The interaction between wildlife and horses encompasses various ecological, behavioral, and health-related aspects. This topic explores the relationships and dynamics between horses and their natural environments, including interactions with other wildlife species. These interactions can influence behavior, habitat use, and resource competition. Additionally, wildlife can impact equine health through the transmission of diseases and parasites. This page gathers peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that investigate the ecological roles, behavioral patterns, and health implications of wildlife interactions with horses.
Sandoval-Castellanos E, Wutke S, Gonzalez-Salazar C, Ludwig A.Wild horses unexpectedly survived terminal Pleistocene megafaunal extinctions until eventual European extirpation in the twentieth century. This survival is tied to either their occurrence in cryptic open habitats or their adaptation to forests. Our niche modelling inferred an increasing presence of horses in post-glacial forests, and our analysis of ancient DNA suggested significant selection for black phenotypes as indicating adaptation to forests.
Skaff NK, Armstrong PM, Andreadis TG, Cheruvelil KS.Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) is an expanding mosquito-borne threat to humans and domestic animal populations in the northeastern United States. Outbreaks of EEEV are challenging to predict due to spatial and temporal uncertainty in the abundance and viral infection of Cs. melanura, the principal enzootic vector. EEEV activity may be closely linked to wetlands because they provide essential habitat for mosquito vectors and avian reservoir hosts. However, wetlands are not homogeneous and can vary by vegetation, connectivity, size, and inundation patterns. Wetlands may also have diffe...
Lamglait B, Vandenbunder-Beltrame M, Trunet E, Lemberger K.Gastric ulcers are common in domestic horses and foals, affecting at least 90% of unmedicated racehorses in active training. Despite these high prevalences in domestic horses, literature about this condition in wild equids is almost nonexistent. The presence of gastric ulcers was evaluated at necropsy in six species of wild equids that died at the Réserve Africane de Sigean, a safari park in the south of France from 2010 to 2016. Among the 55 individuals that died during that period, a description of the gastric mucosa was available in 82% (45/55) of cases. Considering the cases for which a d...
Rivas J, Neira V, Mena J, Brito B, Garcia A, Gutierrez C, Sandoval D, Ortega R.A novel equine arteritis virus (EAV) was isolated and sequenced from feral donkeys in Chile. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that the new virus and South African asinine strains diverged at least 100 years from equine EAV strains. The results indicate that asinine strains belonged to a different EAV genotype.
Seeber PA, Soilemetzidou SE, East ML, Walzer C, Greenwood AD.Direct collection of samples from wildlife can be difficult and sometimes impossible. Non-invasive remote sampling for the purpose of DNA extraction is a potential tool for monitoring the presence of wildlife at the individual level, and for identifying the pathogens shed by wildlife. Equine herpesviruses (EHV) are common pathogens of equids that can be fatal if transmitted to other mammals. Transmission usually occurs by nasal aerosol discharge from virus-shedding individuals. The aim of this study was to validate a simple, non-invasive method to track EHV shedding in zebras and to establish ...
Pohlin F, Brabender K, Fluch G, Stalder G, Petit T, Walzer C. Ecosystems with seasonal fluctuations in climate and food availability present physiological challenges to resident mammals and may cause "stress." The two predominant physiological responses to stressors are (1) the activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and (2) the modulation of the autonomic nervous system. To date, the primary indicator for "stress" in wildlife- and zoo animal research are glucocorticoid levels. By measuring the autonomic regulation of cardiac activity, particularly the vagal tone, heart rate variability (HRV) is presently emerging as a suitable indicator o...
Hwang JM, Seo MJ, Yeh JY.Proliferative enteropathy is a global enteric disease of particular importance in pigs. The causative bacterium, Lawsonia intracellularis, has a wide range of susceptible host species. Recently, L. intracellularis has been recognized as an etiologic agent of an emerging enteric disease in foals called equine proliferative enteropathy (EPE). The presence of L. intracellularis in nonruminant wildlife has raised questions regarding the role of these species in EPE transmission. Results: This study investigated exposure to L. intracellularis in wild rodents and feral cats from eight farms with con...
