and friends organized a celebration for him in the beautiful rector's cottage by the Švejcar pond at the School Forest Enterprise in Kostelec nad Černými lesy. In addition to many personal gifts, his colleagues from the Department of Game Management and Wildlife Biology presented the professor with a hand-made fang with an engraved monogram and dedication. In addition, on the day of the celebration, the professor hunted a roe deer in the ŠLP hunting ground and whistled with one of his gifts, an roe deer antlered whistle. We wish the professor good health, happiness, personal success, and hunting experiences in the coming years. More photos in Gallery -> Department social events -> Celebrating Professor Červený's 70th birthday.

Graduation 2022

   Last week, the graduation ceremony of the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences of the ČZU in Prague took place in the new hall, and of course also the field of study of Operation and Game Management. We wish all successful students the best of luck in their further studies, but also in their personal lives. More photos -> Gallery -> Graduation.

Forestry day

  The Forestry Day in Ralsko has a long tradition; the 44th year took place this year and the XX. Czech Championship in working with a chainsaw. Saturday's program was also attended by representatives of the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences ČZU in Prague, headed by the Dean prof. Ing. Róbert Marušák, Ph.D. and vice-dean for study activities Ing. Markéta Kalábová, Ph.D. More photos -> Competitions -> Czech Championship in working with a chainsaw.

Studio 6 Víkend

  In the Studio 6 Víkend program on ČT24, another report was published with Dr. Benediktová on the topic of How dogs orient themselves in nature. The interview is fascinating; it's definitely worth watching. You can find the whole report here: Studio 6 víkend (1:39:58).

State final exams 2021/2022

  Last week, state final exams in the fields of Conservation of Natural Resources and Taxidermy and Operation and Game Management took place. Congratulations on the success, and we wish you a lot of at least such good success in the future. To the others - do not throw the shotgun into the rye! More photos in Gallery -> State final exams.

Show Věda 24

   Ing. Kateřina Benediktová, Ph.D. and prof. RNDr. Hynek Burda, CSc. provided interviews for a reportage on the program Věda 24, which is broadcast on ČT24. You can watch the reportage here: Věda 24 (23:35 – 26:15). And what makes the reportage interesting? They are dogs who can orient themselves in space. One of the things they use for it is the Earth's magnetic field. But more in the reportage itself.

New article

   A new article was published in a French magazine for hunters, summarizing two scientific articles we had previously published on the impact of COVID-19 on wildlife. The magazine is in French, not English, but it's still nice to know that we're talked about worldwide. Of course, we thank the co-authors and congratulate them on their success.

Doctoral studies

  Join our department as a Ph.D. student. More information in the main menu Topics of dissertations for doctoral students.

Hunting ground of the Year

  We would like to invite you to the Hunting ground of the Year conference held at our faculty.

New study

   Recently, a fascinating genetic study focused on the influence of breeds on the behavior of dogs was published in Science. You can find it here: Ancestry-inclusie dog genomics challenges popular breed stereotypes. Czech Television summed it up quite faithfully, although a little strictly in this article: „Bojoví psi“ nemusejí být agresivní. Chování nezávisí na plemenu, ukazuje studie. Subsequently, CT asked us to comment on the results: Studio 6 víkend (39:12 – 50:16). Ing. Kateřina Benediktová, Ph.D. gave the interview.

Fence installation

  We observe how wild boar behave at odor repellents, anti-animal reflectors, and acoustic deterrents along roads. More photos in Gallery -> Spatial activity of game -> Game mortality on the roads.

Field practice Zoology II

   Also, this year we organized with Dr. Policht field practice for the subject of Zoology II. Students learned some capture methods for amphibians, reptiles, and birds. They also had the opportunity to learn the marks of individuals from the breed and see the detection dog during field training. It was also a matter, of course, to learn about the footprints of our game. More photos in Gallery -> Practice, excursions, field lessons -> Field practice Zoology II.

Department teambuilding

   We had our regular departmental meeting this weekend. We enjoyed the whole weekend, not only for work but also for fun and with a full tummy. More photos in v Gallery -> Department trips -> Department trip 2022.

Welcome of Bird Singing

   We invite you to the Welcome of Bird Singing on May 7 to Nové Strašecí.

Order of St. Hubert organizes under the auspices of the Ministry of Agriculture, FFWS and MENDELU

   We would like to invite you to professional seminars on Game Management. The presenting experts from our department will be Associate Professor Hart and Dr. Ježek. You definitely have something to look forward to! So do not hesitate and come and listen to the seminars

Přednáškový den MYSLIVOST Národní zemědělské muzeum

Trophy evaluation show 2022

   On Thursday, an evaluation show of trophies from the hunting grounds of the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague of the School Forest Enterprise in Kostelec nad Černými lesy took place. This show also included accompanying professional seminars given by colleagues from our department. Associate Professor Kušta had a seminar on The management of anti-collision measures in traffic on roads (odors, reflectors, etc.), the experimental methodology in Jevany and previous general experience, and Ing. Silovský introduced us to the topic of AMP risk and active ways of adjusting wild boar numbers (the behavior of wild boar during the driven hunt, efficiency of the driven hunt, expulsion of wild boar from agricultural land at risk of damage). The whole day went very well; thank you to all participants. More photos in Gallery -> Propagation of DGMWB and FFWS -> Trophy evaluation show 2022.

