2017Lithuanian Animals - Royal Stag, Gray Hare & Badger - First Day Cover

"The royal stag is a beautiful, harmonious, and sturdy animal. The beginning of the reacclimatisation of royal stags in Lithuania is associated with Žagarė forests. The deer immigrated to the southern Lithuanian forests from Poland and Kaliningrad Oblast. These animals prefer broadleaf forests and mixed coniferous forests growing in rich soils. The European hare resembles a domesticated rabbit in appearance. From the 15th to the 18th century, the European hare was rarer in Lithuania than the mountain hare. Due to intensive human activities, hares most often inhabit forests and areas of uncultivated land. In a day, a hare moves within an area of 65 ha on average, but most activities take place in an area of approximately 20 ha, and in the presence of danger the hare moves in an area of 1 km in radius. The badger is the largest animal of the family Mustelidae. Although badgers are widespread in all parts of the country, their numbers have diminished recently. They live in forests, sometimes in bushes, pastures or even meadows that are close to a forest. Badgers live in burrows and use moss, dry grass and leaves to line their lairs. When the weather gets colder, at the end of November or at the beginning of December badgers fall asleep and hibernate until March. On clear and warmer days badgers leave their burrows for a short time."