BACKGROUND: The frequent presence of hunters in hunting areas may have a negative impact on wild animals, which may disturb their welfare. Stressors may long affect individual animal species in different ways. Therefore, the study aimed to compare cortisol level in the hair of male mouflons, red deer, and wild boars harvested at the end of the stalking hunting season depending on the age and carcass mass. The cortisol level was determined using the DetectX® Cortisol ELISA Kits. RESULTS: The concentration of cortisol in the hair of mouflons was almost six times lower than that of red deer and wild boars. Carcass mass and age researched animals did not affect cortisol levels. CONCLUSIONS: Stalking hunts most likely do not impact the welfare of big game. There is probably habituation to long-term stress in the animals studied. Mouflons have the ability to respond effectively to specific stressors and are more resistant to long-term stress.

Department of Animal Ethology and Wildlife Management Faculty of Animal Sciences and Bioeconomy University of Life Sciences in Lublin Akademicka 13 Lublin 20 950 Poland

Department of Fur Bearing Animal Breeding and Game Management University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn Oczapowskiego 5 Olsztyn 10 719 Poland

Department of Invertebrate Ecophysiology and Experimental Biology Faculty of Animal Sciences and Bioeconomy University of Life Sciences in Lublin 50A Doświadczalna Street Lublin 20 280 Poland

Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences Czech University of Life Science 165 21 Praha 6 Prague Czech Republic

Institute of Biological Basis of Animal Production Faculty of Animal Sciences and Bioeconomy University of Life Sciences in Lublin 13 Akademicka St Lublin 20 950 Poland

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