Interesting talk

    The talk by colleague Euan Mortlock will take place today. The title of the talk is "Sleep in the Wild: Ecological constraints on sleep time and patterns in wild mammals". He will be discussing what sleep is, how sleep is shaped by the environment, and why sleep is important in ecology. He will present his work to date on the sleeping patterns of wild boar and fallow deer, and talk about the different factors that affect their sleep behaviour. We will meet on Wednesday, the 16th of March, at 3pm in DP410. Anyone who is interested in sleep, animal behaviour, or ecology will enjoy!

Talk link

Student driven hunt

   The last of this year's driven hunts took place in Kostelec nad Černými lesy the previous week. As every year, the students managed the last driven hunt themselves. This regular event allows them to use all their acquired study knowledge and apply it correctly in practice. The driven hunt was very successful. "Myslivosti zdar!" More photos in Gallery -> Hunts -> Student driven hunt 2022.

Empathic wild boar

    Here again, we have our favorite and well-popular scientific article on wild boar empathy. The French hunting magazine Sanglier Passion & Grands Gibiers wrote about us this time. Of course, congratulations to Mgr. Michaela Másílková, Ph.D.

Hunting Cynology in v Kostelec nad Černými lesy

   Last week, a field practice of the subject Hunting Cynology took place in Kostelec nad Černými lesy. There were also demonstrations of training or, for example, posture. We enjoyed the practice with you and are already looking forward to the next one.

A unique interview

    We bring you a unique interview with Ing. Kateřina Benediktová, Ph.D., who recently took over the leadership of the magnetic team (read an essential person). Of course, we also want to congratulate her and wish her many more successes. We will not tell you more and read the interview yourself.

Block practice of the subject Game Management

    The Game Management course was also held this year. under the leadership of Professor Červený. The students went to the game reserve, where they learned new information about the field of game reserves. The block practice ended with a test and a short session. It is also clear from the photo that the students enjoyed the course.

We bring you our familiar hissing

    Listen to the podcast about the black grouse hissing. Our colleagues went to the field with microphones to find the black grouse (27th minute).

Sonda Lucy na výzkumu Jupiterových trojanů, bioakustici a „pšoukání“ tetřívků obecných

They talk about us (with us again)

    You can start the audio recording at the end of the article (4:36).

Prase, liška, králík, kur: na koho psi štěkají víc – a jak je to s objevem údajné Homérovy Meliboi v Řecku?

Merry Christmas holidays, white way to midnight. We wish you good health for the new year! Your Department DGMWB.

New popularization article

    Read a new article from CzechCrunch about how dogs orient themselves in space and where they most often go. Do they have a compass in their head?

Psi mají v hlavě střelku, která je táhne na sever. Její zkoumání by mohlo ukázat, jak na lidi působí vysoké napětí

Practice instructions

    We have issued the fourth revised edition of the Instructions for Hunting Practice for students of the independent subject Game management, in the field of Operation and Management of Hunting, and the newly conceived study program Game Management and Wildlife Conservation. The aim is to introduce the student to the practical implementation of hunting. This means that the student, under the guidance of the teacher, creates a fictitious hunting community following the regulations and suggests a fictional hunting ground. As part of the hunting ground created in this way, they will then become acquainted with the individual activities and administration.

Hunting Shooting

     In the end, almost two years of work have resulted. A bilingual scientific publication, Hunting Shooting, was published. A similar publication has never been published in our countries, and not only beginning shooters will find theirs in its but also experts in the field. The book is available at the faculty Copycenter or the Druckvo publishing house. You can find a smaller sample of the book in our Gallery -> Propagation of DGMWB and FFWS -> Hunting Shooting.

Kaamos symposium 2021

   A total of 5 doctoral students from our department attended the Kaamos Symposium 2021 yesterday. The symposium took place in a hybrid. Unfortunately, our Ph.D. students could only participate in online, thanks to an ongoing internship at Swansea University.

We will introduce you to our presenters and the topics of their presentations/posters:

Astrid Olejarz - Increased nocturnal activity of wild boars in the Czech Republic during the first COVID-19
lockdown

Monika Faltusová - Step-length parameter in movement analysis: improvement based on the dead
reckoning in combination with GPS telemetry

Hannah Othen - Application of ground penetrating radar (GPR) in studies of burrow systems of fossorial
mammals

Justine Güldenpfenning - Stress assessment during hunting activities – use of bio-logging data

Václav Silovský - East or west home is best: Homing behaviour of translocated female red deer

Journal club

   The important Journal club took place yesterday. We had the honor of hosting Professor Hynek Burda, who gave us a lot of advice on how best to write a cover letter for the article we want to publish. Thank you very much, Professor.

Hunts at forest factory Konopiště

    On the 4th and 5th of November, hunts were held at FF Konopiště, which full-time and combined students of PŘM attended. They took away not only a unique experience but also a reward in the form of pheasants. You can find more photos in the Gallery -> Practice, excursions and field lessons -> Game Preserves and Pheasantries.

The first evidence of so-called rescue behavior in wild boar

    We have already told you several times about what our KMLZ colleagues have found out about wild boar empathy. Now you can read the summary of the scientific article even in the magazine Svět myslivosti.

Interview with doc. Ing. Tomáš Kušta, Ph.D.

