Background

Podolian cow originates directly from European wild cow, the tur (Bos primigenius Bojenus). These and other similar cows were spread on the vast area from Russian steppes to the North Adriatic Sea . They were grown in Podolia (after which it got the name), Volinia , Galicia , Hungary , Romania , Bulgaria , Vojvodina and Slavonia . In Italy there are several breeds similar to Podolian cow which are characterized by good fattening characteristics.According to Bodo (1986) the only relative of Podolian Cow is the Italian breed called Maremmana.

There are some data that big herds of Podolian cows were driven from the Pannonian Plain into the big cities. Middle Europe, Venice , Nierenberg, Augsburg and Vienna , which the cattle reached in good condition, were the famous marketplaces where these cows were appreciated for their meat. But in the 18th and 19th centuries the areas of pastures, where these cows were fed, were reduced due to spreading of fertile fields. In these changed conditions Podolian cow became the main power for cultivating the land.

Podolian cow from Vojvodina influenced both creating of the Kolubara cow in Serbia in the upstream area of the Kolubara River and cattle raising of Bosnian Posavina, where the Posavina cow or “gulja” was raised. The Podolian cow was used as a base for breeding the domestic multicoloured breed using the method of mixing with the Simmental cow.

Podolian Cow Description

Podolian cow belongs to big cattle. The hair is grey slightly shadowed on the neck, belly and outer parts of limbs. It has extremely big ilyra-shaped horns which can be 1m long and whose span can be 1.5m. This breed is characterized by firm hooves, regularly positioned legs, dry joints, strong tendons and long pace.

Characteristics

Podolian cow is characterized by rather slow growth and low production of milk and meat. Its best characteristic is its working ability which lost its importance with the development of the intensive agricultural production. On smaller farms they were replaced by horses and on bigger ones by mechanization. The production of milk is very low. The amount of milk is just enough to feed the calves. The fattening ability is low as well. It is known that it uses more food compared to its growth and that it has more fat in later periods of life. Meat is dry and tough.

Podolian cow was grown under the most extensive conditions. Pastures, which were mostly without grass in July and August, were used for summer feeding. Having been harvested the fields were used for feeding until the late autumn.In the winter the feeding was even poorer, only hay and cornstalks. Very rarely grain food was added and only to the cows with calves or to oxen before the beginning of the working season. In such a system of feeding Podolian cow, well adjusted to the Pannonian Plain, gave adequate production compared with provided conditions.

There are some other characteristics of the breed:

• The ability to adjust to the climate conditions
• Resistance to illnesses (the resistance to TBC is 4.2% with Podolian cow and 17.7% with Simmental cow)
• The ability of compensation after bad conditions
• Easy bringing forth young, almost without help
• Good maternity characteristics

About the Project

Today, Podolian cows have been raised on the pasture of Valjevac on the area of 300ha where there are about 80 of them now.

Untill 1990s Podolian cows were raised on those locations in Vojvodina: Bačka Topola (Sabolč Tružinski – 200). Today Podolian cows are raised in SNR Zasavica (80 specimens) and Vršac (50).

All the cattle is covered by the programme of protecting animal species under the Ministry of Agriculture, Waterpower Engineering and Forestry of the Republic of Serbia.

Health

The product made from Mangalica is healthy. The light cholesterol has a curative effect against heavy cholesterol in white pig. The composition of meat and bacon ave also a curative effect on podagra. It is considered as a rare product in Serbia. This is the gap we are trying to fill with our Mangalica products.

The fat between the muscles and the marble effects give good taste to the meat. That is important for the steak. The saturated fatty acid is about 30%. It is perfect for the production of Serbian salami . The smoked bacon is extremly high quality. It is a perfect substance and can be preserved for a long time.

Why Mangalica’s fat is better than modern porks?

The fat is important and indispensable for the food. The Mangalica fat contain 8-10% more non-saturated fatty acid like normal modern porks. It takes longer time for the fat to rancid and the food picked-up during the gr podagra azing provides special taste to the products.

Analysis of Mangulitsa’s Meat

The expert opinion about the nutritious value of classical products of mangulitsa was done by the Institute for Hygiene and Medical Ecology of the Medical Faculty in Belgrade .