Kaczensky P, Burnik Šturm M, Sablin MV, Voigt CC, Smith S, Ganbaatar O, Balint B, Walzer C, Spasskaya NN.The Przewalski's horse (Equus ferus przewalskii), the only remaining wild horse within the equid family, is one of only a handful of species worldwide that went extinct in the wild, was saved by captive breeding, and has been successfully returned to the wild. However, concerns remain that after multiple generations in captivity the ecology of the Przewalski's horse and / or the ecological conditions in its former range have changed in a way compromising the species' long term survival. We analyzed stable isotope chronologies from tail hair of pre-extinction and reintroduced Przewalski's horse...
Tarav M, Tokunaga M, Kondo T, Kato-Mori Y, Hoshino B, Dorj U, Hagiwara K.The objectives of our research on equine piroplasmosis were to clarify the prevalence of the piroplasms Babesia caballi and Theileria equi among reintroduced Przewalski's horses (takhi, Equus ferus przewalskii) in comparison with horses (Equus caballus) of nomads from around Hustai National Park in Mongolia and to determine the mortality among takhi during 2012 to 2015. The prevalence of T. equi was high in 2014 at 80% among nomadic horses and 84% among takhi. We found no evidence of B. caballi infection among takhi. A homology comparison of the 18S rRNA base sequence of T. equi showed the sam...
Becker E, Venter GJ, Greyling T, Molini U, van Hamburg H.Equine mortalities suspected to be due to African horse sickness (AHS) were reported from the arid Khomas Region, Namibia, in 2008. The area was previously considered a localized AHS-free area. Hartmann's mountain zebra (Equus zebra hartmannae), a potential but unconfirmed reservoir host of African horse sickness virus (AHSV), occurs in the region. Between 2009 and 2010 serum, blood and tissue samples from 31 culled E. z. hartmannae were analysed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) (n = 31) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) (n = 18) to determine the p...
Wan X, Zhang Z.Climate change and humans are proposed as the two key drivers of total extinction of many large mammals in the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene, but disentangling their relative roles remains challenging owing to a lack of quantitative evaluation of human impact and climate-driven distribution changes on the extinctions of these large mammals in a continuous temporal-spatial dimension. Here, our analyses showed that temperature change had significant effects on mammoth (genus ), rhinoceros (Rhinocerotidae), horse (Equidae) and deer (Cervidae). Rapid global warming was the predominant factor...
Mendes JF, Klafke GB, Albano APN, Cabana ÂL, Teles AJ, de Camargo ZP, Xavier MO, Meireles MCA.Paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM) is a systemic mycosis that occurs in several Latin American countries, especially in Brazil. It is caused by the thermo-dimorphic fungus Paracoccidioides spp. Serological studies to detect animal infection represent an excellent strategy for data on the agent's ecology. Although the state of Rio Grande do Sul (RS) is an endemic area for PCM in humans, there is scarce information available on the ecology of the agent in the region. This study aimed to investigate the infection by Paracoccidioides lutzii in animals living in RS, Brazil. A total of 85 wild mammals, 20...
Horak IG, Heyne H, Halajian A, Booysen S, Smit WJ.The aim of the study was to determine the species spectrum of ixodid ticks that infest horses and donkeys in South Africa and to identify those species that act as vectors of disease to domestic livestock. Ticks were collected opportunistically from 391 horses countrywide by their owners or grooms, or by veterinary students and staff at the Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria. Ticks were also collected from 76 donkeys in Limpopo Province, 2 in Gauteng Province and 1 in North West province. All the ticks were identified by means of a stereoscopic microscope. Horses were infest...
D'Souza-Anjo M, Christensen BW, Brabender K, Zimmermann W, Kass PH, Schwarzenberger F.The aim of this study was to determine whether concentrations of reproductive steroid hormone metabolites significantly differed between harem stallions and bachelor stallions in the free ranging group of Przewalski's horses (Equus ferus przewalskii) at the Hortobágy National Park in Hungary. Throughout the study, fecal samples were collected from 21 harem stallions and 15 bachelor stallions and analyzed for immunoreactive estrogen and androgen metabolites. Harem stallions demonstrated significantly higher concentrations of estrogen (P < 0.001) and epi-androsterone (P < 0.001), ...