     We bring you a new interview with Associate Professor Kušta, our colleague and Vice-Dean for Science, Research and Doctoral Studies, the solver of the supported project entitled "Building facilities and research support for research-oriented educational program Fire protection of forests, wood materials, and wood-based materials."

Interview also here: MŠMT novinky

A new project by doc. Ing. Tomáš Kušta, Ph.D.

    For individuals marked with GPS collars, we monitor in detail the behaviour of wild boar around roads. We also monitor how they respond to different measures (odor repellents, reflectors, or acoustic scarers) to verify their functionality and effectiveness in preventing collisions with the game.

ETC Budapest 2021

    Ing. Ondřej Salaba, Ph.D. summarized the successes at this year's European Taxidermy Championships. And there was definitely something to write about, you can read the article from the magazine Myslivost yourself. Thank you and congratulations to all our representatives.

Lecture by Mr. MVDr. Lubomír Nezbeda

    A new study program, Hunting and Care for the Environmental of Wildlife, opened at FLD in the academic year 2021/2022, guaranteed by the Department of Game Management and Wildlife Biology. As part of this study program, first-year students in the winter semester also complete the innovative subject of Forest Construction. Course guarantor, Mr. doc. Zlatuška invited to one of his lectures employees of the Regional Veterinary Administration for the South Bohemian Region, the director of the Department of Veterinary Hygiene and Public Health Protection, Mr. MVDr. Lubomír Nezbed. Mr. Doctor attractively introduced students to the issue of setting up cold stores and game-cutting plants, including veterinary and hygienic requirements. He also mentioned the conditions for their construction and renovation of buildings where similar facilities could be built. He drew students' attention to the frequent administrative, material, and technical shortcomings, which often appear during registration, construction, or possible subsequent inspections of the operation of these facilities. The students of the 1st year of Game Hunting and Environmental Care thus had a unique opportunity to get acquainted with this issue directly from an expert with many practical experiences.

Boar in ABC

    Our empathicists have also found their way to the younger generation in the form of an article in ABC magazine. We are glad that science is spreading among young people as well.

A series of seminars on the game behavior

      Doc. Ing. Tomáš Kušta, Ph.D., and Ing. Miloš Ježek, Ph.D., in cooperation with the ČMMJ and the Ministry of Agriculture, a series of seminars on game behavior, collisions on roads, and the possibilities of game management are continuing. This time the talk took place in Olomouc.

Professor Červený's new podcast

   Unfortunately, we cannot repeat the talk on large mammals, but you can listen to a new podcast on this topic at the following link.

Velcí savci v České republice

Talk on large carnivores

   Professor Jaroslav Červený from our department presented the topic "Large carnivores in southwestern Bohemia" at a lecture at the forestry school in Písek. The topic was the introductory lecture of the series "What's happening in the forest".

Fallow deer and other ungulates in our hunting grounds

   In the last issue of the Svět myslivosti magazine, you can read the article by Associate Professor Hanzal. We will not tell you what the article is about, read it yourself, it is worth it.

Biological Thursdays

   We bring you a tip for lectures on biology. Most, of course, we recommend a lecture by Professor Burda, who will give a talk on Lassie Returns - Does she need a magnetic compass for that? So if you live in the vicinity of Viničná but maybe even further and you are interested in these topics, we highly recommend lectures!

Biological Thursdays

Podcast

   As we recently informed you, the Night of Scientists (Noc vědců) took place at the ČZU, attended by our colleagues Ing. MgA. Jana Adámková, Ph.D. and Ing. Kateřina Benediktová, Ph.D. You can listen to the whole podcast called Dogs and their orientation in the time and space they have prepared at the following link.

Psi a jejich orientace v čase a prostoru

Interview about the grouse

   In the morning program of Czech Radio Plus today, you could hear a short interview of our fellow bioacoustics on the topic of individuality in the black grouse voice and the possibilities of its use for non-invasive monitoring of this endangered species. You can also listen to it from the recording at 6:21. And the article itself can be found online thanks to Open Access.

Ranní Plus

Do you know how the black grouse hissing?

    Would you like to hear it? So turn on Český rozhlas Plus tomorrow morning at 7:25? Specifically, our colleagues from the bioacoustic team, Ing. Lucie Hambálková and Mgr. Richard Policht, Ph.D., will speak about hissing calls of the black grouse. Using analysis of the recordings, they found that there was individuality in this non-vocal voice. Thanks to it, a non-invasive method of the census of the grouse population could be created, which would not disrupt the process of the hissing of this rare species.

African swine fever and Dr. Ježek

    Yesterday at N LIVE: Přehled dne 4. října 2021, an interview was conducted with our specialist in African swine fever. In an interview, Dr. Ježek passed on basic information about this disease to the general public. You can start the interview at the following link.

TN LIVE: Přehled dne 4. října 2021

They talk about us again

     Are you interested in dogs and hunting, so do not hesitate to read the article recently published by our colleague Mgr. Richard Policht, Ph.D. We are already bringing you a small tasting in the form of popularizing the article in the media.

Štěkot psů při hlášení různých druhů zvěře se liší. Nejvýrazněji u divočáka

Štěkot psů při hlášení různých druhů zvěře se liší, zjistili vědci

IUGB conference 2021

     Last week, an IUGB conference was held in Budapest, which was participated by 4 of our colleagues. The whole conference took place in smaller numbers than usual, but even so, it can be assessed as very successful. For more information and photos, see the album in our gallery (Gallery -> Conferences -> IUGB conference).