Pork has been unfairly disregarded compared with some other kinds of meat because of the prejudice that it contains more fat and cholesterol. However, compared with some other kinds of meat such as chicken or veal the parts of a pig without fat can contain lower amount calories, fat and cholesterol. On the other hand it has higher nutritious value: 100gr of fresh meat contain 15-20gr high quality proteins (40% of daily needs), it is one of the best sources of vitamin B, especially thiamin (50% of daily needs), pyridoxine (20% of daily needs), vitamin B12 (30% of daily needs) and iron (10% of daily needs). It is especially important for some categories such as children, pregnant women, women breastfeeding and all women in generative period prone to anemia where taking proteins, iron and vitamin B12 is essential for prevention.

Federal Secretariat for Labour, Health and Social Care demanded some research to be done in the Science Institute for Farming and Truck farming in Novi Sad . The research was done on 6 samples of most common products (neck, leg, pork chop, smoked ribs, bacon and fat) of mangulitsa pig.

Nutritious value of samples showed that 100gr of meat contained 14,99-21,84% of proteins, the percentage of fat in fresh meat was 13,44-33,25%, in smoked ribs it was 52,15% and in bacon 86,21%. Mangulitsa meat belongs to the kinds of meat containing higher amount of proteins compared with the samples taken from pigs from our area. The amount of proteins goes from 9,5-18,3gr with the exception of steak where it is 21,5gr.The average amount of fat in these very samples goes from 12,6-55,8gr with the exception of teak where it is 2,2gr. When cholesterol is in question the research showed following results: 42,5mg in pork chop, 45,07mg in leg, 47,36mg in neck.

Comparative values of average samples of pork taken from our area are 65-72mg and 58-95mg taken from Canadian area. It shows that the amount of cholesterol in mangulitsa meat is 50-75% lower compared with some other kinds of pigs. Comparison with some other kinds of meat shows following results: there are 60-89mg of cholesterol in 100gr of chicken meat and 65-70mg in veal.

The data taken from the American area are very similar – chicken meat contains 66-81mg and veal 59-76mg of cholesterol / 100gr of meat.

In conclusion, the analysis of mangulitsa meat shows that it contains rather high amount of proteins, acceptable amount of fat and that it belongs to the group of meat with lowest amount of cholesterol.

Signed by
Prof. dr. Jagoda Jorga
a specialist in feeding healthy and sick people

Swallow-bellied Mangulitsa (Srem Black Lasa)

The breed of swallow-bellied mangulitsa was grown in the south of Hungary and Croatia by mixing blond mangulitsa and Srem pig. The back and the sides are covered with black hair and the lower part of the body, the belly, the internal parts of legs and the end of the snout are yellow or silver-grey.

Extremely strong constitution, resistance to weather conditions and conditions of keeping and strong hair are characteristics of this breed. The representatives of this breed are smaller than the blond mangulitsa and with lower growth increase although they can gain the same weight.

The skin of lasa mangulitsa is grey-black, side parts of the body, snout, chest and hooves are black.

“Wellman spots” are spots 3-5cm wide with gradual turning into black. They are placed on the edge of the ears and are one more characteristic of this breed.

The hair is thick and long, curly during the winter and much softer and straighter during the summer. The curls are the characteristic of the breed, but too curly hair is not always necessary. Too much of fine woolen hair is not always the rule. Seasonal molting of mangulitsa is very typical and usually happens when the winter curly hair is extraordinary. Well kept and fed animals molt in spring and their summer hair is short, growing from the smooth skin. Black skin could be better seen through fine hair, the colour of the animal seems darker, brown-grey in the summer.If it is badly fed and becomes sick then molting is longer so that the animals with thick curly hair could be seen during the summer as well.

The head is of a medium length, the snout profile is slightly hooked, ears are big dropping ahead. The eyes are brown with black eyebrows and eyelashes.

The root of the tail is typically curly with white end but the base is always black.

Minimal number of teats is 5 on either side .

The line of the back is straight or slightly curved, the groins are short or of a medium length. The skeleton is good and firm.

Undesirable Abnormalities of the Breed :

• bright or pink skin on the belly
• loss of pigment on the outer parts of the body
• white hair-ends on the body or on the back
• bright colour which follows the sides of the legs and stretches along the both sides of the body
• too thin or too tough hair
• too small pointed ears or too big hanging ears

Inadmissible Abnormalities of the Breed:

• white visible spots on skin
• white or brown spots on hair
• yellow parts of hooves
• pink teats
• completely white end of the tail

About the Project

Nature Conservation Movement started this project in 1998 when first mangulitsa pigs were taken from Agricultural School in Ruma. Gradually the pack was growing in number so today there are about 60 of them.

