Using Science To Improve The Blm Wild Horse And Burro Program

Using Science to Improve the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program

Using Science to Improve the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program: A Way Forward reviews the science that underpins the Bureau of Land Management's oversight of free-ranging horses and burros on federal public lands in the western United States, concluding that constructive changes could be implemented. The Wild Horse and Burro Program has not used scientifically rigorous methods to estimate the population sizes of horses and burros, to model the effects of management actions on the animals, or to assess the availability and use of forage on rangelands. Evidence suggests that horse populations are growing by 15 to 20 percent each year, a level that is unsustainable for maintaining healthy horse populations as well as healthy ecosystems. Promising fertility-control methods are available to help limit this population growth, however. In addition, science-based methods exist for improving population estimates, predicting the effects of management practices in order to maintain genetically diverse, healthy populations, and estimating the productivity of rangelands. Greater transparency in how science-based methods are used to inform management decisions may help increase public confidence in the Wild Horse and Burro Program.

Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations for 2012

Diseases of Donkeys and Mules, An Issue of Veterinary Clinics of North America: Equine Practice

This issue of Veterinary Clinics: Equine Practice, guest edited by Dr. Ramiro Toribio in collaboration with Consulting Editor Dr. Thomas Divers, is devoted to Diseases of Donkeys and Mules. Topics include:Endocrine and metabolic disorders of donkeys;Gastrointestinal disorders of donkeys and mules;Clinical pathology of donkeys;Genetics, evolution, physiology in donkeys/mules;Nutrition and malnutrition;Donkey and mule welfare;Dermatological disorders of donkeys/mules;Anesthesia, analgesia, and sedation in donkeys/mules;Dental disorders of donkeys;Clinical evaluation and preventative care of the donkey;Respiratory disorders of donkeys;Donkey and mule behavior;Clinical Pharmacology of donkeys;Key aspects of donkey and mule reproduction;and Foot Care and Practical Farriery for the Donkey.