Meeting of doctoral students and supervisors

    Today, a regular meeting of doctoral students and supervisors took place, where the progress of doctoral students is always discussed. However, this meeting was also focused on the pre-defenses of first-year doctoral students, in addition, the meeting was also attended by incoming students.

African swine fever today

    Are you interested in ASF? Read the article by Ing. Miloš Ježek, Ph.D. and Ing. Tomáš Kunca, Ph.D. and find out what the current situation in Europe is with ASF.

Course Jelenář 2021

     Last week Ing. Kateřina Benediktová, Ph.D. a Ing. Miloš Ježek, Ph.D. took part in the Jelenář 2021 Course organized by the Scenthound Breeders Club. They lectured there about the behavior of dog and the possibilities of managing red deer.

A series of seminars on the game behavior

    Doc. Ing. Tomáš Kušta, Ph.D. and Ing. Miloš Ježek, Ph.D. started, in cooperation with the ČMMJ and the Ministry of Agriculture, a series of seminars on game behavior, collisions on roads, and the possibilities of game management. The first took place in Jihlava, other seminars will be held in Liberec, Pilsen, and Olomouc.

Organisms from prehistoric times

    The scientist Mgr. Nataliia Iakovenko, Ph.D., who is also part of our department, had the opportunity to explore a multicellular organism that survived over 20,000 years in the eternally frozen soil in northeastern Russia.  Thank you for this amazing success! Play the report using the following link.

Události

Dynamic notice board

    Our department headed by Ing. Jiří Synkem Ph.D. and doc. Ing. Vlastimil Hart Ph.D. has created a dynamic notice board for you, which you will find on the second floor of the FLD. We plan to constantly supplement and improve it. If you have ideas on what to add to the notice board, do not hesitate to contact us. The same applies if you have an exhibit that we are still missing and you want to dedicate it to us or exhibit it with us.

We were in the TV newspapers.

    It's amazing, we were also in the TV newspaper (Mgr. Michaela Másílková, Ph.D.). You can watch the report at the following link. Of course, take everything with a grain of salt and you'd better read the article by yourself.

Zprávy z regionů

    For sure, we once again attach an article published by us.

You clever swine: Pigs in first documented case of animals solving problems to rescue one another

They are talking about us!

     There is more and more talk about us and we are very happy about it! You can see for yourself in the following articles. We would especially like to thank our colleague Mgr. Michaela Másílková, Ph.D., who discovered strange behavior in wild boar.

Fotopast českých vědců zachytila bachyni, jak vysvobodila odchycená prasata

Čeští vědci zachytili vzácné chování divokých prasat

Fotopast zachytila, jak bachyně osvobodila uvězněné divočáky. Podle vědců by to mohl být první doklad jejich empatie

The Daily Telegrapher writes about us!

     We recently presented to you an article about the behavior of wild boar when caught in a capture facility. The article now has over 300 tweets and has been written about it in The Daily Telegrapher. You can read more yourself at the following link.

You clever swine: Pigs in first documented case of animals solving problems to rescue one another

Memory of Ludvík Kunc

     Professor Koubek also said goodbye to Ludvík Kunc very nicely in the August issue of Svět myslivosti.

Empathic wild boar?

     Under the leadership of Mgr. Michaela Másílková Ph.D., colleagues from our department managed to publish a case study on the behavior of wild boar when they got caught in a capture device. Be sure to read the article, you can find it here: Observation of rescue behaviour in wild boar (Sus scrofa).

Our collection of preparations

     The extensive collection of the Department of Hunting and Forest Zoology is currently undergoing a thorough re-registration of exhibited dermoplastic preparations, skeletons and skulls of vertebrates. The whole collection is an important visual aid for teaching vertebrate zoology. The main credit for the care of the collection and the registration of exhibits goes to MUDr. Martin Häckel, CSc., Ph.D. and Ing. Jiří Synek, Ph.D.

Memory of Ludvík Kunc

     Our professor Červený remembered Ludvík Kunc very nicely. If you also want to remember, be sure to read the article in August Myslivost.

Testing of individual variability in behavior

      We test individual variability in the behaviour or temperament of hunting dog breeds using simple behavioural tests that are commonly used in dogs for this purpose (reactions to the firing of an umbrella, reactions to a doll, new space, etc.). We investigate not only the behavioural reactions of dogs to the experimental stimulus but also physiological reactions (e.g. heart rate). We are still adding people, so anyone with a hunting dog who would be interested in participating can contact masilkova@fld.czu.cz. More photos in Gallery -> Field work -> Testing of individual variability in dog behavior.

EURODEER meeting

     A Eurodeer meeting was held from Monday till Wednesday. The participation of our colleagues from the telemetry team was a matter of course. The meeting covered many topics such as predation, migration, reasons for animal mortality, and the very current topic of COVID-19 and its impact on nature. Unfortunately, the situation still did not allow us to meet in person, so the meeting took place online. We hope that next time it will be face to face.

Department teambuilding

     Departmental team building took place in Doupov last week. There was a very good mood throughout the stay and the overall atmosphere was amazing. But more in our album (Gallery -> Department trips -> Department trip 2021).