Mangulitsa pigs are grown in traditional way left walking freely on the Valjevac pasture (300ha).

They have been given corn as additional food.

Background

In perid of breed development the basic condition for preserving was the use of swamps, pastures and forests. Typical breeds in the 18th century were “reed-log” from the Great Hungarian Plain and “Bokonyi” from the forests near the Danube Hills as well as the great number of red “Szalontai” which was found on the eastern border of the Great Hungarian Plain. Late maturity, slow growth rate, low percentage of growth increase and, above all, low amount of meat and bacon out of standard were the main characteristics of that breed. The advantage was the resistance to severe climate conditions and diseases. So called “spiny” pig which very much resembled to boar because it was an excellent runner and fighter, was the most endurable breed in the Carpathian.

Half-wild herds were wandering through the forests and pastures during the year. The sows brought forth young in the pools of mud made by themselves in the reeds or bushes. The piglets always followed the sow growing into young pigs on pastures, spending winters outside, digging fertile land or eating acorns, getting little meat and fat and in that way becoming suitable for slaughtering in two years` time. Forests full of acorns and beech bark and spread on the vast area were the places where these pigs were being fattened.

As a result of widespread use of corn that resulted in turning forests and pastures into fields, the conditions for keeping and feeding this breed dramatically changed in the second half of the 18th century. In the 19th century the regulations of water currents made that process even faster. There were also changes in the market. The need for fat and good quality bacon as well as for low-fat meat was growing.

Josef Palatin was given a pack of the “Šumadija” breed containing 10 sows and 2 boars from the “Topčider” pack by Duke Miloš in 1833. Purebred livestock grew into domestic one, gained production and considerably helped the development of the new mangulitsa breed.

From that time various breeds of curly pigs were raised in the coast region of the Mediterranean, in the Balkans as far as the mountain region of Hungary. In the middle of the 19th century this breed grew into mangulitsa pigs which became the exclusive breed in the region where corn was grown. There were certain differences between the animals kept in good conditions and those kept on smaller farms and pastures fed with acorns.

Selection, care about mixing of the pack (which define the standard of the breed), characteristic of the breed and demanding features were carried out. The experts of that time Dorner Enesei and Feren Csaky the manager of K. banya Fatting Plant were in charge of the mangulitsa breed.

During the activities of The National Organisation for Protecting Species after II World War, the development of the new breeds begins again but with considerable smaller number of mangulitsa pigs in favour of meat-breed pigs.

Curly and wild pigs were often considered to be mangulitsa although they did not have the demanded features of the breed. Mangulitsa is a special breed defined by space in the first place.

From that point of strictly preserved genes of unmixed breed of pigs, the genes should correspond to the detail description of the breeds made at the beginning of yhe 19th century. In that way we consider the fat breed of pigs with high-quality fat and meat to be the true representative of the mangulitsa breed.

About Mangulitsa

Mangulitsa has low degree of fertility, it approximately has 5-6 young. A sow with 9-10 young is considered to be very rare.

The varieties of mangulitsa considering purebred breed completely described in the documents are:

• Blond mangulica
• Swollow-bellied mangulica – Srem black lasa
• Red mangulica

Historical Background

Forgotten lately, and used abundantly in ancient times, the donkey’s milk has been finding its way to the consumers slowly.

Judging from the Constantin Jirechek and his works “The History of Serbs” and “Hodoski Zbornik” from the 14th century and “Physiology” from the 15th century, the donkey’s milk has been used on these territories for centuries. It was used as a remedy for healing old wounds.

Ancient people highly appreciated the donkey’s milk. Egyptian Queen Cleopatra is known to have bathed in it in order to save the beauty of her skin. It had been also used as a kind of disinfectant. The Greeks regarded it as an excellent remedy, whereas the Romans considered it a luxury drink. Hippocratus would recommend it for treating different kinds of diseases, as well as a remedy against poisoning and healing wounds. He even recorded a recipe for one of the first treatment against acne and rosace. Apart from other ingredients the basic ones included donkey’s milk, too. That mixture would be kept in the sun for a few days. The prepared mixture represented a natural refreshener and the treatment for the skin reddishness and acne. Centuries after that this treatment was medicicinally confirmed. In the 19th and at the beginning of the 20th century many people used it as a remedy. Simultaneously, especially in Paris, many shops selling donkey’s milk were opened, where the women from upper class could buy this precious drink. Later on, these shops turned into the shops selling milk for babies intended for mothers who did not have breast milk. The hospital “Hospital des Enfants Assistes” bred donkeys particularly for this purpose for a number of years.