Lopez KM, Fleming GJ, Mylniczenko ND.Reports of equine herpesvirus (EHV) 1 and EHV-9 causing clinical disease in a wide range of species have been well documented in the literature. It is thought that zebras are the natural hosts of EHV-9 both in the wild and in captive collections. Concerns about potential interspecies transmission of EHV-1 and EHV-9 in a mixed species savannah exhibit prompted serologic and polymerase chain reaction surveys. Eighteen Burchell's zebras ( Equus quagga ), 11 Hartmann's mountain zebras ( Equus zebra hartmannae), and 14 Thomson's gazelles ( Eudorcas thomsonii ) cohabitating the same exhibit were exa...
Frölich K, Jandowsky A.The domestic animals descend from various wild ancestors. Thus, for example, of the wolf, the dog (15 000 BC), of the Bezoar goat the goat (10 000 BC), of the Asian mouflon the sheep (10 000 BC), of the wild boar the pig (8000 BC) and of the aurochs the cattle (7000 BC). Domestication has dramatically changed our culture and led to a great diversity of animal breeds. This is a unique cultural and historical treasure, which we have to preserve for future generations. The zoological park Arc Warder is Europe's largest center for rare and endangered domestic animal breeds. Arc Ward...
Dugat T, Zanella G, Véran L, Lesage C, Girault G, Durand B, Lagrée AC, Boulouis HJ, Haddad N.Anaplasma phagocytophilum is the causative agent of tick-borne fever, a disease with high economic impact for domestic ruminants in Europe. Epidemiological cycles of this species are complex, and involve different ecotypes circulating in various host species. To date, these epidemiological cycles are poorly understood, especially in Europe, as European reservoir hosts (i.e. vertebrate hosts enabling long-term maintenance of the bacterium in the ecosystem), of the bacterium have not yet been clearly identified. In this study, our objective was to explore the presence, the prevalence, and the ge...
McLoughlin PD, Lysak K, Debeffe L, Perry T, Hobson KA.Sea-to-land nutrient transfers can connect marine food webs to those on land, creating a dependence on marine webs by opportunistic species. We show how nitrogen, imported by gray seals, Halichoerus grypus, and traced through stable isotope (δ N) measurements in marram grass, Ammophila breviligulata, significantly alters foraging behavior of a free-roaming megaherbivore (feral horses, Equus ferus caballus) on Sable Island, Canada. Values of δ N correlated with protein content of marram and strongly related to pupping-seal densities, and positively influenced selective foraging by horses. The...
Burnik Šturm M, Ganbaatar O, Voigt CC, Kaczensky P.1. Competition among sympatric wild herbivores is reduced by different physiological, morphological, and behavioral traits resulting in different dietary niches. Wild equids are a rather uniform group of large herbivores which have dramatically declined in numbers and range. Correlative evidence suggests that pasture competition with livestock is one of the key factors for this decline, and the situation may be aggravated in areas where different equid species overlap. 2. The Dzungarian Gobi is currently the only place where two wild equid species coexist and share the range with the domestica...
Timonin ME, Poissant J, McLoughlin PD, Hedlin CE, Rubin JE.The feral horses of Sable Island are a geographically isolated population located ∼160 km off the east coast of Nova Scotia, Canada. Because these horses have no contact with domestic animals, have minimal contact with people, and have never received antimicrobials, they offer a unique opportunity to study the dissemination of antimicrobial resistance in unmanaged populations. As part of an ongoing multidisciplinary and individual-based monitoring program, we collected feces from 508 geolocalized horses (92% of the total population) between July and September 2014. We selectively cultured Es...
Hall SE, Nixon B, Aitken RJ.Feral horses are a significant pest species in many parts of the world, contributing to land erosion, weed dispersal and the loss of native flora and fauna. There is an urgent need to modify feral horse management strategies to achieve public acceptance and long-term population control. One way to achieve this is by using non-surgical methods of sterilisation, which are suitable in the context of this mobile and long-lived species. In this review we consider the benefits of implementing novel mechanisms designed to elicit a state of permanent sterility (including redox cycling to generate oxid...