Telemetry team meeting

     A telemetry team meeting took place in the second week in June. You can see more photos in the gallery, where you can also read more information (Gallery -> Spatial activity of game -> Telemetry team meeting).

What did the pandemic bring us to our hunting grounds?

       The intensity of the use of nature by human activities was changed by the COVID period. How exactly? You can read this in the new issue of Svět myslivosti magazine.

Training course to obtain a qualification

    Today, two of our colleagues successfully completed a five-day training course to obtain qualifications and professional competence in the field of experimental animals according to §15d paragraph 2 letter a) of Act No. 246/1992 Coll., on the protection of animals against cruelty, as amended (designing experiments and experimental projects - intended for physicians, veterinarians and persons with other university education in the field of biology). This will add them to many other colleagues who have already successfully passed the course in previous years. Congratulations!

Upcoming conferences 

     COVID seems to be gradually receding, so we can slowly return to a normal life. Colleagues from the department plan to attend several conferences in the autumn. We wish you good luck during the presentations. In the autumn we will inform you about the progress of their efforts. More about conferences on the links below the pictures.

Biologging Conference

IUGB Congress

69th WDA / 14th EWDA - Joint Virtual Conference

So we managed to get to Ekolist

     The Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences (DGMWB) has prepared an instructional video on the method of blood sampling in wild boar. In the video, the whole procedure of the method is explained and shown. More information in the following article.

Vědci představili novou metodu oděru krve z uloveného divočáka. Myslivcům to usnadní práci

New study programs! Game Management and Wildlife Conservation and Conservation of Natural Objects and Taxidermy

     Don't hesitate to come study with us. We are an excellent school with many possibilities. However, if you are still hesitant, be sure to check out the Facebook page of Fakulta lesnická a dřevařská – ČZU in Prague, or the Instagram of lesarna and kmlz.fld.

Blood sampling of game

      A new method of taking blood from a wild boar, which was verified by experts from our department. More in the following video.

New article discusses preparation

     An article entitled Osteological Preparation - yesterday, today and perhaps tomorrow - was published in a new issue of Myslivost magazine. The authors of this article are J. Synek, O. Nakládal and V. Hart. We won't tell you more because you can read it by yourself

Fearless wild boar

     The female in ŠLP Kostelec n.Č.l. feels even so good that she feeds the piglets right in front of the capture device. We managed to capture this video on a camera trap.

EVA 4.0 meeting

     An online meeting with an external advisory board of the international multi-annual project EVA 4.0 took place on Tuesday. The leader of each project team presented the team's achievements and their next plans. The part where the results of the magnetoreception research carried out at the Department of Game Management and Wildlife Biology were presented, the couple Roswith and Wolfgang Wiltschko accepted an invitation to an online meeting. Those who do not know them, they are the founders and capacities in the field of magnetoreception research. Their participation in the meeting was an unprecedented honor for us. In addition, they participated in the subsequent discussion and showed a supportive interest in our presented results. Later, after the meeting, they wrote to us that they were fascinated by our approach to watching large mammals in their natural habitat. They also appreciated our reflection on possible parallels between magnetic perception in dogs and birds. Meeting them was a very nice diversification and encouragement for us in further experiments.

Competition with KMLZ

     We have the announcement of our competition. The translocated doe returned home in 20 hours and 30 minutes. The closest bettors were and the winners are @prej_sandra_ with her estimate of 20 hours and @myslivec_milan with an estimate of 21 hours. We ask the winners of the selection of the prize. The price will be prepared for them in the L261 office. Congratulations to the winners and thanks to everyone involved. We will definitely prepare another interesting competition for you in the future!

Competition with KMLZ

     We promised you a competition. We hope you are well prepared! As mentioned, the competition is about homing. The question is - How many hours did it take the doe in the photo to return home after being transported? You can reply in comments or messages on all our social networks. The competition ends at midnight on Friday (16 April 2021). The competition will be evaluated next Monday on 19 April 2021 on FB and Instagram. And what can the winner look forward to? A textbook of his choice (Myslivost I, Myslivost II or Péče o zvěř a životní prostředí). If the competition is successful, we will be happy to prepare another for you, so don't hesitate to participate!

Red deer have a personality associated with their dominant behaviour

     Our colleague published a paper with a colleague from the Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Nature Resources, a colleague from Vienna, and a colleague from Turku, and, as is common practice in Finland, a press release was held. An international team of researchers has studied individual differences in the behaviour of red deer. They found that several observed behaviours form a personality component, which they labelled “Confidence/Aggressiveness”. You can read more in the following article – Red deer have personality and it is related to their dominance behaviour.

Superpowers? Not just smell, they can also "sense" the Earth's magnetic field

     A very nice popularization article on the topic of the “animal compass“ of dogs was published in the newspaper 5+2. Our colleague, Ing. Kateřina Benediktová, participated in it; thank you!

12th Open European Taxidermy Championships 2021

     Ing. Ondřej Salaba, Ph.D. from our department is considering participating in the competition for the 12th Open European Taxidermy Championships 2021 in cooperation with students. They would like to compete with a raccoon dog life-size mount and a mouflon pedestal mount. Of course, only if COVID regulations enable the competition and work on stuffed animals at school.

MVDr. Pavel Forejtek, CSc.

