IMPROVING THE METHOD OF LENS MASS PREPARATION FOR AGE ASSESSMENT IN THE EUROPEAN BROWN HARE (LEPUS EUROPAEUS)

Research was conducted on the European hare (Lepus europaeus Pall.), one of the most numerous and important small game species both in Europe and in the Republic of Serbia. The aim of the research was to examine the possibility of modifying the standard method, which is a standard in the Republic of Serbia, for determining the age of hares based on the mass of their lenses in order to shorten its duration. Additionally, the goal was to investigate whether there was a difference in the age structure determined by the standard and modified methods. For the purpose of processing and analyzing samples, a total of 410 hare heads were collected from hunting grounds in Central Serbia and Vojvodina, and only heads with intact lenses of both eyes (399) were included in the analysis, resulting in the examination of 798 lenses. It was determined that there was no statistically significant difference in the lens mass between the standard and modified methods, both for age categories of hares up to one year and over one year. High correlation coefficients were found, indicating a strong relationship between the lens mass obtained by the standard and modified methods within both age categories. Furthermore, the real growth rates of hares determined by the standard and modified methods were equal.