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Kobus vardonii (Livingstone, 1857) is a bovid commonly known as the puku. It is a medium-sized antelope with a golden-yellow coat and white underparts, sexually dimorphic as only males carry lyre-shaped horns, and according to current taxonomy it is one of 12 extant species in the genus Kobus. Adult males defend territories, whereas females and young move around in unstable groups. Feeding on a great variety of grasses, K. vardonii occurs in grasslands along rivers and lakes in southern central Africa with Zambia being the center of its distribution and Tanzania holding the largest population. It is classified as “Near Threatened” on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Diet and dietary competition among puku (Kobus vardonii) and other grazing bovids were investigated in Kasanka National Park, Zambia, a prime area for puku. The objective was to provide new insights into the puku’s feeding ecology including autecological and synecological traits. Other bovids assessed for their diets were sitatunga (Tragelaphus spekii), reedbuck (Redunca arundinum), Lichtenstein’s hartebeest (Alcelaphus lichtensteinii), sable antelope (Hippotragus niger) and African buffalo (Syncerus caffer). Dung was collected during different periods in 2009 and 2010 and examined using microhistological analyses. The diets were assessed for potential differences or overlap using the Pianka Index. Puku feed mainly on monocotyledons and consumed Panicum spp., Brachiaria sp., Sporobolus spp. and Hyparrhenia/Andropogon grasses. Differences in dietary composition between sexes were observed, especially during the cool dry season, as well as differences at a temporal and spatial scale. It can be concluded that puku exhibit a flexible diet with regard to grass species. Diet breadth changed throughout the year being narrowest in the late rainy season but showed no sexual differences. The dietary overlap of puku with other grazing bovids was low. This combination contributes to the puku’s extraordinary situation in Kasanka National Park.

The saiga (Saiga tatarica, Bovidae, Cetartiodactyla) is facing a precarious situation in the wild and unfortunately also zoos have failed so far in establishing a stable captive population. Cologne Zoo was one of the most successful zoos in holding and breeding this endangered species. We analysed life history and breeding of the Cologne animals. We highlight differences between wild and captive saigas and potential trouble spots for captive breeding. Being seasonal breeders, oestrus length usually lasted 1–2 days with an average time of 19.85 days between oestrus periods if not pregnant. Gestation lengths lasted 133–151 days with gestations of twins 4.39 days shorter on average than for one lamb. Bearing twins was not a rule for the Cologne saigas. We found correlations between litter size and the age of the female or the number of births of the female, respectively. A disparity between the theoretically possible number of offspring and the actual number born emphasises the need to safeguard continuous breeding, to prevent the loss of the few years in a female’s breeding life. The information that emerged from our study will be valuable if future captive breeding of saigas is intended.