     We regret to announce the passing of MVDr. Pavel Forejtek, CSc on 2 April 2021. He was a Veterinarian who mostly dealt with health issues of game and hunting dogs, a researcher, an author of many scientific and educational publications, an avid hunter and, last but not least, a popular teacher. In addition to his work at universities in Brno, he collaborated with our Department of Game Management and Wildlife Biology at the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences ČZU in Prague. Here he taught veterinary issues within the subject of hunting and provided the separate subject of zoonosis. We honour his memory!

     For more details on his life, visit the Svět myslivosti website, or read the article in the magazine Svět myslivosti 2021/1.

UGC University Grant Competition

     Doctoral students from our department received a university grant in the UGC competition. Congratulations to them, and we wish them much success with the project!

Eradication of African swine fever in the Czech Republic

     At our department, a professional team led by Ing. Miloš Ježek Ph.D. deals with African swine fever. In the following video, you can learn how the management of wild boar helped eradicate African swine fever in the Czech Republic.

Webinars

     22nd – 24th of March starting at 06:00 pm, webinars will be held led by researchers from our department. Webinars will be held online in English. Links to these webinars can be found below the image. We highly recommend them.

Lecture on 22nd of March at 06:00 pm – New bio-logging technology of red deer and wild boar individuals and their spatial behavior during homing experiment.

Link: https://zoom.us/j/95464284277...

Meeting ID: 954 6428 4277; Passcode: 280619

Lecture on 23rd of March at 06:00 pm – Population decline and the current state of euroepean hare in Central european landscape.

Link: https://zoom.us/j/95793784183...

Meeting ID: 957 9378 4183; Passcode: 952067

Lecture on 24th of March at 06:00 pm – African swein fever in Czech republic– how to use results from the wildlife monitoring during the eradication of disease.

Link: https://zoom.us/j/96587556583...

Meeting ID: 965 8755 6583; Passcode: 656005

Departmental meeting

     Our regular departmental meeting was held this afternoon. Due to the current COVID situation, the whole meeting took place online. Despite this environment, we have resolved many of the issues that have arisen and prepared for the coming months. It was also a pleasure to congratulate our two new fellow doctors who successfully defended their dissertations last week. Now we are just waiting for the situation to improve to be able to celebrate their success with them properly.

Study programs in Myslivost

     This article in the new Myslivost is definitely worth reading! You will learn information about the Programmes – Operation and Game Management and the Conservation of Natural Objects and Taxidermy. Both programmes are new and they have our support. Applications for the study can only be submitted until 31st of March, so don't forget.

Deer immobilization 

     This week we were with colleagues in the Šumava National Park, where we immobilized and collared deer. We were very successful, and in several places we managed to mark a total of 7 individuals. Next week we will continue with the marking, so please wish us good luck and success next week as well.

Deer duel

   Random footage taken during wild boar research organized by members of the Department of Game Management and Wildlife Biology at the School Forest Enterprise in Kostelec nad Černými lesy.

Equipment on FLD

     In the February issue of Myslivost magazine, you can read about the equipment we have at our forestry school. This equipment assists and will assist in the teaching of programmes such as Operation and Game Management and the Conservation of Natural Objects and Taxidermy. Take a look at the Programmes, where you will learn what you can study with us. The selection is truly great, so don't hesitate to join us. Applications can be submitted until the 31st of March!

Covid won't stop us

   Even at this time, we are not idle; we continue to work on all our projects. We follow the motto "safety first", using an online environment for doctoral, team, thematic and departmental meetings. Today, for example, we had the Journal club. This is a meeting where we regularly introduce and evaluate new/recent scientific articles, which allows us to follow current research in our field.

New article

     Our colleague, Dr. Tomasz Pawel Podgórski, contributed to a new article entitled “Social structure defines spatial transmission of African swine fever in wild boar”. The article deals with a very important topic – African swine fever.

     Feel free to read the article!

Social structure defines spatial transmission of African swine fever in wild boar

Camera traps

     Sometimes we manage to capture species that are not subject to our research. Of course, even in these cases we are very happy, and we are glad to be able to share it with you! In the videos you can see the mouflon and the European badger.

NOW ON INSTAGRAM!

   The pressure of modern times has caught up our department too, so now you can watch all our events right here – Instagram.

African swine fever

   The current situation regarding the African swine fever near the Czech Republic is not ideal. You can read the whole article in the magazine Myslivost.

Dogs prefer the north rather than the south

   Experts from our department confirmed that the lateral preference of dogs is influenced by the magnetic field. You can read more at the following link – Psi mají radši sever než jih.

Summary of 2020 KMLZ

   You can read what the year 2020 was like for the Department of Game Management and Wildlife Biology in the magazine Myslivost.

Sudan in our Hi-Tech pavilion

   At our faculty, specifically in the High-Tech pavilion, there is currently a rare skeletal specimen of the last male of the northern white rhinoceros, Sudan. Learn more in the ČT24 report – Záchrana vzácných nosorožců pokračuje.

Rector's awards

   In December, the Dean of the Faculty presented the annual Rector's Awards for the best publications at the Dean's Board. The Rector's Award for the best publication outputs of the research work of doctoral students from our department was awarded to Ing. Kateřina Benediktová, and the Rector's Award for the publication output of ČZU employees listed in the Nature index list was awarded to Dr. Tomasz Pawel Podgórski. Congratulations!

