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Bahloul, K., Pereladova, O. B., Soldatova, N., Fisenko, G., Sidorenko, E., & Sempere, A. J. (2001). Social organization and dispersion of introduced kulans (Equus hemionus kulan) and Przewalski horses (Equus przewalski) in the Bukhara Reserve, Uzbekistan. J. Arid. Environ., 47(3), 309–323.
Abstract: Asiatic wild asses and Przewalski horses initially inhabited steppe, semi-desert and desert areas, but Przewalski horses became extinct in the wild, and kulans disappeared at the beginning of the 20th century, except for a small population in Turkmenistan. The Bukhara Breeding Centre (Uzbekistan) was created in 1976 for reintroduction and conservation of wild ungulate species. In 1977-1978, five kulans (two males and three females), from Barsa-Kelmes island on the Aral sea, were introduced into the reserve. The group increased to 25-30 animals in 1989-1990, when eight Przewalski horses from Moscow and St Petersburg zoos were introduced. We analysed the home ranges, preferred habitats and social interactions of these closely related species during 1995-1998 by seasonal and group composition. Horses and asses formed a reproductive group and a secondary non-reproductive group. The home range of the secondary group was larger than the reproductive group and seemed to be less dependent from the watering places. Przewalski horses were less adapted to semi-desert conditions (both water and vegetation needs) than kulan.
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King, S. R. B. (2002). Home range and habitat use of free-ranging Przewalski horses at Hustai National Park, Mongolia. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci., 78(2-4), 103–113.
Abstract: Przewalski horses (Equus ferus przewalskii), also known as takhi, were first re-introduced to the wild in Hustai National Park, Mongolia, in 1994. Since then the number of free harems increased to a maximum of seven; there are currently six (October 2000). The size of the home range of each of the harems changed among years and among seasons. The horses tended to settle in a home range close to where they were released although they explored the surrounding area. The use of the habitat within each home range changed through the day, with the horses grazing in the valleys during the morning and evening, and moving to higher places to stand rest and use as a refuge from heat and flies during the middle of the day. Range establishment and area, as well as habitat use are discussed.
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King, S. R. B., & Gurnell, J. (2005). Habitat use and spatial dynamics of takhi introduced to Hustai National Park, Mongolia. Biol. Conserva., 124(2), 277–290.
Abstract: The successful introduction of captive bred takhi or Przewalski's horse, Equus ferus przewalskii, into Mongolia in the 1990s is a good example of the benefits of ex situ conservation and one of the few examples of the recovery of an animal after it became extinct in the wild. This is also particularly interesting because virtually nothing was known about how takhi lived before they died out, and the introductions have enabled us to study how they have settled, and their ecology and behaviour within their former natural range. In this paper, we describe the movement, home range size and shape, and habitat use of takhi at one of the release areas, the 570 km2 Hustai National Park in Mongolia. Harem home ranges varied between 129 and 2399 ha, with 80% core areas of between 61 and 1196 ha. There was no relationship between range size and harem size, or length of time since release. Initially, harems stayed near their release enclosures, but over time they established home ranges further away. There was little overlap between home ranges of different harems, but neither was there evidence of exclusive range use. The more nutritious vegetation at lower elevations was preferentially selected. Thus the present situation looks good, but, as the population continues to grow, we anticipate that there will be potential problems related to intraspecific competition for water and vegetation resources, and the potential for hybridisation with domestic horses belonging to the local people. We consider the time it may take for takhi to reach carrying capacity within Hustai National Park and emphasise that continual monitoring of the population is essential because interventional management is likely to be required in the future.
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Linklater, W. L., Cameron, E. Z., Stafford, K. J., & Veltman, C. J. (2000). Social and spatial structure and range use by Kaimanawa wild horses (Equus caballus: Equidae). New Zealand J. Ecol., 24(2), 139–152.
