DIGESTIVE EFFICIENCY IN A WILD GOAT: THE NUBIAN IBEX

Abstract

The ibex (Capra ibex nubiana) is a wild goat indigenous to the extreme desert area adjacent to the Red Sea. The animals' capacity to cope with adverse nutritional conditions was tested on feeds of different quality and was compared to that of other breeds of goats. A low caloric demand 1135 kj/(day∙kg 0.75 ) on alfalfa hay and half this value on wheat straw, high digestibility of dry matter 68%, 60% and 46% on alfalfa hay, Rhodes grass and wheat straw, respectively, and a low metabolic rate was demonstrated in these animals. Urea recycling amounted to 14% the entry rate on alfalfa hay. On grass and wheat straw it was 64% and 74%, respectively. Key words: Ibex, goat, energy metabolism, N-metabolism, digestibility