Moinardeau C, Mesléard F, Dutoit T.Extensive grazing by domestic herbivores is a widespread management practice used since the 80s in many European agro-ecosystems such as semi-natural grasslands to maintain open habitats and to enhance biodiversity. Such grazing systems have principally been tested in cultural ecosystems of high nature value threatened by grazing abandonment. However, there have been few case studies of grazing management in very anthropized ecosystems, such as the new ecosystems created by urban or industrial conversions. In Southern France, the Rhône channeling for navigation and electricity production gene...
Huang H, Zhang B, Chu H, Zhang D, Li K.We investigated infections with Gasterophilus spp. in three equids within the Kalamaili Nature Reserve (northern China). We conducted necropsies on 6 Przewalski's horses (Equus ferus przewalskii) and 6 Mongolian wild asses (Equus hemionus) and administered ivermectin to 10 overwintering domestic horses to expel parasites during winter periods. All 22 equids studied (100%) were infested with Gasterophilus spp. and a total of 17,225 larvae were collected. These included six species: G. haemorrhoidalis, G. inermis, G. intestinalis, G. nasalis, G. nigricornis, and G. pecorum. The mean intensity of...
Shepard JJ, Andreadis TG, Thomas MC, Molaei G.Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) is a highly pathogenic mosquito-borne arbovirus, with active transmission foci in freshwater hardwood swamps in eastern North America, where enzootic transmission is maintained between the ornithophilic mosquito, Culiseta melanura, and wild passerine birds. The role of other locally abundant mosquito species in virus transmission and their associations with vertebrate hosts as sources of blood meals within these foci are largely unknown but are of importance in clarifying the dynamics of enzootic and epidemic/epizootic transmission. Blood-engorged mosqu...
Górecka-Bruzda A, Fureix C, Ouvrard A, Bourjade M, Hausberger M.Yawning is rare in herbivores which therefore may be an interesting group to disentangle the potential function(s) of yawning behaviour. Horses provide the opportunity to compare not only animals living in different conditions but also wild versus domestic species. Here, we tested three hypotheses by observing both domestic and Przewalski horses living in semi-natural conditions: (i) that domestic horses may show an elevated rate of yawning as a result of the domestication process (or as a result of life conditions), (ii) that individuals experiencing a higher level of social stress would yawn...
Koljonen V, Söderlund T, Mäkisalo H, Gissler M.Contacts between humans and animals inevitably involve encounters possibly resulting in the human being injured. During the period of 2000 to 2014 almost 90 people died in this kind of conflict in Finland. Of these deaths, one third were associated with horses. In addition, over the same period 85 people died in traffic accidents in which an animal was hit by a car. Accidents requiring hospitalization occurred for approx. 8 000 people.
Martin GA, Yanez-Arenas C, Roberts BJ, Chen C, Plowright RK, Webb RJ, Skerratt LF.Hendra virus is a paramyxovirus of Australian flying fox bats. It was first detected in August 1994, after the death of 20 horses and one human. Since then it has occurred regularly within a portion of the geographical distribution of all Australian flying fox (fruit bat) species. There is, however, little understanding about which species are most likely responsible for spillover, or why spillover does not occur in other areas occupied by reservoir and spillover hosts. Using ecological niche models of the four flying fox species we were able to identify which species are most likely linked to...
Catania KC.In March 1800, Alexander von Humboldt observed the extraordinary spectacle of native fisherman collecting electric eels (Electrophorus electricus) by "fishing with horses" [von Humboldt A (1807) Ann Phys 25:34-43]. The strategy was to herd horses into a pool containing electric eels, provoking the eels to attack by pressing themselves against the horses while discharging. Once the eels were exhausted, they could be safely collected. This legendary tale of South American adventures helped propel Humboldt to fame and has been recounted and illustrated in many publications, but subsequent investi...
Górecka-Bruzda A, Fureix C, Ouvrard A, Bourjade M, Hausberger M.Yawning is rare in herbivores which therefore may be an interesting group to disentangle the potential function(s) of yawning behaviour. Horses provide the opportunity to compare not only animals living in different conditions but also wild versus domestic species. Here, we tested three hypotheses by observing both domestic and Przewalski horses living in semi-natural conditions: (i) that domestic horses may show an elevated rate of yawning as a result of the domestication process (or as a result of life conditions), (ii) that individuals experiencing a higher level of social stress would yawn...
