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Equidae: Zebras, Wild Asses & Horses
Equidae: Zebras, Wild Asses & Horses
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Equidae: Zebras, Wild Asses & Horses
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Here in North America, we have tons of species, including introduced animals like Wild boars, which have some pretty bad effects on the ecosystem. However, not all introduced species have a bad impact, in fact, mustangs, the wild horses of the west, have a great impact on the ecosystem.
In winter, they will use their hooves to break through the deep snow to get to the grass, and they also break through frozen bodies of water with their hooves, and this, allows other species to survive the harsh winter months. One example is during the huge blizzard of 1886, when tons of cattle died, but some cattle lived, and those that did survive followed herds of wild horses. Another benefit of wild horses is that they can act as protectors of other prey species. Allow me to explain, When the wild horses of Anza Borrega National Park, California were removed in an effort to try to increase the bighorn sheep population, the number of bighorn sheep deaths ended up increasing because the cougars of the park, which hunted wild horses, simply turned more of their attention towards the sheep because the wild horses were removed. When it comes to grazing, wild horses are better for the plains than the cattle are because of the ways the 2 animals graze. Cows graze by wrapping their tongues around the grass since they don't have upper front teeth, and if the ground is wet, then the cow will grab a plant by the roots, and the grass will never have a second chance of growing back, horses are different, as they have upper front teeth, and flexible lips to grab the grass, then clip parts of the grass, and the grass can grow back. Source of information. https://americanwildhorsescampaign/wild-horses-and-ecosystem 
About these horses, the Mustang, see an old film from John Huston in 1961 "The Misfits" with Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe and Montgomery Clift. There is a capture of a Mustang in the desert. But it's the end of the American dream, and the wild horse was released. This film has a value of prophecy. The three main actors died a short time after the film was realised.
(04-11-2019, 06:47 PM)Spalea Wrote: About these horses, the Mustang, see an old film from John Huston in 1961 "The Misfits" with Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe and Montgomery Clift. There is a capture of a Mustang in the desert. But it's the end of the American dream, and the wild horse was released. This film has a value of prophecy. The three main actors died a short time after the film was realised.  I honestly have no idea what to say to that.
@smedz :
Just to say something... 3 friends wanted to capture a wild horse, the wild horses having almost completely disappeared. They lassoed a mustang, a beautiful male stallion, but the wild horse had much struggled, so much that they decided to release it... This film, through this hunt, described the death of a myth. The myth of the American dream. Men having conquered the big West, but they aren't better than before, the wild life having almost completely been wiped. And let us consider the three main actors' destiny: Marylin Monroe, Clark Gable and Montgomery Clift passed away a few time after having played in this movie. Their last movie for both of 3 together. A twilight movie, a crepuscular movie... I mentioned that only for the anecdote ![[Image: tease.png]](https://wildfact.com/forum/images/smilies/wasm/tease.png) ...
Gujarat: A 30% surge of population, Asiatic wild ass hits 6,000
Himanshu Kaushik | TNN | Apr 11, 2020 Besides the 4,953 km² area of Little Rann of Kutch which forms the Wild Ass Sanctuary, their census covered around 15,000 sq.km area across 6 districts, where movement of the animals have been recorded in recent years.  *This image is copyright of its original author AHMEDABAD: The population of the Indian wild ass has shown a steep rise of 30% with their population reaching 6,000 as per the latest census held in March, top sources said. The last census held in 2015, showed their population at 4,451. The final figures post the census held in March 2020 declared by the state government. Like with the Asiatic lion, Gujarat is also the only abode for Indian wild ass which have been pulled out from the brink of extinction by years of efforts. A senior government official said that this was could be the second highest increase after 1998. In the year 1998, there was an increase of nearly 42% when the number reached 2,940. This number was 2,072 in 1993. The official said that in terms of absolute numbers this would be the highest increase of 1,300. The Little Rann of Kutch region, spread in over 5000 sq km, is the only protected home for the Indian wild ass (equus hemionus khur). A paper titled ‘Status of Indian wild ass in the Little Rann of Kutch by HS Singh states that about six decades ago there were an estimated about 2,000 khurs in the Little Rann. In 1958 and 1960, an arthropod borne disease known as Surra, caused by Trypanosoma evansi took a heavy toll on wild asses. In November-December 1961, some wild asses died due to an outbreak of South African horse sickness and a dwindled population of 870 individuals in 1962.  *This image is copyright of its original author The officer said that wild ass population has hit a bright spot as it has grown from estimated 720 in April 1976 to 4,451 by 2015. The senior officer said that of the total wild asses, 70% were recorded in small group sizes (3-20 wild ass) to medium sizes (21-40 wild ass) while nearly 30% were sighted in the big groups of over 40 animals. There has been some debate about duplication in counting and after due consideration, a conservative number of 6,000 has been arrived at. Since wild ass was a Schedule-I species, the final declaration of the number would be made by the higher officers in consultation with political authority, he said. The entire existing range of the wild asses have been divided into three regions – Dhrangadhra in Surendranagar, Bhachau in Kutch & Radhanpur in Patan on periphery of the Little Rann of Kutch (LRK), along with parts of Mehsana district. Their movement has been recorded near Nal Sarovar and Bhal area of Ahmedabad. Besides the Little Rann of Kutch and Great Rann of Kutch, this census covered most of eastern Kutch as wild ass movement had been recorded in some pockets of Bhachau, Gandhidham and Bhuj talukas of Kutch too. https://m.timesofindia.com/city/ahmedaba...091154.cms https://indianexpress.com/article/cities...7342/lite/
Howard Cleland: " A Dazzle of Zebra, an appropriate name for this herd. Replenishment in the safer open areas with good surround visibility makes this waterhole such a gem in Kruger. "
Craig Elson: "Zebra in Profile. Maasai Mara, Kenya. More black and white post processing exploration from me. Zebras, elephants, rhinos, they all lend themselves to dramatic black and white renderings. I remember watching this particular zebra for awhile one afternoon as he had separated from the herd and I was able to isolate him in the frame against a fairly clean background. Unfortunately, he decided to move away from our vehicle rather than toward us. But, I did manage to capture this brief moment when he turned his head in perfect profile which helped to accentuate his girth. You’d be surprised how big and solid a mature zebra can be! Canon 1DX Mark II •"
Daniel Rosengren: " Zebras drinking water. This is risky as there may be crocodiles in the river. The zebras are therefore always very jumpy while drinking and often one jumps at something making all of them flee in a cloud of dust and noice. Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. "
Subhash Nair: " The Battlefield - Zebras fighting on a dusty evening. Shot at Amboseli. "
Feral Llanos horses in Colombia. These horses fill the void left by previous horse species that inhabited Colombia during the late Pleistocene and early Holocene (Equus Amerhippus), enrich the diet of jaguars in the area:
Llanos wild horses - Casanare, Colombia
 *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author By Adam Rainoff |
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