Research of roe deer behaviour on roads in the presence of odor repellents

   Our scientists focused on monitoring the behaviour of roe deer on the roads. Read about the results of the marking of 10 animals with telemetry collars in the article in the Myslivost magazine – Výzkum chování srnčí zvěře u silnic v přítomnosti pachových repelentů.

Is your dog left-handed or right-handed?

   When a dog moves south, he is left-handed. The laterality of dogs is probably controlled by the Earth's magnetic field. You can read more about this topic in the following article – Když pes táhne na jih, je levák. Lateralitu psů nejspíš řídí magnetické pole Země.

Field practice – Monitoring wild animals

   Three-day field practice in the newly taught subject "Monitoring wild animals" took place in Rapotice under the supervision of the best experts from all over the Czech Republic. Students learned to monitor river fish, insects, amphibians, birds and large vertebrates. It was a great three days in the field, providing a lot of new experiences for everyone involved. We thank all the teachers for their help with teaching and the students (and teachers) for the pleasant atmosphere, which everyone really enjoyed! Thanks mostly go to doc. Farkač from KMLZ FLD, who organized the whole event.

Zoological collections

   Our zoological collections are being expanded again with new additions: the European rabbit, the American mink, the steppe polecat, the tough-legged buzzard, the water rail, the common moorhen, the caspian gull, the Egyptian goose, both species of our crows, the spotted nutcracker, the grey partridge and the European crested tit.

A new era of magnetoreception research

   We received the long-awaited magnetic inductor from West Germany, in which research will be carried out to confirm the magnetic alignment in small vertebrate species and invertebrates. Let's hope that research begins as fast as possible and that we present new, fundamental discoveries from the secret life of animals.

Second part of the Hunting textbook

   Dear colleagues, the second part of the Hunting textbook is finally here, providing lots of new and interesting information. In the words of Associate Professor Hanzal, who is the main author of this textbook, our students will find everything they need not only for the hunting exam, but also for the state exams, in this textbook.

Zoological collections

   A bear, a male and female mouflon, a wild turkey, a European hare and a wildcat have recently joined our collections. Their uniqueness primarily lies in the fact that one fairy-tale bear, Vojta, has given us two preparations for our collections: skeletal and taxidermal. Students thus have a unique opportunity to study (in this case) the incredible difference between a "tiny" skeleton and a giant body. Students of our field of study, Natural Preparation and Taxidermy, will also get their due. How was it possible to create two perfect, full-fledged preparations, including claws, teeth, etc., from one specimen? Learn more at the lecture in our "collection room".

Forest Zoology textbook – Vertebrates – text part

   In addition to general knowledge, this textbook provides new data on the distribution, biology and significance of all vertebrates living in the Czech Republic. Detailed attention is especially paid to species that are important or in some way economically significant. Other species that are less important or unimportant for forest ecosystems are presented in abbreviated form in special boxes. The uniqueness of this textbook lies in the fact that the last publication dealing with this topic was published an 62 incredible years ago.

Excursion to the pheasantry

   This weekend, the field of Operation and Management of Hunting took an excursion to the pheasantry of LZ Konopiště.

Zoological collections

   We are constantly expanding our collection, and we are far from done...

Brdy

   Over the weekend, a group of graduates from the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences particpated in the "Field Practice of Veterans" led by Professor Červený. The programme included a tour of the former Brdy Military District. The stops during the passage through forests, heaths and peat bogs included the Tři trubky Chateau, which was once also visited by President T.G. Masaryk, followed by Padrťské ponds and Houpák hill. Comfortable shelter was provided by the hunting lodge of the Military Forests and farms near Velký rybník. Despite the alternating rainy weather, the participants enjoyed their stay.

Ig Nobel Prize

   Ig Nobel prozes, i.e. (non)serious Nobel Prizes, were awarded in the USA. But are they really just funny? How are they perceived in the world of science? Listen to the interview with Professor Hynek Burda, who also represented the award winners from our Department of Game management and Wildlife Biology.

http://www.rozhlas.cz/plus/dnesniplus/_zprava/1652969

Worldwide conference

   Members of the Department of Game Management and Wildlife Biology participated in the ninth annual conference on animal orientation and navigation. The meeting was organized by the Royal Institute of Navigation at Royal Holloway College in London. The photographs show the venue and a joint photo with world scientific celebrities (prof. H. Burda, prof. W. Wiltschko, prof. R. Wiltschko, and prof. J. Phillips), whose lifelong work has influenced knowledge and research of magnetoreception and spatial orientation of animals.

First part of the Hunting textbook

   The first part of the two-part Hunting textbook series. The first part contains chapters Hunting history, habits and traditions, Development of hunting law in Bohemia and Moravia, Hunting zoology, Hunting cynology and Game care. These include a number of illustrative images and photographs.

Haymaking online: Protection of animals during harvest and mowing

   Saving animals endangered every year during haymaking will now be easier. A set of mobile applications developed for the SENOSEC.CZU.CZ web portal has brought facilitation to volunteers, farmers and hunters. Applications for smartphones and tablets, and for use directly in the field, were developed by students of the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague as part of a competition announced by the ČZU, for which the Ministry of the Environment provided 100,000 Czech korunas. Students Ladislav Böhm and Jakub Podroužek won the competition for the best set of mobile applications and a prize of 40,000 Czech korunas.

