BLOOD BIOCHEMICAL PROFILE OF FREE-LIVING EUROPEAN BROWN HARE (LEPUS EUROPAEUS, PALLAS) FROM BULGARIA

Estimation of blood biochemical profiles in free-living hares may serve to determine their health status and metabolic state as an element of conservation strategies. The objective of the current study was to determine blood biochemistry values for a population of free-living European brown hares. Blood samples from 34 adult hares shot during regular hunting season in South-Eastern Bulgaria, Europe (Kameno, Burgas region) were collected. The activities of alanine aminotransferase (ALAT), aspartate aminotransferase (ASAT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total protein (TP), albumin (ALB), glucose (GLUC), cholesterol (CHOL), triglycerides (TG), creatinin (CREAT), Urea (BUN), calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P) and magnesium (Mg) in serum were measured. All evaluated serum biochemistry values were within the physiological range with relatively low differences compared to references. Based on this we can conclude that there was an optimal health and nutri-tional status of the tested hare population