West Caucasian tur

(Capra caucasica)


Facts

West Caucasian tur IUCN ENDANGERED (EN)

 

Facts about this animal

The West Caucasian tur is a stout and sturdy looking goat with relatively short legs. Adult weight in males is between 65 and 100 kg with a head-body length of 1.5 to 1.65 m. Females are considerably smaller than males. The hoofs are large. The beard is long, narrow and prominent. In summer the coat is yellowish-tan, lighter on the back and sides, darker on the head, very dark brown on the tail and lower legs, and dirty white on the belly. In winter the coat is heavier and coarser, varying from grayish to yellowish-brown, with a dark dorsal stripe. The horns are black and rather similar to those of an ibex, but more massive and relatively shorter. The tips are widely separated. They measure up to 75 cm in males. Females' horns are much shorter and thinner, and only slightly curved.

Did you know?
that the West Caucasian tur has the smallest range of any living ungulate, only 4500 sq. km? (Reference: Toronto Zoo)


 

Factsheet
Class MAMMALIA
Order ARTIODACTYLA
Suborder RUMINANTIA
Family BOVIDAE
Name (Scientific) Capra caucasica
Name (English) West Caucasian tur
Name (French) Chèvre du Caucase occidental
Name (German) Westkaukasischer Tur
Name (Spanish) Tur del Cáucaso occidental
CITES Status Not listed
CMS Status Not listed

 

 

Photo Copyright by
Dmano

Distribution

 


Distribution
Range Between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, on the western half of the Caucasus Mountain.
Habitat Mountainous terrain between 800 and 4000 m
Wild population 6.000-10.000 (2001) (Red List IUCN 2011)
Zoo population 149 specimens reported to ISIS (2007).

In the Zoo

West Caucasian tur

 

How this animal should be transported

For air transport, Container Requirement 73 of the IATA Live Animals Regulations should be followed.

 

Find this animal on ZooLex

 

Photo Copyright by
Vladimír Motyčka

Why do zoos keep this animal

The West Caucasian tur is an endangered species. Zoo in Europe, where the majority of the zoo population is kept, therefore undertake efforts to maintain a viable ex situ population by operating a coordinated breeding programme.

 

 

The tur is also a good ambassador species for the Caucasus region, whicb is one of the World's 25 biodiversioty hotspots. Of the originally 500,000 km² of the Caucasus hotspot only 10 % remain intact as of today, and only 2.8 % are protected.

 

How this animal should be kept

West Caucasian tur are social animals and should be kept in groups consisting of several adult males and females and their offspring, or in bachelor groups.

For up to 8 adults an outdoor enclosure of at least 500 m² is required, which should be enlarged by 50 m² per each additional adult. There should also be a smaller enclosure for temporarily separating individual animals as may be required. There must be some shelter protecting from rain, wind and sun, which must be large enough to accommodate all animals, but the animals are cold resistant and no closed stable is required, although a stable may be useful for trapping individual animals.

Climbing opportunities must be provided by natural rocks or artificial rockwork. Marly limestone ("mergel") is an ideal substrate for covering the soil. In case of sand-covered or natural soil there should be paving the feeding sites and around the shelter.

West Caucasian tur are selective grazers/browsers. They should be fed on a diet of good hay, grass, branches in leaves, coniferous branches, pellets and mineral salt.