Marta Alonso

• PhD
• University of Leon

Approximately four million red-legged partridges (Alectoris rufa) are released in Spain each year for repopulation or hunting purposes, all produced on intensive farming facilities under a forced pairing system. We studied the ethological response differences between two types of red-legged partridges couples: free and forced, using an experimental...

1. On a private property with a stable population of wild red-legged partridge (Alectoris rufa) and an appropriate habitat for the survival of the species, reinforcement repopulations were carried out in the months of October and November for two consecutive years using 5- to 6-month-old birds reared on a commercial game farm. 2. Of the 36 released...

En el ganado de lidia (Bos taurus) es necesario prestar atención a la conformación de las extremidades, especialmente en el caso de los machos que se lidian en los festejos, ya que un mal aplomo puede afectar a su locomoción. Existen trabajos sobre la morfología de la raza, pero no se ha llevado a cabo ningún enfoque biomecánico de sus extremidades...

En este trabajo analizamos la evolución de la población de perdiz roja (Alectoris rufa) a lo largo de 27 años (1995-2023) en una finca de 300 ha situada en un hábitat agrocerealista de Castilla y León, la mitad de ellos con medidas de gestión cinegética y la otra mitad tras el abandono de las mismas

El valor productivo de cada toro de lidia se cuantifica en función de su comportamiento en la plaza, el cual es muy difícil de predecir, puesto que se desconoce la heredabilidad de cada tipo de comportamiento, y su interpretación suele ser subjetiva. En este trabajo, se analiza la posible relación de la actitud observada durante la estancia previa...

El ganado de Lidia se produce mayoritariamente en régimen extensivo lo que confiere a su carne de un valor añadido sostenible y se caracteriza por una baja cantidad grasa. Se trata de una raza de difícil manejo y comportamiento con tendencia a sufrir estrés lo que dota a su carne de características entre las normales y las oscuras, duras y secas: D...

El bienestar animal (BA) del ganado en régimen de manejo extensivo, ha sido muy poco estudiado y dentro del ganado bovino, la raza de lidia, es muy interesante en este aspecto por sus particularidades etológicas y su comportamiento agresivo. Se desarrolla un protocolo de valoración optimizado en base al proyecto Welfare Quality®, con el fin de inte...

Diversos estudios relacionan la concentración plasmática de testosterona con un comportamiento agresivo del animal. En ellos se han estudiado diferentes especies animales, pero se desconoce cómo es esta relación en el toro de lidia, perteneciente a una raza bovina singular por su selección etológica hacia la agresividad. En este trabajo se analizó...

La cornamenta del toro de lidia es la parte anatómica más delicada de este animal, dado que su carácter ofensivo y estresable hace que sufra lesiones traumáticas durante el año previo a la lidia. Actualmente, se protege el cuerno con una funda de fibra de vidrio, con el objetivo de proteger su integridad. Con este trabajo, se pretende estudiar la r...

Simple Summary There are limited published data in cattle on blood biological variables in response to intense work or after significant physical exertion. Stress should be considered in addition to exercise in the Lidia breed due to their agonistic behavioral characteristics. Therefore, changes in blood biological variables in response to intense...

La cornamenta en el toro de lidia (TdL) es uno de los elementos anatómicos más importante del animal, ya que le confiere su carácter ofensivo y a la vez le dota de pureza e integridad. En la actualidad se protege el Cuerno (C) durante el último año de cría del toro con una funda de fibra de vidrio. Con el presente trabajo se pretendió estudiar la d...

Minerals are inorganic substances present in all body tissues and fluids that directly or indirectly influence the maintenance of multiple metabolic processes and, therefore, are essential for the development of various biological functions. The Lidia bull breed may be considered an athlete, as during a bull fight it displays considerable physical...

Aim of study: The aim of this work was to study the effect of different length of physical activity carried out by the bull prior to the show during the final performance of the animal, analyzing the behavior and physical activity displayed in the ring. Area of study: There is no clear scientific evidence of physical capacity improvements during th...

