Bedeutung der Inzucht bei Tauernschecken-Ziegen

Abstract. Title of the paper: On the importance of inbreeding at Tauernschecken goats This analysis of Tauernschecken goats, an Austrian alpine rare breed, wants to find out if there is any inbreeding depression. Therefore 1749 animals born at 1962 to 2002 were judged for their exterieur, duration of live, fecundity, viability and weight of offspring; besides their inbreeding coefficient was calculated. The average inbreeding coefficient ranges from 5 to 6 %. The degree of inbreeding is in accordance with the lowest third of inbreeding of other rare species. Over the last ten years a low rate of increase in inbreeding of 0,19 % per generation can be observed. There is no correlation of one of these judged criterions of productivity and the inbreeding coefficient, which allows the conclusion that there is no inbreeding depression in Tauernschecken goats. Conservation biology offers some interpretations. The traditional entire breeding management should not be given up for overestimating some inbreeding coefficients. Preservation of endangered rare breeds as cultural ressources means also to preserve the traditional knowledge of the complexity of breeding criterions.