Clutton-Brock TH, Greenwood PJ, Powell RP.Recent studies of primates have questioned the importance of dominance hierarchies in groups living under natural conditions. In a herd of Highland ponies and one of Highland cattle grazing under free-range conditions on the Isle of Rhum (Inner Hebrides) well defined hierarchies were present. The provision of food produced a marked increase in the frequency of agonistic interactions but had no effect on the rank systems of the two herds. While rank was clearly important in affecting the distribution of agonistic interactions, it was poorly related to behaviour in non-agonistic situations.
Winton CL, Hegarty MJ, McMahon R, Slavov GT, McEwan NR, Davies-Morel MC, Morgan CM, Powell W, Nash DM.The conservation of unique populations of animals is critical in order to preserve valuable genetic diversity and, where populations are free-living, maintain their irreplaceable influence upon habitat ecology. An accurate assessment of genetic diversity and structure within and between populations is crucial in order to design and implement conservation strategies in natural and domesticated species. Moreover, where it is possible to identify relic populations that are related to a structured breed an ideal opportunity presents itself to model processes that reveal historical factors that hav...
Steyn J, Fourie I, Steyl J, Williams J, Stivaktas V, Botha E, van Niekerk S, Reininghaus B, Venter M.Alphaviruses from Africa, such as Middelburg virus (MIDV), and Sindbis virus (SINV), were detected in horses with neurologic disease in South Africa, but their host ranges remain unknown. We investigated the contribution of alphaviruses to neurologic infections and death in wildlife and domestic animals in this country. During 2010-2018, a total of 608 clinical samples from wildlife and nonequine domestic animals that had febrile, neurologic signs or unexplained deaths were tested for alphaviruses. We identified 32 (5.5%) of 608 alphavirus infections (9 SINV and 23 MIDV), mostly in neurotissue...
Ludu Oslobanu EL, Mihu-Pintilie A, Anită D, Anita A, Lecollinet S, Savuta G.The presence of West Nile virus (WNV) in humans has been known in Romania since the 1950s; the 1996 epidemics emphasized the reemergence potential of WNV in Romania. Serological surveys made on susceptible species, known as good sentinels or reservoir hosts, e.g., horses, wild and domestic birds were undertaken from 2006-2011. Our results corroborated incidence data in human patients and other recent seroprevalence studies in animals, and should partially clarify the emergence of WNV in the eastern rural territories of Romania. It also highlighted risk zones for endemic WNV infection in Romani...
Barnard BJ.Zebra are the only equine species native to South Africa. These animals roamed over much of the country in the 17th century when horses and donkeys were first imported. The first cases of African horse sickness (AHS) then occurred in the horses of hunters who entered zebra territory. AHS continued to occur on a country-wide basis until the beginning of the 20th century, though the number of outbreaks decreased as the populations of zebra collapsed through overhunting. For most of the 20th century almost all free-living zebra have been confined to the north-eastern parts of South Africa which a...
Kozytska T, Bassiouny M, Chechet O, Ordynska D, Galante D, Neubauer H, Wareth G.Anthrax is an acute infectious zoonotic disease caused by Bacillus anthracis that mostly affects grazing livestock and wildlife. Furthermore, B. anthracis is considered one of the most important biological agents of bioterrorism that could also be potentially misused in biological weapons. The distribution of anthrax in domestic animals and wildlife in Europe with a particular focus on Ukraine as a country of war was analyzed. Between 2005 and 2022, 267 anthrax cases were registered at the World Organization of Animal Health (WOAH) in animals in Europe, including 251 cases in domestic animals ...
MacKay RJ, Granstrom DE, Saville WJ, Reed SM.Recent advances in the understanding of the parasite life cycle, epidemiology, clinical signs, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of EPM are reviewed. The NAHMS Equine '98 study and a controlled retrospective study from The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine identified a number of risk factors associated with development of the disease. The national annual incidence of EPM was 1% or less depending on the primary use of the animals. Increased disease risk was associated with age (1-5 and > 13 years of age), season (lowest in winter months and increasing with ambient tempe...