Simple Summary The pig industry routinely uses artificial insemination with refrigerated semen. Cryopreserved semen has many advantages, but it is not widely used, partly because of unreliable results. The supplementation with seminal plasma (SP) could improve these results, but this fluid also presents variability. We evaluated if a simple cold-sh...

Simple Summary We review the role of cobalt and vitamin B12 in animals, especially in ruminants. Vitamin B12 is an essential part of the enzyme systems involved in multiple metabolic reactions and mainly in the formation of energy from ruminal fermentation. Signs of deficiency, as well as cobalt toxicity, in animals are described. The level of coba...

Simple Summary The Lidia breed has great economic and social importance and is one of the most interesting breeds worldwide from a genetic point of view. The economic, social, and genetic impact has not been reflected in zootechnical studies carried out on it because the difficulty of handling and approaching of this type of animal makes measuremen...

Citizens worldwide are increasingly concerned about the animal welfare of farm animals but lack knowledge about animal production systems, as fewer and fewer people have a direct connection to rural environment. Veterinary students these days present low motivation for teaching subjects related to agricultural species because they are more focused...

The Lidia breed, originally from Spain, constitutes an important livestock sector in Spain and Portugal. These animals are also bred in southern France and in several countries of South America (Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, and Venezuela). The clinical management of this breed is different from other cattle breeds; therefore, it is essential to...

A bull's horns are the most important anatomical part of the animal, since it confers its offensive character while simultaneously endowing it with purity and integrity. Currently, the veterinarian is the guarantor of the intangibility of the horns and the person in charge of examining them to prevent fraud. The present work aims to describe to the...

Simple Summary In the current socioeconomic situation, consumers’ concerns about farm animal welfare can prevent them from buying some products, and this influences the sustainability of intensive systems. Consumers perceive the need to increase the level of welfare in farm animals, despite the fact that their level of knowledge about farming and a...

Milk can be considered as an indicator of the degree of environmental contamination of the place where it is produced and this is especially important when assessing its content in toxic metals. Therefore, 36 bovine milk samples from 7 farms with a semi-extensive grazing system were analysed, located in Asturias (Spain), in an area with high probab...

Eye fluids (aqueous humour and vitreous humour) may be helpful in estimating ante-mortem blood levels, since some parameters measured in these fluids have proved to be stable or to change in a predictable way after death. This would help in diagnosing the cause of death in some diseases or to evaluate ante-mortem blood levels in certain animals not...

Consumers across the globe are requesting more information about the care and welfare of farm animals as fewer and fewer people have a direct connection to food animal production. This has necessitated more class time focused on farm animal welfare for both animal science and veterinary students as only a limited number enter university with farm a...

The fighting bull breed is characterized by a genetic selection based on a certain behavior called "bravery". Making use of the etiological assessment computer software designed by the Department of Animal Production of the University of León, the behavior of 2577 animals aged from 3 to 6 years has been recorded. These animals have been grappled si...

Artificial insemination with refrigerated semen is routinely performed in the pig industry. Although efficiency has been increasing for years, there is room for improvement, especially in problematic breeds. We have tested a novel additive (Suinfort™, University of León), hormone-free, for supplementing the semen dose before artificial insemination...

Lidia cattle are a heterogeneous Iberian cattle population known for its natural aggressiveness and resistance to traditional handling procedures making in vivo blood sampling and biological fluid collections extremely difficult. Blood variables are influenced by physical exertion and stressful situations; consequently, post-mortem blood analysis d...

There have been registered 2,225 events of falling syndrome in fighting bulls of 3 to 5 years old since 1991 in different bullrings of 1rst and 2nd category, this study was carried out observing the methodology and software by de Alonso et al. (1995a). The present work started with 99.56% of the individuals that showed falls during 1991-1993, with...

In some gamebirds reared for shooting purposes, it has been demonstrated that free pairing and enriched environment may improve welfare. However, the effects of free pairing on the laying output of birds kept in commercial laying cages are poorly understood. Thus, the effects of free pairing on egg production were assessed in red-legged partridges...

