. Bonner zoologische Beiträge : Herausgeber: Zoologisches Forschungsinstitut und Museum Alexander Koenig, Bonn. Biology; Zoology. Small Indian mongoose in Yugoslavia 5. Fig. 1: Skull of Herpestes auropunctatus (adult male) from Korcula island, Yugoslavia. History of introduction and biological remarks Due to a large number of horned vipers {Vipera ammodytes) populating the Island of Mljet it was known as the "island of snakes" at the beginning of the century. To exterminate the said venomous snakes, the Austro-Hungarian Imperial and Royal Ministry of Agriculture purchased 12 mongoose
. Bonner zoologische Beiträge : Herausgeber: Zoologisches Forschungsinstitut und Museum Alexander Koenig, Bonn. Biology; Zoology. Small Indian mongoose in Yugoslavia 5. Fig. 1: Skull of Herpestes auropunctatus (adult male) from Korcula island, Yugoslavia. History of introduction and biological remarks Due to a large number of horned vipers {Vipera ammodytes) populating the Island of Mljet it was known as the "island of snakes" at the beginning of the century. To exterminate the said venomous snakes, the Austro-Hungarian Imperial and Royal Ministry of Agriculture purchased 12 mongooses in 1910. The first approximate data on the introduction were published by Banicevic (1926, 1927), a parish priest from Korcula Is. The mongooses were discussed at the same time in a popular Croatian magazine "Priroda" by Tiozzo (1927) and Petkovic (1927); their data, however, differ from those of Banicevic (1927). Thus, until a recent search through the official files of the Austro-Hungarian authorities kept in the Archives of Croatia at Zagreb refer- ring to the period between 1910 and 1916, no reliable details were known as to the origin of mongooses, the number of specimens introduced, and time when they were first brought to Mljet Is. The examined official papers include a pedantic report on the transportation of the animals to the islands, their food and health condition, as well as observations of the animals on their release and measures taken to ensure an undisturbed growth of the population. The mongooses purchased in India were shipped to Trieste and then transported to the town of Korcula (Korcula Is.) on July 13th, 1910. They were taken over by Karl Najedly, a senior forestry inspector, who was made personally responsible for their introduction. After a period of quarantine and acclimatization during which they were under constant veterinary control, 11 specimens, 7 males and 4 females, were released at the source of the stream Vodice (Babino polje —
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookcoll, booksubjectbiology, booksubjectzoology
