THE HELMINTH FAUNA OF MOOSE

According to the authors, 15 to 20 species of helminths have been recorded in moose of the Russian forest zone. The purpose of our work was to study the trematode fauna of helminths in moose at the Sumarokovskaya Elk Farm. The study objects were wild ruminants, the moose (Alces alces). The only elk farm in Russia is located in the Sumarokovsky Nature State Reserve, in a few dozen kilometers from the city of Kostroma, near Sumarokovo Village, the Krasnoselsky District of the Kostroma Region. The Sumarokovskaya Elk Farm belongs to the nature conservation areas of Russia. Helminthological material for the study (animal excrement) was collected in early 2020. 25 ruminant animals (Ruminantia) were studied, including 15 moose aged 1 year and 10 adult artiodactyles older than 5 years. Fecal samples were collected from wild ruminants near feeders in constrains, as well as the grazing lands. 25 fecal samples were examined using helminthovoscopic methods. Average helminth infestation of moose was 53.8%. The prevalence of infestation with helminth pathogens in adult artiodactyles was 69.4%, and young animals 38.2%.