The Life, Extinction, and Rebreeding of Quagga Zebras

The Life, Extinction, and Rebreeding of Quagga Zebras PDF

Author: Peter Heywood

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2022-05-19

Total Pages: 243

ISBN-13: 1108923569

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Quaggas were beautiful pony-sized zebras in southern Africa that had fewer stripes on their bodies and legs, and a browner body coloration than other zebras. Indigenous people hunted quaggas, portrayed them in rock art, and told stories about them. Settlers used quaggas to pull wagons and to protect livestock against predators. Taken to Europe, they were admired, exhibited, harnessed to carriages, illustrated by famous artists and written about by scientists. Excessive hunting led to quaggas' extinction in the 1880s but DNA from museum specimens showed rebreeding was feasible and now zebras resembling quaggas live in their former habitats. This rebreeding is compared with other de-extinction and rewilding ventures and its appropriateness discussed against the backdrop of conservation challenges—including those facing other zebras. In an Anthropocene of species extinction, climate change and habitat loss which organisms and habitats should be saved, and should attempts be made to restore extinct species?

The Quagga

The Quagga PDF

Author: Tamara Green

Publisher: Gareth Stevens Publishing

Published: 1996

Total Pages: 28

ISBN-13: 9780836815955

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Describes the physical characteristics and habitat of the quagga, a zebra-like animal that lived in southern Africa and became extinct by the end of the nineteenth century.

Zebra Stripes

Zebra Stripes PDF

Author: Tim Caro

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 2016-12-05

Total Pages: 319

ISBN-13: 022641101X

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Why do zebras have stripes? Popular explanations range from camouflage to confusion of predators, social facilitation, and even temperature regulation. It is a challenge to test these proposals on large animals living in the wild, but using a combination of careful observations, simple field experiments, comparative information, and logic, Caro concludes that black-and-white stripes are an adaptation to thwart biting fly attack.

Wild Equids

Wild Equids PDF

Author: Jason I. Ransom

Publisher: JHU Press

Published: 2016-06-01

Total Pages: 244

ISBN-13: 1421419106

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The first expert synthesis of the diverse studies conducted on wild equids worldwide. Wild horses, zebras, asses, and feral equines exhibit intriguing and complex social structures that captivate the human imagination and elicit a wide range of emotions that influence conservation and management efforts. This book, spearheaded by Jason I. Ransom and Petra Kaczensky, brings together the world's leading experts on equid ecology, management, and conservation to provide a synthesis of what is known about these iconic species and what needs to be done to prevent losing some of them altogether. The most comprehensive conservation book on wild equids in decades, this title will enlighten not only equid researchers, but also mammalogists, conservationists, and equine professionals. Readers will find new insight into the lives of the world's horses, zebras, and asses, understand the basis of our relationships with these animals, and develop a greater understanding of where equids come from and why they are worth conserving. Included in this book are detailed, state-of-the-science syntheses on Social structure, behavior, and cognition Habitat and diet Ecological niches Population dynamics Roles of humans in horse distribution through time Human dimensions and the meaning of wild Management of free-roaming horses Captive breeding of wild equids Conservation of wild equids Conservation of migrations Reintroductions Genetics and paleogenetics

Shaping the African Savannah

Shaping the African Savannah PDF

Author: Michael Bollig

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2020-07-02

Total Pages: 427

ISBN-13: 110848848X

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A history of 150 years of social-ecological transformations in the arid savannah landscape of Namibia.

Horses in Society

Horses in Society PDF

Author: Margaret E. Derry

Publisher: University of Toronto Press

Published: 2016-01-27

Total Pages: 304

ISBN-13: 1487511140

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Before crude oil and the combustion engine, the industrialized world relied on a different kind of power - the power of the horse. Horses in Society is the story of horse production in the United States, Britain, and Canada at the height of the species' usefulness, the late nineteenth and early twentieth-century. Margaret E. Derry shows how horse breeding practices used during this period to heighten the value of the animals in the marketplace incorporated a intriguing cross section of influences, including Mendelism, eugenics, and Darwinism. Derry elucidates the increasingly complex horse world by looking at the international trade in army horses, the regulations put in place by different countries to enforce better horse breeding, and general aspects of the dynamics of the horse market. Because it is a story of how certain groups attempted to control the market for horses, by protecting their breeding activities or 'patenting' their work, Horses in Society provides valuable background information to the rapidly developing present-day problem of biological ownership. Derry's fascinating study is also a story of the evolution of animal medicine and humanitarian movements, and of international relations, particularly between Canada and the United States.

Impacts of Human Population on Wildlife

Impacts of Human Population on Wildlife PDF

Author: Trevor J. C. Beebee

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2022-06-30

Total Pages: 299

ISBN-13: 1108833551

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Comprehensive overview of the causes of wildlife decline in the UK with emphasis on the impact of growing human population.

Conservation Translocations

Conservation Translocations PDF

Author: Martin J. Gaywood

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2022-12-31

Total Pages: 525

ISBN-13: 1108788785

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Conservation translocation - the movement of species for conservation benefit - includes reintroducing species into the wild, reinforcing dwindling populations, helping species shift ranges in the face of environmental change, and moving species to enhance ecosystem function. Conservation translocation can lead to clear conservation benefits and can excite and engage a broad spectrum of people. However, these projects are often complex and involve careful consideration and planning of biological and socio-economic issues. This volume draws on the latest research and experience of specialists from around the world to help provide guidance on best practice and to promote thinking over how conservation translocations can continue to be developed. The key concepts cover project planning, biological and social factors influencing the efficacy of translocations, and how to deal with complex decision-making. This book aims to inspire, inform and help practitioners maximise their chances of success, and minimise the risks of failure.