The behavior of grazing cattle has not been studied as much as farmed animals. In certain breeds, reared in extensive systems, human presence can cause an interruption or modification in their ethological patterns moving away from the person watching them. The use of technologies like a Global Position System and a General Packet Radio Service (GPS...

La osteocondrosis es un proceso degenerativo de las superficies articulares. Es una enfermedad del desarrollo animal descrita ampliamente en el caballo, con escasas referencias bibliográficas en bovino y prácticamente inexistentes en la raza de lidia. El objetivo de este trabajo fue registrar la afectación de osteocondrosis en toros y novillos, est...

The aim of this study was to assess the relationship of the evolution of the corpus luteum (CL) volume that was determined ultrasonographically with the pregnancy status in lactating dairy cows during early pregnancy. Ultrasound examinations were carried out on 76 cows following artificial insemination (AI). Plasma concentrations of progesterone we...

After the implementation of a management package for red-legged partridges (Alectoris rufa) (including habitat improvement, legal predator removal, supplementary feeding and watering and shooting restrain) in an agricultural Mediterranean area of Spain (308 ha), spring pair densities increased from 2.92 to 12.66/km2 in 9 years, together with summer...

This work evaluated the effect over different ruminal health parameters of a homogenous mixture of concentrate and forage diet, used as fattening feeding system of bullfight animals, comparing with a control group keep on extensive conditions and a group of animals feed under the traditional system of concentrate and forage offered separately. To a...

The use of GPS technology in monitoring Lidia cattle allows us to have relevant data in real time, providing information about the movement, frequented territory, behaviour patterns, etc. In this paper, 9 animals, from 3 different herds in the province of Salamanca (Spain) were monitored, and its characteristics were: mother (8-15 years) - daughter...

Seminal plasma could have positive effects on boar semen after thawing. In the present study we investigated changes in the motility and chromatin structure in spermatozoa over 4 h incubation (37°C) of boar semen thawed in the presence of 0%, 10% or 50% seminal plasma from good-fertility boars. Cryopreserved doses were used from seven males, three...

1. The aim of this work was to improve natural anti-predator behaviour of farm-reared gamebirds. 2. We evaluated the anti-predator behaviour of reared red-legged partridge Alectoris rufa chicks kept in brooder houses in large groups (> 350 chicks), trained and not trained by parent red-legged partridges acting as experienced tutors. 2. The experime...

Durante los últimos años la concienciación de los consumidores sobre la importancia del bienestar de los animales destinados a la producción de alimentos ha ido en creciente aumento. Así, se han desarrollado estudios y sistemas para evaluar y controlar la calidad del bienestar principalmente en las especies explotadas en sistemas intensivos y se ha...

Installation of water troughs is a common approach to increase densities of small game species in the Iberian peninsula but little is known about the watering patterns of target species, such as the wild rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus). Using camera trapping, we monitored the use of water troughs by wild rabbits over 228 weeks in three consecutive p...

Aiming to produce game birds suitable for re-establishment purposes, we studied the survival and behavior of 31 adult red-legged partridges reared by their natural parents in captivity (parent-reared) and 67 wild red-legs (35 adults and 32 subadults). Birds were radio-tracked and released in a game estate where management targeting small game speci...

This paper explores feeding patterns of wild Red-legged Partridges (Alectoris rufa) at artificial feeders, a common management action for game species. Feeders were studied during two consecutive periods from October 2009 to May 2011 in an agricultural area of northwest Spain. Camera trapping was used in order to assess climatic effects on weekly f...

The activity of 2 populations of wild rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus, L. 1758), consisting of 14 adults (>9 mo of age) each (4 males and 10 females), was analysed over 2 consecutive years. Rabbits were captured in the wild and kept in 2 separate enclosures of 0.5 ha, with each enclosure divided into 2 zones: a smaller area where warrens were locate...

