American Journal of Life Sciences

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The Horse and Burro as Positively Contributing Returned Natives in North America

Received: 20 December 2013    Accepted:     Published: 30 January 2014
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Abstract

Since the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971, debate has raged over whether horses and burros are restored North American natives. Fossil, genetic and archeological evidence supports these species as native. Also, objective evaluations of their respective ecological niches and the mutual symbioses of post-gastric digesting, semi-nomadic equids support wild horses and burros as restorers of certain extensive North American ecosystems. A Reserve Design strategy is proposed to establish naturally self-stabilizing equine populations that are allowed to harmoniously adapt over generations within their bounded and complete habitats. These populations should meet rigid standards for viability based on IUCN SSC assessments (2,500 individuals). Basic requirements are described for successful Reserve Design including viable habitat as well as specific regions of North America where this could be implemented.

DOI 10.11648/j.ajls.20140201.12
Published in American Journal of Life Sciences (Volume 2, Issue 1, February 2014)
Page(s) 5-23
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Equidae, Wild Horses and Wild Burros, Horse and Burro Evolution, Horse and Burro Ecology, North American Native Fauna and Ecosystems, Reserve Design, Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971

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Author Information
  • Andean Tapir Fund, P.O. Box 456, Minden, NV 89423-0456 USA

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  • APA Style

    Craig C. Downer. (2014). The Horse and Burro as Positively Contributing Returned Natives in North America. American Journal of Life Sciences, 2(1), 5-23. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajls.20140201.12

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    Craig C. Downer. The Horse and Burro as Positively Contributing Returned Natives in North America. Am. J. Life Sci. 2014, 2(1), 5-23. doi: 10.11648/j.ajls.20140201.12

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    AMA Style

    Craig C. Downer. The Horse and Burro as Positively Contributing Returned Natives in North America. Am J Life Sci. 2014;2(1):5-23. doi: 10.11648/j.ajls.20140201.12

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ajls.20140201.12,
      author = {Craig C. Downer},
      title = {The Horse and Burro as Positively Contributing Returned Natives in North America},
      journal = {American Journal of Life Sciences},
      volume = {2},
      number = {1},
      pages = {5-23},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ajls.20140201.12},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajls.20140201.12},
      eprint = {https://download.sciencepg.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajls.20140201.12},
      abstract = {Since the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971, debate has raged over whether horses and burros are restored North American natives. Fossil, genetic and archeological evidence supports these species as native. Also, objective evaluations of their respective ecological niches and the mutual symbioses of post-gastric digesting, semi-nomadic equids support wild horses and burros as restorers of certain extensive North American ecosystems. A Reserve Design strategy is proposed to establish naturally self-stabilizing equine populations that are allowed to harmoniously adapt over generations within their bounded and complete habitats. These populations should meet rigid standards for viability based on IUCN SSC assessments (2,500 individuals). Basic requirements are described for successful Reserve Design including viable habitat as well as specific regions of North America where this could be implemented.},
     year = {2014}
    }
    

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