Health and behaviour consequences of feral horse relocation

Article

<< Previous

Next >>

Contents Vol 33(2)

doi:10.1071/RJ10075

Rangeland Ecology & Management

	Search




	Advanced Search



	Journal Home

	About the Journal

	Editorial Structure

	Contacts



	Content

	Online Early

	Current Issue

	Just Accepted

	All Issues

	Special Issues

	Research Fronts

	Sample Issue



	For Authors

	General Information

	Notice to Contributors

	Submit Article

	Open Access



	For Referees

	Referee Guidelines

	Review Article

	Annual Referee Index



	For Advertisers



	For Subscribers

	Subscription Prices

	Customer Service

	Print Publication Dates

e-Alerts

Subscribe to our Email Alert or

feeds for the latest journal papers.

New Feature

New Commenting Tool
Join the conversation and leave comments on all new journal articles.

Connect with us

Health and behaviour consequences of feral horse relocation

B. A. Hampson ^A ^C, M. A. Zabek ^A, C. C. Pollitt ^A and B. Nock ^B

^A Australian Brumby Research Unit, School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, Qld 4036, Australia.
^B Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO 63141, USA.
^C Corresponding author. Email: b.hampson1@uq.edu.au

The Rangeland Journal 33(2) 173-180 http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/RJ10075
Submitted: 9 November 2010 Accepted: 14 April 2011 Published: 22 June 2011





	PDF (1.1 MB) $25



	Export Citation

Print

Abstract

Despite ongoing projects involving the breeding and release of equids into semi-wild and wild environments, insufficient information is available in the literature that describes strategies used by equids to adapt and survive in a novel environment. The aim of this study was to assess the ability of naïve, feral Equus caballus (horse) mares to cope in a novel feral horse environment and investigate possible reasons why some may not survive this challenge. Four mares taken from a semi-arid desert environment remained in good health but significantly changed their movement behaviour pattern when surrounded by prime grazing habitat in a mesic temperate grassland. Three of the four mares captured from the prime grazing habitat and released in the semi-arid desert habitat died, apparently due to stress and/or starvation, within 8 weeks of release. The fourth mare survived 4 months but lost considerable weight.

The group of mares relocated to the semi-arid desert environment had difficulty adapting to relocation and did not take up the movement behaviour strategy of local horses, which required long distance treks from a central water hole to distant feeding areas at least 15 km away. The movement behaviour, range use and health consequences of relocating equids may be of interest to wildlife ecologists, animal behaviourists and horse welfare groups. The observations may be used to guide those intending on relocating managed domestic and native horses to novel habitats.

Additional keywords:equine, GPS, movement, range.

References

Bahloul, K., Pereladova, O., Soldatova, N., Fisenko, G., Sidorenko, E., and Sempere, A. (2001). Social organization and dispersion of introduced kulans (Equus hemionus kulan) and Przewalski horses (Equus przewalski) in the Bukhara Reserve, Uzbekistan. Journal of Arid Environments 47, 309–323.
| CrossRef |

Berman, D. M. (1991). The ecology of feral horses in central Australia. PhD Thesis, University of New England, NSW, Australia.

Bouman, I., and Bouman, J. B. (1994). The history of Przewalski’s horse. In ‘Przewalski’s Horse’. (Eds L. Boyd and K. Houpt.) pp. 5–38. (SUNY Press: Albany, NY.)

Boyd, L., Carbonaro, D., and Houpt, K. (1988). The 24-hour time budget of Przewalski horses. Applied Animal Behaviour 21, 5–17.
| CrossRef |

Budiansky, S. (1997). ‘The Nature of Horses: Their Evolution, Intelligence and Behaviour.’ (Weidenfeld and Nicholson: London.)

Cameron, E., Setsaas, T., and Linklater, W. (2009). Social bonds between unrelated females increase reproductive success in feral horses. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 106, 13 850–13 853.
| CrossRef | CAS |

Feist, J. D., and McCullough, D. R. (1976). Behaviour patterns and communication in feral horses. Zeitschrift für Tierpsychologie 41, 337–371.
| CrossRef | CAS | PubMed |

Fraser, A., and Broom, D. (Eds) (1997). ‘Farm Animal Behaviour and Welfare.’ 3rd edn. (CABI Press: New York.)

Hampson, B. A., Pollitt, C. C., de Laat, M., and Mills, P. C. (2010). Distance travelled by feral horses in “outback” Australia. Equine Veterinary Journal 42, 582–586.
| CrossRef | PubMed |

Henneke, D. (1985). A condition score system for horses. Equine Practice 7, 13–15.

Houpt, K., and Fraser, A. (1988). Przewalski horses. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 21, 1–3.
| CrossRef |

IBIS (Australian Botanical Information System) (2006). Australian Botanical Name Portal. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government: Available at: www.anbg.gov.au/ibis/speciesLinks.html (accessed 1 November 2010).

Kaczensky, P., Ganbaatar, N., Altansukh, N., and Enkhsaikhan, N. (2010). Winter disaster in the Dzungarian Gobi – crash of the Przewalski’s horse population in Takhin Tal 2009–2010. (International Tahki Group, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Vienna: Austria.) Available at: www.savethewildhorse.org/files/Downloads/PDF/Studien/2010_08_20_Przewalski%20horse%20report.pdf

Kiley-Worthington, M. (1990). The behaviour of horses: in relation to management and training – towards ethologically sound environments. Equine Veterinary Science 10, 62–75.
| CrossRef |

Linklater, W. (2000). Social and spatial structure and range use by Kaimanawa wild horses (Equus caballus: Equidae). New Zealand Journal of Ecology 24, 139–152.

Maloiy, G. M. O. (1970). Water economy of the Somali donkey. The American Journal of Physiology 219, 1522–1527.
| CAS | PubMed |

Robert, N., Walzer, C., Ruegg, S., and Kaczensky, P. (2005). Pathological findings in reintroduced Przewalski horses in southwestern Mongolia. Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine 36, 273–285.
| CrossRef | PubMed |

Scheibe, K. M., Eichhorn, K., Kalz, B., Streich, W. J., and Scheibe, A. (1998). Water consumption and watering behavior of Przewalski horses (Equus ferus przewalskii) in a semireserve. Zoo Biology 17, 181–192.
| CrossRef |

Sneddon, J. C., van der Walt, J. G., and Mitchell, G. (1991). Water homeostasis in desert-dwelling horses. Journal of Applied Physiology 71, 112–117.
| CAS | PubMed |

Sondergaad, E., and Turner, K. (2008). Timeframe for a novel horse to become familiar in a group. In ‘International Equine Science Meeting’. University of Regensburg, Germany. Abstract available at: http://references.equine-behaviour.de/files/ID_262_Sondergaard.pdf

Van Dierendonck, M., Bandi, N., Dugerlham, S., and Munkhtsog, B. (1996). Behavioural observations of reintroduced Takhi or Przewalski horses (Equus ferus przewalskii) in Mongolia. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 50, 95–114.
| CrossRef |

Waran, N. (1997). Can studies of feral horse behaviour be used for assessing domestic horse welfare? Equine Veterinary Journal 29, 249–251.
| CrossRef | CAS | PubMed |

Subscriber Login

	Username: Password:

Legal & Privacy | Contact Us | Help