Hooperle4948
Banteng are a large mammal of Southeast Asia, endemic to Indonesia and Malaysia. They are primarily grazing herbivores, but also eat fruits, seeds and bark. Their habitat is tropical lowland dipterocarp forest and they occupy secondary forests, including those resulting from fires, as well as montane and sub-humid forests at higher elevations. banteng 69 are a keystone species, which means they are highly influential in their local ecosystems and are used by a wide range of other wildlife species (Gardner et al., 2014).
They are vulnerable to land-use conversion and hunting (Perry & Nicolason, 2011), and their population is declining across their range. In Cambodia, the three main landscapes supporting banteng populations - the Cardamom Mountains, Northern Plains and Eastern Plains (Ratanakiri/ Mondulkiri Provinces) - are under increasing pressure from timber extraction, agriculture and development. The latter is largely based on clearing for agricultural and fuelwood production, leading to loss of high-quality grazing and browse habitat.
Intensive timber harvesting and clearing of forest edges are the major threats to bantengs, but habitat fragmentation by cultivation and logging roads also impacts their habitat. This fragmentation can lead to stress and reduced fecal output, particularly during the wet season, which reduces forage availability and increases predator risk. It can also impact on the ability of bantengs to find sufficient grazing during the crepuscular period and can result in their dispersal from their home area (Journeaux et al., 2016).
In the soft release cage, the captive-bred banteng were fed a diet of Zea mays L., Hymenachne pseudointerrupta C. Muell, Hewittia malabarica L., Trichosanthes cucumerina L., and artificial salt licks until they were ready for release. They were released into the forest with their training cage, and during the first year of reintroduction, natural food plants were available, as well as salt licks. Their BCS improved in both the wet and dry seasons.
Using camera traps in the Salakphra Wildlife Sanctuary, the body condition score (BCS) of male and female banteng reintroduced into a natural habitat was monitored during the wet and dry seasons. The average BCS of the bantengs increased in the wet season and decreased during the dry season. The increase was most pronounced for the males. This suggests that the reintroduced banteng were more dependent on a richer habitat during the wet season, which was likely due to the availability of grass and herbs.
To identify differences between banteng and zebu or taurine cattle, the mitochondrial D-loop sequences of one Madura cow, one Malaysian Bali cow and one banteng were analysed. The sequences were compared to taurine and zebu reference sequences. The Malaysian Bali and banteng sequences were clearly distinct from the taurine and zebu sequences, with several deletions, insertions and expanded repeat-like structures indicating that they are genetically differentiated. However, the overall pattern of polymorphism was similar to that observed in zebu and taurine cattle.