Contemporary analysis

The donkey’s milk has the revitalizing impact on the whole organism. It is very effective for removing skin problems, as well as for boosting your immune system, for recovery and against chronic fatigue. Its ingredients are particularly useful for sportsmen, pregnant women, babies and people suffering from asthma. The donkey’s milk regenerates the intestine flora. It is like breast milk and is easily digested in human body.
Although it contains half less fat than the cow’s milk, it contains a significant amount of nutritious ingredients, it is rich in vitamins C, B and D12. It is especially rich in immunoglobulins which make it a perfect drink for the prevention and fighting against virus and bacteriological aggressors which often appear in winter such as colds, bronchitis, etc.
The donkey’s milk can be drunk with no need for pasteurisation, because, unlike cow’s milk, the donkey’s milk does not contain any bacterias, it is whiter and lighter than the cow’s milk and has lower fat content. The donkey’s milk contains only 0.6 g of fat in 100 g of fresh milk, which is much lower ratio compared to the cow’s milk which contains 3.7g approximately. What makes a significant difference in relation to the cow’s milk is the protein content. The average protein content is 1.72g and is characterized by a small percentage of casein.

The fact that the donkey’smilk is so similar to human milk is very important, because by its contents it does not cause any allergic reactions contrary to the cow’s milk which does cause allergies at 4% of the new-born babies, which are often overcome as late as at the age of 3.
The donkey’s milk contains also 60 times more vitamin C than the cow’smilk, and , since it has vitamins A, D and E and since it is a rich source of calcium and phosphorous it can be treated as a nutritious gold mine. This milk also contains immunoglobulin- protein which acts as an anti-body and improves the immune system.
The donkey’s milk contains a large quantity of ensimes defining it as an excellent antibiotic.
The donkey’s milk is particularly good for the following categories:

• children allergic to proteins which can be found in traditional types of milk (goat, cow, etc.)
• children in general, because it improves the growth
• older population with the problem of osteoporosis
• fast recovery
• those who prefer healthy and natural food

Omega 3, Omega 6

Donkey’s Milk
For the donkey’s milk the fraction of lipids represents high level of essential fatty acids. Fatty acids have been qualified as essential because the body produces them in small quantities, if it can produce them at all, thus the necessary quantity must be provided from daily food in the form of adequate replacement.

Linoleic (omega 6) and linolenic (omega 3) are present to a high extent (8.15% and 6.32% of all fatty acids). The presence of semi-saturated fatty acids makes the donkey’s milk superior in relation to the cow’s milk (only 2.9% amount of fatty acids in total), which makes it similar to breast milk (11.3 of fatty acids in total).

Essential fatty acids have great influence on the development of brain and retina.The Omega 3 play a vital role in the heart protection, as they participate in the correction of the cardiovascular system functioning; they help in the treatment of thrombosis; they regulate the heart rhythm and improve the prevention of heart diseases. Some recent studies could show that fatty acids may be helpful in fighting the causes of Alcheimer’s disease and some rare types of cancer. The Omega 6 are very important for cosmetics.

Apart from the unsaturated fatty acids donkey’s milk contains a large number of vitamins::

• Vitamin A – crucial for cell membrane recovery, facilitates the skin regeneration, simultaneously decreasing the effects of skin ageing
• Vitamin B2 – the lack of which may cause the wounds on the skin and mucous so that the presence of this vitamin in milk improves immunity through its biological activity
• Vitamin C – has anti-oxidant role and is on demand in cosmetics; it slows down the ageing process and accelerates the recovery mechanisms
• Vitamin E is well-known as the essential and anti-oxidant because it slows down the skin ageing and ensures the cell structure stability

Mineral salts in the donkey’s milk help to purify the skin. They free the skin from dead cells and thereby leave the space for cells which live on the skin surface. This milk also has the implications of the cell growth. It contains a large amount of lipids which provide for the skin nourishment. Essential fatty acids such as omega 6 help the skin to absorb the vitamins in a better way. They account for the skin elasticity and ensure the prevention of skin diseases such as eczema and psoriasis.

