The Brown Hare (Lepus europaeus) as a Biomonitor for the Presence of Lead and Cadmium in Vojvodina, Serbia

Summary Lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) are heavy metals considered possible contaminants of water, soil and air (especially when occurring as a consequence of human activities in agriculture or industry), and can be found in the liver or kidneys of animals, thus serving as indicators of pollution. Vojvodina is a northern province of the Republic of Serbia which boasts very intensive agricultural production, especially crop production. The brown hare is well-adapted and abundant in Vojvodina. As a complete herbivore, it has the potential to be a good biomonitor for the presence of lead and cadmium in the chosen biotope. A total of 60 samples of hare livers were collected and analyzed immediately after hunting. The average concentration of lead in all the liver samples analyzed was 851.43 µg/kg of wet tissue. The lead concentrations determined at three different sites in Vojvodina (namely Odžaci in Bačka, Rusko selo in Banat and Kraljevci in Srem) were not statistically significant. However, the average lead concentrations at all the sites were above the permitted level (500 µg/kg of wet tissue). The maximum amount of lead determined was 2,302 µg/kg of wet tissue, i.e. almost five times above the permitted level. The cadmium concentrations in all the samples analyzed ranged from 12.90 to 1183.00 µg/kg of wet tissue. The average cadmium concentrations determined at three different sites were found statistically significant, suggesting a local source of contamination. The average cadmium concentrations at sites I, II and III were 65.57, 205.91 and 413.99 µg/kg of wet tissue, respectively. The average cadmium concentrations determined at the sites considered were below the permitted level, although exceeding the legal limit in some of the samples analyzed.