The effects of increasing levels of roughage on coefficients of nutrient digestibility in the collared peccary (Tayassu tajacu)

The collared peccary (Tayassu tajacu) has a fore-stomach with active fermentation, which has given rise to considerable speculation on its ability to digest cellulose and related compounds. A digestion trial was conducted with 20 adult collared peccaries to determine the effects of increasing levels of roughage (250, 300, 350 and 400 g roughage/kg) on coefficient of total tract apparent digestibility (CTTAD). The collared peccary digested fibre compounds efficiently and CTTAD for NDF were comparable to those found in domestic ruminants. However, above 300 g roughage/kg, equivalent to 281 g NDF/kg, 142 g ADF/kg and 56 g lignin/kg, reduced the CTTAD significantly of the major dietary components, possibly due to an increase of the rate of digesta passage. This level is in agreement with previous data, which determined that roots, leaves and other vegetative parts of plants, high in fibrous contents, constitute around 300 g/kg of the peccary diets in the Amazon region. The high CTTAD of fibrous feeds might explain the easy adaptation of collared peccaries that live in a great variety of habitats and gives it a special place as an alternative species for animal production that can be sustained on inexpensive locally available foodstuffs.