Population dynamics of the mouflon (Ovis aries musimon) in south-west Poland in 1981–2020

Using hunting bags data, spatial and temporal changes in population densities of the mouflon in 1981–2020 in south-west Poland (29 358 km2, including 8411 km2 forests) have been analysed. In south-west Poland, the mouflon was introduced in 1902. The population increased from 5 to 134 individuals in 1925, reaching 1100 individuals in 1939. From the 1950s to 1972, the mouflon population in south-west Poland fluctuated around 200 individuals. Later, it began to decrease, reaching its minimum (36 individuals) around 1981. During the subsequent years of 1981–1990, the population increased to 219 individuals, and had reached 576 individuals by 2001. This exponential growth continued until 2011, when it reached its second (the first one with 1100 individuals was in 1939) maximum, fluctuating around 1400–1500 individuals until 2016. The maximum number of 1478 individuals was reached in 2016. In the following years it began to decline again, reaching the level of 1215 individuals in 2019. The crude population density ranged from 0.01 to 7.02 individuals per 1000 ha, whereas the ecological density ranged from 0.01 to 17.72 individuals per 1000 ha of forests in particular ecoregion in south-west Poland (based on the average from 2001–2020). The pattern of population growth in the whole of Poland was similar to that in Lower Silesia. Up to 1987 mouflons were restricted in Poland to Sudety Mts. and Świętokrzyskie Mts. In the subsequent years, more and more mouflons were successfully introduced in other parts of the country. However, at the beginning of the 21st century, 2/3 of mouflons still occurred in the Sudety Mts. The remaining mouflons live in isolated and small populations in the following provinces: Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Opolskie, Podkarpackie, Kieleckie, Pomorskie, Warmińsko-Mazurskie, and Wielkopolskie. The population in south-west Poland comprise therefore about half of that in the whole of Poland, but merely 8.6 % of the population in the Czech Republic, and 1.5% of the global population. A total of 3584 mouflons were shot in south-west Poland in 1981–2019. In 1981–1989, only 17 individuals were harvested, whereas 235 in 1990–1999, 1002 in 2000–2009, and 2277 in 2010–2019. Most harvested animals originated from Wałbrzych (n = 3525), much less from Legnica (n = 74) and Opole (n=40) hunting regions.