Newspaper extracts about the donkey’s milk

The donkey’s milk has been welcomed as the secret of long life of the family from Equador. However, is there any scientific proof in that for the milk which is claimed to be the most similar to breast milk? The longevity of the oldest woman in the world Maria Esther de Capovilla from Equador has been greeted hopefully by the nutritionists. Maria de Capovilla died at the age 116. Oliver Denys from one Belgian farm of donkeys told us that he was surprised by that acknowledgement. Mr Denys has the most productive European dairy of the donkey’s milk which produces 2000-3000 litres of milk per year. Half of the production goes into the manufacture of cosmetics range. The rest goes into the consuming with no need for pasteurisation. There is no need for that, says Denys, contrary to the cow’s milk, the donkey’s milk does not contain any bacterias. Mr Denys described it as whiter and lighter than the cow’s one, with a lower fat content.

Extract from:
Science & Nutrition
Septembar 1, 2006.

Balkan Donkey

The Balkan donkey is a domestic animal found wordwide. It descends from African donkey (Equus asinus), whereas the Asian donkey (Equus homionus) has never been domesticated.

The Balkan donkey is an autochtonous primitive species. The body weight of the grown-up males reaches 250kg, whilst the females weigh up to 200kg. The height of the neck with males amounts approximately 100cm, females amounting to 95cm. The colour of skin may be grey, brown, dark- grey and reddish- brown. As regards feeding, it is not very demanding since it is satisfied with a small amount of bad and bulky food , whereas it can work for hours. It is widespread in the mountainous regions of Serbia and Montenegro.

Taxonomy category: species
Status: domesticated
Origin: autochtonous domesticated species
Area: Sremska Mitrovica, Kovilj, Subotica, Dimitrovgrad
In-situ conservation programme: yes
Degree of extinction: endangered species
Total population size: 1000 (average estimate)
Total amount of female heads of breeding stock: 200
Total amount of male heads of breeding stock: 20
Population trend: on decrease
The data source on the population size: The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Waterpower Engineering
Reliability of the available data: unreliable
Weight of the grown-up male (approximately in kilograms): 250
The weight of the grown-up female (approximately in kilograms): 200
The height of the neck of the grown-up male (approximately in kilograms):100
The height of the neck of the grown-up female (approximately in kilograms): 95
Colour: grey, brown, dark-grey, reddish-brown
Characteristic visible traits:
Breeding and control: republic, regional and basic selection services

Traits

Depending on the breed, the shoulder height varies from 90 to 160cm , and they reach sexual maturity between the ages of 2 and 2 and a half. Mating is possible throughtout the year, but as a rule, it happens in spring. After the gestation period lasting from 12 to 14 months one offspring is usually borne, whilst sometimes twins may be borne. The period lasts from 6 to 9 months. Donkeys, as a rule, have higher life expectancy than horses and may even live up to 40 years old.

Particularities

Apart from outer differences between donkeys and horses, there are also differences relating to their characteristics which are not visible at first sight. In the lumbar part, the donkeys have 5 instead of 6 spine vertebrae like horses. Donkeys have 31 chromosomes pairs, whereas horses have 32 pairs. A donkey’s body temperature is somewhat lower than the human’s, approximately lower than 37 degrees Centigrade, whereas with horses it ranges between 37.5 and 38.2 degrees Centigrade. The gestation period of donekys is somewhat longer than that of horses, and it lasts from 365 days to 370 days on average, compared with horses where it lasts only 330 days.

Wild donkeys and domestic donkeys that have become wild

Just like with horses you should distinguish wild from domestic donkeys who have become wild. In the past the African donkey found in several subspecies used to have its habitats in the regions from North Africa up to the Middle East, whereas nowadays, only a few hundred of species live in the southeast of Africa (Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia and Sudan).

Donkeys which have become wild live in many regions of the world. They can be found even in regions which are inhabited with real wild donkeys which are considered to be endangered. There is a danger that these two groups may mingle and destroy the genetic purity of wild donkeys. In the Australia there are around 1.5 million domestic donkeys who have become wild, whereas in the southwest of the USA you can find around 6000 of similar donkeys called burros ( The Spanish donkey). They have been protected there like a historical symbol, but that solution is arguable because the protection of donkeys is believed to lead to the decrease in the number ofAmerican mouflons due to mutual competition for food and water. One of the rare populations of donkeys who have become wild live in the north of Cyprus. Their skin colour is dark brown and even black and they often have zebra-striped legs. They are significatnly bigger than other donkeys who have recently become wild.