The aim of the present study was to obtain reference values in bulls after an intense exercise situation quantifying some biological variables in venous blood. The descriptive analysis was carried out using Statistica 8.0 program and the values obtained were pH (6.81), PCO2 (67.81mmHg), PO2 (22.58mmHg), HCO3(-) (10.82mEq/l), BE (-23.48mEq/l), TCO2...

It describes the evolution experienced by Lidia breed throughout history, influenced by changes in society, fans preferences, regulations and technological advances. The selection scheme, the farm organization, the reproductive, feeding and healthcare management procedures experienced an adjustment to existing problems with current legislation and...

Although animal welfare has become an important premise in poultry, little attention has been paid to the effects of present-day rearing methods on the welfare of game birds, species released for hunting and re-establishment purposes. This work studied the effect of pairing methods on the welfare of the Red-Legged partridge kept in laying cages (4,...

2012): Survival, home range patterns, probable causes of mortality, and den-site selection of the Iberian hare (Lepus, Leporidae, Mammalia) on arable farmland in north-west Spain, Italian Journal of Zoology, This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, resel...

In this study we describe the evolution of the fighting bull production sector in Spain, delving into the origins, evolution and distribution of herds, analyzing the present characteristics of the sector and its impact on the Spanish economy, providing data on the number of farms and celebrations held in the last 10 years and comparing the fighting...

RESUMEN El síndrome de caída del ganado de Lidia es un problema que afecta tanto a machos como hembras y a ejemplares de todas las edades. Las posibles causas que intentan explicar este síndrome han sido muy variadas, sin embargo ninguna de las hipótesis emitidas puede explicar el origen de la caída de forma totalmente concluyente. La caída del Tor...

Despite the importance of rearing wild lagomorphs in captivity for hunting and predator conservation in Spain, little is known about this production sector. Taking official data into account, in this work the number and distribution of farms in Spain and the possible number of animals produced were analysed during the period 2005-2010. In 2010, 114...

Spanish heavy horses play a very important role in keeping up ecologically important rural areas. The interest in their conservation and characterization has increased over the last few years. The aim of this work is to contribute to the characterization of the endangered Spanish heavy horse populations in order to obtain useful information to impl...

The aim of this study was to evaluate welfare status and the implementation of Regulation (EC) 1/2005 during the gathering and loading of deer (Cervus elaphus) bred for meat in Northern Italy. Four journeys overland along with related operations of 45 deer, destined for game farms, were observed over a period of four months. Planning, animal-manage...

This paper explores watering patterns of wild red-legged partridges at water troughs (WT) during three consecutive summers on a farm-land area of Spain where drought periods are frequent. Camera trapping was used in order to assess climatic effects on weekly and daily watering patterns, investigate the influence of shrub cover on water-site selecti...

This study aimed to evaluate the postrelease survival and spatial distribution of farm-bred red-legged partridges (Alectoris rufa) that were subject to a prerelease training program based on exemplary behavior and alarm calls given by adults that acted as experienced demonstrators in simulated predator encounters (wooden raptor models and humans)....

As fostered game birds are better prepared for releasing in comparison to those intensively reared, fostering of wild and game farm red-legged partridges (Alectoris rufa) was studied on a semi-natural rearing farm using farm-hatched chicks. Parent pairs, barren pairs and single individuals from wild and game farm strains were used in a total of 208...

1. The effects of predation isolation were studied in two lines of 10 month-old farmed red-legged partridges (Alectoris rufa). Birds came from bred generations in captivity (F) and directly from wild parents (W). 2. Releases were carried out in March for two consecutive years on private farmland with a stable population of wild red-legged partridge...

