NUTRITION SPECIFICITY OF BROWN HARE (LEPUS EUROPAEUS) AS A CAUSE OF THE DECREASED NUMBER OF POPULATION

This paper reviews the specific choice of food and feed for brown hare (Lepus europaeus) in Serbia and Europe, reducing the diversity of flora as a result of the intensification of agriculture, and the impact of these changes in population numbers. Examination of the composition of hare food is done gastric contents microscopy or fresh feces. Studies from Sweden, Austria and Hungary indicate that hare consume dozens species of plants. However, most authors agree that about 50% of meals are only 2-3 plant species. Based on the literature review can be concluded that the intensification of agriculture substantially reduced the diversity of wild plants in farming areas, most authors considered important to reduce the number of hares in Europe. In particular, it highlights the problem of food deficit in the summer, after harvest of winter crops. During that time comes to change the chemical composition of milk or falling energy value of 14.5 KJg^-1 (spring) to 11.03 KJg^-1 (autumn), which negatively affects the offspring. In contrast, the deficit in the winter diet in most areas is less pronounced, due to the wheat fields. As a solution to these problems according to the establishment of “green corridor” between the fields under the spruce monocultures, organic vegetable production, control the number of predators and possibly controlled production hare offspring in farm.