Krueger K, Schneider G, Flauger B, Heinze J.One mechanism to resolve conflict among group members is third party intervention, for which several functions, such as kin protection, alliance formation, and the promotion of group cohesion have been proposed. Still, empirical research on the function of intervention behaviour is rare. We studied 40 cases of intervention behaviour in a field study on 13 semi-wild bachelor horses (Equus ferus przewalskii) in (a) standard social situations, and (b) when new horses joined the group (i.e. introductions). Only interventions in agonistic encounters were analysed. Eight of 13 animals directed inter...
Oliver JH, Magnarelli LA, Hutcheson HJ, Anderson JF.Results of a survey for ixodid ticks and/or serum antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi from 14 species of small to large mammals from eastern coastal areas of the United States are presented. Most samples were obtained from July 1987 through June 1989 (excluding December-March) at 3 locales: Assateague Is. National Seashore, Worcester Co., MD., and Accomack Co., VA. (approximately 38 degrees 05' N 75 degrees 10' W), and Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Dare Co., NC (approximately 35 degrees 30' N 76 degrees 35' W). Hosts sampled included opossums (Didelphis virginiana), least shrews (Cryptotis p...
Sandoval-Castellanos E, Wutke S, Gonzalez-Salazar C, Ludwig A.Wild horses unexpectedly survived terminal Pleistocene megafaunal extinctions until eventual European extirpation in the twentieth century. This survival is tied to either their occurrence in cryptic open habitats or their adaptation to forests. Our niche modelling inferred an increasing presence of horses in post-glacial forests, and our analysis of ancient DNA suggested significant selection for black phenotypes as indicating adaptation to forests.
Smith AW, Vedros NA, Akers TG, Gilmartin WG.In a 5-year study (1972-1977) of microbial agents isolated from both clinically normal and diseased marine mammals, it was shown that certain disease agents are widespread in a diversity of ocean populations and that some are also transmissible to a number of terrestrial mammal species. Leptospira interrogans serovar pomona has been isolated repeatedly from 2 species of pinnipeds (Zalophus californianus califonianus and Callorhinus ursinus). Some of the more important bacterial pathogens for land mammals that were isolated from wild marine mammals are Pseudomonas mallei, Clostridium chauvoei, ...
Liu SH, Hu DF, Li K.Oviposition site selection is an important aspect of the behavioural ecology of insects. A comparison of the habitats used by a species enhances our understanding of their adaptation to altered environments. We collected data on the oviposition behaviours of Gasterophilus pecorum (Diptera: Gasterophilidae) in its habitat in Kalamaili Nature Reserve (KNR), Xinjiang, China between March and October 2014. We found 91 quadrats were used by G. pecorum for oviposition. Examining 13 ecological factors using the t-test, chi-square test, and principal component analysis showed that G. pecorum's oviposi...
Rejmanek D, Miller MA, Grigg ME, Crosbie PR, Conrad PA.Sarcocystis neurona is a significant cause of neurological disease in horses and other animals, including the threatened Southern sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis). Opossums (Didelphis virginiana), the only known definitive hosts for S. neurona in North America, are an introduced species in California. S. neurona DNA isolated from sporocysts and/or infected tissues of 10 opossums, 6 horses, 1 cat, 23 Southern sea otters, and 1 harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) with natural infections was analyzed based on 15 genetic markers, including the first internal transcribed spacer (ITS-1) region; the...
Muzari MO, Burgess GW, Skerratt LF, Jones RE, Duran TL.Tabanid flies in Australia are potential vectors of the parasite Trypanosoma evansi which causes the animal disease surra. It is endemic to most of south-east Asia and could enter Australia, but evaluation of the potential impact of a surra incursion requires identification of the major hosts of Australian tabanids. This study investigated the natural pattern of feeding and host preference by tabanid flies of Townsville, north Queensland by identification of ingested blood in trap-caught tabanids using ELISA. The assays were developed for identification of horse, cow, macropod and pig blood me...
