Bateson P, Bradshaw E L
Sub-Department of Animal Behaviour, University of Cambridge, UK.
Proc Biol Sci. 1997 Dec 22;264(1389):1707-14. doi: 10.1098/rspb.1997.0237.
When red deer (Cervus elaphus) were hunted by humans with hounds the average distance travelled was at least 19 km. This study of 64 hunted red deer provides the first empirical evidence on their state at the time of death. Blood and muscle samples obtained from hunted deer after death were compared with samples from 50 non-hunted red deer that had been cleanly shot with rifles. The effects on deer of long hunts were (i) depletion of carbohydrate resources for powering muscles, (ii) disruption of muscle tissue, and (iii) elevated secretion of beta-endorphin. High concentrations of cortisol, typically associated with extreme physiological and psychological stress, were found. Damage to red blood cells occurred early in the hunts; possible mechanisms are discussed. Taken together, the evidence suggests that red deer are not well-adapted by their evolutionary or individual history to cope with the level of activity imposed on them when hunted with hounds.
当马鹿（Cervus elaphus）被人类带着猎犬追捕时，其平均逃窜距离至少为19公里。这项对64只被追捕马鹿的研究首次提供了它们死亡时状态的实证依据。将死亡后从被追捕鹿身上获取的血液和肌肉样本，与50只被步枪干净利落地射杀的非被追捕马鹿的样本进行了比较。长时间追捕对鹿的影响包括：（i）为肌肉供能的碳水化合物资源耗尽；（ii）肌肉组织受损；（iii）β-内啡肽分泌增加。发现了通常与极端生理和心理压力相关的高浓度皮质醇。红细胞损伤在追捕早期就已出现；文中讨论了可能的机制。综合来看，证据表明，从进化或个体经历角度而言，马鹿并不适应在被猎犬追捕时所承受的活动强度。
