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
1. Equus: An Ancient Genus Surviving the Modern World2. Social Organization of Wild Equids3. Behavior of Horses, Zebras, and Asses4. Habitat and Diet of Equids5. Equids and Ecological Niches: Behavioral and Life History: Variations on a Common Theme6. Wild and Feral Equid Population Dynamics7. Genetics and Paleogenetics of Equids8. The Roles of Humans in Horse Distribution through Time9. Human Dimensions of Wild Equid Management: Exploring the Meanings of ""Wild""10. Management of Free-Roaming Horses11. Wild Equid Captive Breeding and Management12. Status and Conservation of Threatened Equids13. Challenges and Opportunities for Conserving Equid Migrations14. Reintroduction of Wild EquidsEpilogue
""The depth and breadth of analysis of established knowledge in the field is unrivalled elsewhere, and this publication is recommended highly as a starting point for wildlife biologists, policy makers, behavioral ecologists, and anyone involved in equid management.""