Dugat T, Zanella G, Véran L, Lesage C, Girault G, Durand B, Lagrée AC, Boulouis HJ, Haddad N.Anaplasma phagocytophilum is the causative agent of tick-borne fever, a disease with high economic impact for domestic ruminants in Europe. Epidemiological cycles of this species are complex, and involve different ecotypes circulating in various host species. To date, these epidemiological cycles are poorly understood, especially in Europe, as European reservoir hosts (i.e. vertebrate hosts enabling long-term maintenance of the bacterium in the ecosystem), of the bacterium have not yet been clearly identified. In this study, our objective was to explore the presence, the prevalence, and the ge...
Dein FJ, Carpenter JW, Clark GG, Montali RJ, Crabbs CL, Tsai TF, Docherty DE.Of 39 captive whooping cranes (Grus americana), 7 died during a 7-week period (Sept 17 through Nov 4, 1984) at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, Md. Before their deaths, 4 cranes did not develop clinical signs, whereas the other 3 cranes were lethargic and ataxic, with high aspartate transaminase, gamma-glutamyl transferase, and lactic acid dehydrogenase activities, and high uric acid concentrations. Necropsies indicated that the birds had ascites, intestinal mucosal discoloration, fat depletion, hepatomegaly, splenomegaly, and visceral gout. Microscopically, extensive necrosis an...
Törn A, Tolvanen A, Norokorpi Y, Tervo R, Siikamäki P.Nature-based tourism in protected areas has increased and diversified dramatically during the last decades. Different recreational activities have a range of impacts on natural environments. This paper reports results from a comparison of the impacts of hiking, cross-country skiing and horse riding on trail characteristics and vegetation in northern Finland. Widths and depths of existing trails, and vegetation on trails and in the neighbouring forests were monitored in two research sites during 2001 and 2002. Trail characteristics and vegetation were clearly related to the recreational activit...
Gold S, Regan CE, McLoughlin PD, Gilleard JS, Wilson AJ, Poissant J.Variability in host resistance or tolerance to parasites is nearly ubiquitous, and is of key significance in understanding the evolutionary processes shaping host-parasite interactions. While ample research has been conducted on the genetics of parasite burden in livestock, relatively little has been done in free-living populations. Here, we investigate the sources of (co)variation in strongyle nematode faecal egg count (FEC) and body condition in Sable Island horses, a feral population in which parasite burden has previously been shown to negatively correlate with body condition. We used the ...
Furtado T, King M, Perkins E, McGowan C, Chubbock S, Hannelly E, Rogers J, Pinchbeck G.Equestrian grazing management is a poorly researched area, despite potentially significant environmental impacts. This study explored keepers' use of alternative grazing systems in the care of UK horses, donkeys and mules through an internet survey. The survey was available during the summer of 2020 and comprised closed and open questions, which were analysed with descriptive statistics and iterative thematic analysis, respectively. A total of 758 responses was incorporated into the analysis; the most popular system used were tracks (56.5%), Equicentral (19%), "other" (e.g., non-grass turnout)...
Grange S, Duncan P, Gaillard JM.We investigated density dependence on the demographic parameters of a population of Camargue horses (Equus caballus), individually monitored and unmanaged for eight years. We also analysed the contributions of individual demographic parameters to changes in the population growth rates. The decrease in resources caused a loss of body condition. Adult male survival was not affected, but the survival of foals and adult females decreased with increasing density. Prime-aged females maintained high reproductive performance at high density, and their survival decreased. The higher survival of adult m...
Glaser A.Before the introduction of the West Nile virus (WNV) into the United States of America (USA) in 1999, conditions in North America were ideal for an arboviral epidemic. Such factors as the large, susceptible and non-immune animal and human populations, the presence of competent vectors, increasing international travel and commerce, existing methods for rapid dissemination and an ill-prepared animal and public health infrastructure all combined to create the essential elements for a severe animal and public health crisis--the 'perfect microbial storm'. The introduction of WNV into New York City ...