Simple Summary We surveyed university students in 11 Eurasian countries for their attitudes to animals, using an internet-based questionnaire to which 1,902 female and 1,530 male student responded from 102 universities. Across countries female students had greater concern for animal welfare and rights than males, but especially so in more gender em...

el ITG GANADERO ha formado parte de un Proyecto INIA de Investigación titulado �EVALUACIÓN DE LOS RECURSOS GENÉTICOS EQUINOS DE ACTITUD CÁRNICA EN PELIGRO DE EXTINCIÓN. CARACTERIZACIÓN, DESARROLLO DE ESTRATEGIAS QUE MINIMICEN EL PARENTESCO Y LA EROSIÓN GENÉTICA DISEÑO Y CREACIÓN DE UN BANCO DE GERMOPLASMA� que se ha venido desarrollando durante est...

This study aimed to determine the influence of the breeding system on the escape response of red-legged partridges comparing 147 free-born partridges captured in the wild (W) and 164 partridges from a commercial hunting farm with an intensive production system (F). All birds were individually released to the natural environment using wooden cages;...

This paper studies the visits of wild fauna, the influence of vegetal cover and fencing at water site election, and consumption tendency in water troughs designed for small game species distributed in an agricultural Mediterranean area during the summers from 2002 to 2005. Red-legged partridges (Alectoris rufa), lagomorphs (Oryctolagus cuniculus, L...

The situation of game bird's captivity breeding in Spain has been tackled in this paper. We examine the historical evolution of the captivity breeding since its beginning until today, with a description of the proposed production systems at different stages, listing the most notable achievements and problems and offering data on the number of farms...

The situation of game bird’s captivity breeding in Spain has been tackled in this paper. We examine the historical evolution of the captivity breeding since its beginning until today, with a description of the proposed production systems at different stages, listing the most notable achievements and problems and offering data on the number of farms...

We have studied the genetic variability and relationships of four endangered Spanish equine populations for meat production using mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) (41 horses, 30 of them belong to Burguete (BUR), Hispano Bretón (HB) and Agrupación Hipermétrica del Pirineo (AHP) populations and the other 11 samples belong to Jaca Navarra (JAC) breed. Fiftee...

The main objective of this work is to assess the activity biorhythms of the European rabbit, under semi-freedom conditions between September and March. The study was carried out in a property located in the north of the County of Valladolid (Spain). Nine wild adult animals, 2 males and 7 females, were used. They were marked individually with a micr...

Two wild rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus, L. 1758) populations were studied in order to determine weight and body length differences. In the other hand, it was calculated a body condition index. These populations were respectively from the North of Valladolid County and the South of Badajoz County

On a private property with a stable population of wild Red-Legged partridge (Alectoris rufa) and an appropriate habitat for the survival of the species, reinforcement repopulations were carried out using 54 birds that were 2 to 3 mo old and reared on a commercial game farm. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of repopulations, the behavi...

Current methods of intensive breeding of the red-legged partridge (Alectoris rufa) are based on “industrial” laying practices, including removal and artificial incubation of eggs. These procedures can alter the reproductive behavior and physiology of the birds and, therefore, may not be suitable for use in breeding programs designed to increase wil...

In order to avoid the decrease in the numbers of wild red-legged partridge, Alectoris rufa, observed in several areas, the most appropiate solution is to repopulate using animals from game farms. The nesting place chosen by 30 pairs of red-legged partridge in captivity was studied. There were five different nest types combined in groups of three in...

It was study the falling syndrome that occurs during the fight of 168 animals fought in the bullfight-ring of Malaga. It was determined the plasmatic concentration of some blood parameters. It was observed that the intense and unusual physical exertion that the bulls displayed during the fight results in changes in the acid-basic balance, increasin...

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the stress reaction and the metabolic adaptive effort in females of the fighting breed when submitted to different manipulation sequences. Nine 4- to 8-year-old bovine fighting breed females slaughtered to establish the basal levels of different blood parameters. A study was, then, conducted to examine...

To determine the effects of castration of calves, with or without local anesthesia, on plasma cortisol, scrotal circumference, ADG, and ADFI, 56 Friesian bulls (5.5 mo of age; mean +/- SE BW = 173 +/- 2 kg) were randomly assigned to each of seven treatments: 1) control (CON); 2) s.c. injection of .1 mg of a human serum albumin-GnRH conjugate with D...