Game reserve Židlov

   A traditional meeting of staff and friends of the Department of Game Management and Wildlife Biology FLD ČZU Prague was held. This time, we visited game reserve Židlov in the Českolipsko region. The meeting also included an excursion around the hunting operations of VLS, s.p., Mimoň division. Some of us experienced a very close encounter with a bison, the original inhabitant of our forests.

Horn blower driven hunt

   The School Forest Enterprise held the 2nd Horn blower driven hunt. The event was attended by horn blowers from all over the Czech Republic. The evening was followed by a ceremony and the hunter's pass.

Successes

   The article on the susceptibility of dogs was an unprecedented success. It broke the limit of 1,000,000 views, which is a golden business card for a scientific article. We would like to thank all our students, friends and colleagues who helped us with data collection, because this is a success for all of us.

Meeting in Doupov

   The KMLZ external meeting was held in Doupov over the weekend. The weekend included an informal evening sitting with a discussion, as well as an excursion to the Hradiště military training area and a visit to the VLS shooting range, s.p. Karlovy Vary division. The whole weekend was accompanied by great weather and a relaxed atmosphere.

Introduction to Hunting textbook

   The Department of Game Hunting and Wildlife Biology published its first textbook with the Druckvo publishing house, namely the Introduction to Hunting, and it can be purchased at the Copycentre at the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences of the ČZU in Prague, or directly from the publisher at the Druckvo publishing house. We are sure that those interested in this textbook will not be disappointed with its contents, and that they will draw from it not only throughout their studies, but also in the practice.

All-round hound tests

   Together with students of the 3rd year of OMH, we visited the All-round hound tests, which were organized by the District Hunting Association Prague-West on the hunting ground MS Malá Lečice – Bratřínov. The weather was beautiful, the dogs worked very well and we all gained a lot of experience.

Ig Nobel Prize

   This year's Ig Nobel Prize in Biology was awarded to a Czech-German team of zoologists from the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences of the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, and the University of Duisburg-Essen, for work on the perception of magnetic fields by dogs, published at the end of last year in the journal Frontiers in Zoology. Of the twelve scientists who took part in the work, Hynek Burda, Sabine Begall, Pascal Malkemper, Vlastimil Hart, Petra Nováková and Veronika Hartová took part in the ceremony, winning the Ignace Nobel (IG-Nobel Award) - an award that has been awarded since 1991 for serious scientific work that "makes people laugh first and then makes them think” - in front of the sold-out Sanders-Theater of Harvard University in Boston. Although the award is satirical and "Cimrmanian" in some aspects, providing a monetary reward of 10 billion Zimbabwean dollars, it is definitely one of the most prestigious scientific awards.

   Take a look at the award ceremony – Žertovnou Nobelovu cenu získali i čeští vědci.

Dogs have a compass

   A very interesting article on magnetism was published in Lidové noviny, based on the conclusions published by KMLZ members in the journal Frontiers in zoology – Psi mají svůj vnitřní kompas. Reaguje na magnetické pole.

Dogs sense the Earth's magnetic field

   Dogs, a man's best friend, are known for their excellent senses, especially their sensitive hearing and smell, but they can likely also sense something else: they sense the Earth's magnetic field. This conclusion was reached by a team of scientists from the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences of the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague and the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany, whose incredible findings were published in the renowned scientific journal Frontiers in Zoology – Dogs are sensitive to small variations of the Earth’s magnetic field.

Wild boar holiday trip

   During the summer months, we witnessed an interesting journey of a wild boar named Mirek. Mirek was monitored using a GPS collar as part of research into the spatial behavior of game in the Šumava and Bavarian borders. Mirek was marked on the 13th of March near České Žleby in the Šumava National Park. He wandered around Stožce, and until mid-July, his home district was in the range of hundreds of hectares (600-1400 ha). However, on the 28th of July he took a trip, and within 2 weeks he traveled through German territory to Austria near the town of Neufelden, which is 58 km as the crow flies from the place where Mirek usually stayed. Here Mirek settled around a corn field, and it seemed that he would settle here permanently thanks to the large amount of food compared to Šumava's poor forests and pastures. However, after about 2 weeks, Mirek set out again, and to our surprise he arrived in in Stožce again 4 days later. He is now in the same environment where he spent the previous part of the year. You can read about Mirek on our website or in the Austrian press.

Keiler nach „Wallfahrt“ wieder im Nationalpark.

Landing!

   Landing on water is extremely difficult, not only for aircraft pilots (as evidenced by the recent Boeing 777 crash in San Francisco), but also for waterfowl. Commenting on the disaster, pilots agree that the airport in San Francisco is one of the worst in the world, because the aircraft beings to land above the water, making estimating the height, speed and slope of the descent extremely difficult. But have you ever seen waterfowl have an accident when they land, or a flock collide upon landing?

Directional compass preference for landing in water birds.

   There were also several responses to the interesting research in the national press and radio; links can be found below.

Výzkum: kachny přistávají na vodě severojižně. Letadla se mohou opičit.

Fascinující objev: kachny divoké se při přistání řídí kompasem. (time 22:45)

Kdo je dispečerem vodního ptactva?