Watts DM, LeDuc JW, Bailey CL, Dalrymple JM, Gargan TP.Serological data accumulated during the past decade indicated that a variety of feral and domestic animals of the Delaware-Maryland-Virginia (DelMarVa) Peninsula were infected with Jamestown Canyon (JC) and/or Keystone (KEY) viruses (Bunyaviridae, California serogroup). Neutralizing (N) antibody to JC virus was most prevalent in white-tailed deer, sika deer, cottontail rabbits and horses. KEY virus N antibody was detected most frequently in gray squirrels and domestic goats. N antibody indicative of past infection by one or both viruses also was found in raccoons, horses and humans. JC and/or ...
Kuzmina ТА, Zvegintsova NS, Yasynetska NI, Kharchenko VA.Resistance of strongylids in domestic horses to benzimidazole anthelmintics (BZ) has been detected worldwide; however, information on the presence of BZ-resistance in wild equids has not been published to date. The purpose of this study was to analyze the manifestations of the BZ resistance in strongylids in domestic and wild equids kept in the Askania Nova Biosphere Reserve, Ukraine. Four species of equids: domestic horses and Shetland ponies (Equus caballus), donkeys (E. asinus), plains zebras (E. burchelli) and Grévy’s zebras (E. grevyi) kept under semi-free conditions were examined usin...
Fuller A, Maloney SK, Kamerman PR, Mitchell G, Mitchell D.We used implanted miniature data loggers to measure brain and arterial blood temperatures in three free-ranging zebras (Equus burchelli) in their natural habitat, every 5 min for 9 days. The animals experienced globe temperatures exceeding 40 C, and radiant heat load of about 1000 W m-2. Arterial blood exhibited a moderate amplitude (1.7 C) nychthemeral rhythm, with an acrophase at 19.00 h and a nadir late in the morning, at 10.00 h. Brain temperature consistently exceeded blood temperature, on average by 0.2-0.4 C, and changes in brain temperature closely tracked changes in blood temperature....
Odontsetseg N, Uuganbayar D, Tserendorj Sh, Adiyasuren Z.The prevalence of animal rabies differs in each area of Mongolia. Wolves (Canis lupus Linnaeus, 1758), foxes ( Vulpes vulpes Linnaeus, 1758), corsac foxes (Vulpes corsac Linnaeus, 1768) and manuls (Felis manul Pallas, 1778) are considered to be the infective wild animals in natural foci. Amongst livestock, cattle have had the most rabies cases, followed by camels, sheep, goats and horses. The peak prevalence of animal rabies occurred in the 1970s. Dundgovi Province had the highest incidence during that period. The number of rabies cases in animals decreased during the 1980s. This may have been...
Krishnan BS, Jones LR, Elmore JA, Samiappan S, Evans KO, Pfeiffer MB, Blackwell BF, Iglay RB.Visible and thermal images acquired from drones (unoccupied aircraft systems) have substantially improved animal monitoring. Combining complementary information from both image types provides a powerful approach for automating detection and classification of multiple animal species to augment drone surveys. We compared eight image fusion methods using thermal and visible drone images combined with two supervised deep learning models, to evaluate the detection and classification of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), domestic cow (Bos taurus), and domestic horse (Equus caballus). We cla...
McGurrin MK, Vengust M, Arroyo LG, Baird JD.An outbreak of protein-losing enteropathy associated with Lawsonia intracelluaris infection was diagnosed in 6 standardbred foals from a farm in Ontario. Wildlife exposure may have been involved in the perpetuation of disease in this outbreak. The clinical presentation, treatment, outcomes, and pathological findings are described. Éclosion d’infections à Lawsonia intracellularis dans un troupeau de Standardbred en Ontario. Une éclosion d’entéropathies exsudatives associée à une infection à Lawsonia intracellularis a été diagnostiquée chez 6 poulains Standardbred d’une ferme de ...
Cappai MG, Pudda F, Wolf P, Accioni F, Boatto G, Pinna W.Wildlife protection and management are important priorities for landscape identity and biodiversity preservation. Feeding practices of fauna confined in facilities during temporary captivity are fundamental to support animal health and natural behavior. Appropriate provision of feedstuffs appears to be necessary to support the best practices in respect of animal species-specific natural diet. This investigation explored the variation of the metabolic profile by means of selected metabolite and respective circulating levels in a group feral Giara horses undergoing the change of the diet, moving...