Domestication

The latest DNK research confirm previous theories about the phylogenesis of donkeys proving that all present donkeys originate from an African donkey. The donkeys had been domesticated long before the horses and had been the first animals that the man used for carrying goods. Actually, 4000 years BC in the Nile valey in Egypt, the Nubian wild donkey had been domesticated. Shortly after that the domestication was continued in Mesopotamia. During the antiquity donkeys reached Europe. The Ethrurians used to have a domestic donkey which had probably come from the Middle East. It first arrived to Greece 1000 years B.C.

In the beginning, the donkeys had been used for riding and as pack animals. Later on, they were replaced with horses which were much stronger. After that, the trace of donkeys was lost in old civilizations. Its later appearance and the use for pack transport, above all, was the result of its endurability. Namely, a donkey can endure without water and food much longer than a horse. To the north of the Alps, a domestic donkey appeared in the Roman times.

Apart from the abovementioned facts, people used domestic donkeys for food. The donkey milk was also used, as well as their skin. In the Middle Ages the donkey’s skin had been regarded to have been particularly good for parchment making.

Symbolic and Mythological Connotations

In the fables and fairy tales a donkey is a stubborn, and very often stupid animal. Therefore, the word donkey is at present used in the pejorative sense. In the allegory about the Buridan’s donkey, a donkey dies of hunger, because he could not decide between the two equally good haystacks to eat.

In the regions of South Africa and Mesopotamia donkeys had been worshipped as deities.

Think of the future, and remember the past.

History speaks about people inhabiting swamps of north Macva 5.000 B.C. They were cultivating the area, creating crop fields in the swamp, occasionally bringing water out or in. In that way they altered currents of Sava and Drina rivers, creating meanders and changing the whole landscape. The time passed and myths and legends left traces in the minds of people that this gigantic work must have been accomplished by giants, or more probably by dragons. It is because meanders are dragon lodges, which brought the strength and fertility to the land.

It is written in the Celtic maps that dragons once lived here, and there were eight such places in Balkans, including Zasavica. According to those maps you came to the wings of dragons – visiting the preserved nature of Zasavica Special Nature Reserve. It is preserved due to dragons, ancient keepers of large legendary treasures, by their immense power, or it was maybe done by people who possess the same spirit and strength?

Once this symbol presented the circular character and interconnection of natural processes

Circular and interconnection symbol

The story that dragons inhabit Zasavica even today, still goes on. So, how can it be recognized? People say: “It is black and hairy underneath, and smooth and shiny on the back, just like otter.”

Recently, after long time in Zasavica, an otter was seen again. The manager, NGO Pokret Gorana, will award those who manage to take a photo of otter in Zasavica.

And after all, maybe it was a dragon…?

Exploratory Camp

Exploratory camp in the organization of Scientific-research Society of Biology students “Josif Pančić” is taking place during July and August in SNR Zasavica. 10-15 biology students who explore biodiversity of the Reserve are taking part in the camp. The accommodation is on the Valjevac pasture in a building from which explorers go to the terrain to explore the diversity of flora and fauna. After their coming back the data are sorted in the Faculty and the reports are sent to the management of the Reserve.

International Work Camp

In the last three years in the period of July-August, the International working camp is taking place in SNR Zasavica in the organization of Young Researchers of Serbia and the management of the Reserve. 10 young, mature people from all over the world are taking part in the camp.

Volunteers are offered activities in their free time such as getting to know Sremska Mitrovica, visiting the Museum of Srem , getting to know the history of the Roman city of Sirmium , sightseeing of archeological localities and the old part of Sremska Mitrovica. The participants have one-day trip to Belgrade and have the boat tour around the Great War Island. Besides Belgrade , the visit to Novi Sad and Petrovaradin is also included with visiting the Monastery of Hopovo and National Park of Fruška Gora .

The variety of living conditios provides survival for numerous mammals especially those connected with aquatic habitats like otter (Lutra lutra) and wild cat (Felis silvestris) whose habitats are flooded forests.Both species have been endangered in the whole of Europe and have been protected by the Berne Convention. There are also some fur animals in Zasavica like Ondatra zibetica better known as Byzantium rat. From the shrews we can mention Sorex araneus, Apodemus agrarius, Glis glis and many species of bat (Chiroptera) put on the list of natural rarities of Serbia

Reintroduction of European beaver (Castor fiber L.) has been successfully done in the Reserve when thirty specimens i.e. four families with five members and some singles have been released into it. Beaver is the first animal species to have been extinct directly by human activities.The first proof of adjusting is the first beaver dam built in Serbia .