Oberrabenstein game reserve: The red deer rut has begun
A special event has been taking place at the Oberrabenstein game reserve for a few days now. The mating season - the so-called rut - of the red deer has begun. This takes place annually between mid-September and mid-October, but also depends on the temperatures. Cold nights increase the activity. With a bit of luck, you can then hear the "roaring", the characteristic rutting call of the male animals.
With a shoulder height of over one metre, the red deer is one of the largest wild animals in Central Europe. The males are characterised by their large, widely branched antlers at the appropriate age. The females have no antlers and are therefore also known as "bald deer".
If you visit the game reserve early, you can observe the still steaming animals in the cool morning hours, signs of a very energy-consuming night. Other traces of the rut can be discovered everywhere: freshly torn young trees, the ground churned up in places with the antlers, the tangle of many blasting tracks and the characteristic tart rutting odour in the air.
At the beginning of the rutting season, the male stags try to hold a "rutting rut". To do this, the strongest animal drives away all other male competitors for a herd of hinds. The strongest and remaining stag is known as the "top stag". It tries to scare off potential rivals with its impressive behaviour or loud roaring. In the last resort, a top stag can only keep its rival away from its herd by fighting. The antlers, which are a common feature of all male animals, are used for this purpose. The aim of a "comment fight" is not to injure the opponent, as there appear to be fixed rules, which keeps the risk of injury relatively low. A fatal outcome of a fight is the exception.
In addition to these tasks around the herd, the stag has to search for the animals that are really ready to mate, as each sexually mature doe is only in heat for two to three days. The stag uses its odour to check whether its animals are ready to mate. Another indication is the raised frond - the tail - of the doe. Once he has captured a female that is ready to mate, she is driven for a short time and then mated.
The rut is very energy-intensive for the stag. During these weeks, it can lose 15 to 20 kilograms in weight, as it spends hardly any time eating and lives largely from the fat reserves stored in its liver. At the end of the rut, it is quite possible that top predators have to give up their herd to a rival that is still unused.
Autumn holidays in the game reserve
There will once again be exciting activities at the Oberrabenstein game reserve during the autumn holidays. From Saturday, 30 September, the popular show feedings will be offered at 11 a.m. on Mondays and Saturdays with the wolves and lynxes, Tuesdays and Fridays with the mouflons, Wednesdays with the bison and Thursdays and Sundays with the wildcats.
www.tierpark-chemnitz.de
Opening hours of the zoo and game reserve in October
daily: 9 am to 5 pm, last admission 4 pm