Abstract: We measured horse density, social structure, habitat use, home ranges and altitudinal micro-climates in the south-western Kaimanawa ranges east of Waiouru, New Zealand. Horse density in the Auahitotara ecological sector averaged 3.6 horses.km-2 and ranged from 0.9 to 5.2 horses.km-2 within different zones. The population's social structure was like that of other feral horse populations with an even adult sex ratio, year round breeding groups (bands) with stable adult membership consisting of 1 to 11 mares, 1 to 4 stallions, and their predispersal offspring, and bachelor groups with unstable membership. Bands and bachelor males were loyal to undefended home ranges with central core use areas. Band home range sizes varied positively with adult band size. Home ranges overlapped entirely with other home ranges. Horses were more likely to occupy north facing aspects, short tussock vegetation and flush zones and avoid high altitudes, southern aspects, steeper slopes, bare ground and forest remnants. Horses were more likely to be on north facing aspects, steeper slopes, in exotic and red tussock grasslands and flush zones during winter and at lower altitudes and on gentler slopes in spring and summer. Seasonal shifts by bands to river basin and stream valley floors in spring and higher altitudes in autumn and winter are attributed to the beginning of foaling and mating in spring and formation of frost inversion layers in winter. Given horse habitat selectivity and the presence of other ungulate herbivores, results from present exclosures are likely to exaggerate the size of horse impacts on range vegetation. Proposals to manage the population by relocation and confinement are likely to modify current social structure and range use behaviour and may lead to the need for more intensive management in the longer term.
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Millspaugh, J. J., Brundige, G. C., Gitzen, R. A., & Raedeke, K. J. (2004). Herd organization of cow elk in Custer State Park, South Dakota. Wildl Soc Bull, 32(2), 506–514.
Abstract: nderstanding herd organization is important when considering management alternatives designed to benefit or manipulate elk (Cervus elaphus) populations. We studied the seasonal and annual herd organization of cow elk in Custer State Park, South Dakota from 1993-1997 by examining seasonal subherd range size, spatial arrangement, overlap, and site fidelity. Based on social interaction analyses, we combined locations of radiocol-lared cow elk to delineate subherds. We computed 95% kernel home ranges with least-squares cross validation for each subherd by season and year. Subherd overlap and fidelity by season and year were computed using the Volume of Intersection Index (VI) statistic. We identified 5 relatively discrete, resident cow-calf subherds. We observed little overlap in utilization distributions of adjacent subherds. The mean VI score across all subherds and time points (n=140) was 0.06 (SE=0.009), indicating an average 6% overlap in subherd area utilization. Subherd overlap between pairs was 0.08 in fall (SE= 0.021), 0.06 in winter (SE=0.018), 0.06 in spring (SE=0.2), and 0.05 in summer (SE= 0.016). Range sizes were not different between any pairs of seasons or years (F13,52=0.7, P=0.75). Subherd fidelity ranged from 0.41 (SE=0.033) to 0.60 (SE=0.018) overall, indicating differential use within the subherd boundary across years. The ability to distinguish discrete cow-calf subherd units is consistent with other studies and may aid elk management in Custer State Park. However, use patterns within subherd boundaries were inconsistent across years and may reflect human disturbances (e.g., hunting and logging activities), differences in our sampling approach, or changes in matriarchal leadership. Further evaluation into factors affecting space-use patterns is necessary to predict changes in range use within the subherd boundary.
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White, A. M., Swaisgood, R. R., & Czekala, N. (2007). Ranging patterns in white rhinoceros, Ceratotherium simum simum: implications for mating strategies. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci., 74(2), 349–356.
Abstract: How animals use space has important consequences for feeding ecology, social organization, mating strategies and conservation management. In white rhinoceros, female home ranges are much larger than male territories, suggesting that movement patterns are influenced by factors other than resource distribution. In this study we placed radiotransmitters on 15 female white rhinoceros, recording 1758 locations and collecting behavioural data during 1671 observation sessions, making this the largest data set of its kind in this species. We investigated how habitat variables and male territories influenced female movement and reproductive behaviour. Female home ranges were approximately 20 km2 and core areas were 5 km2, with male territories roughly the same size as female core areas. Female range size did not vary with season, but the pattern of space use did vary. Females used grassland habitat preferentially, utilizing these areas significantly more than expected based on availability. Findings relevant to the mating strategy include: (1) the amount of grassland in a male's territory predicted female use of the territory; (2) the time that a female spent in a male's territory was a significant predictor of reproductive activity with the male, indicating that females probably mate with the most familiar male; and (3) the temporal pattern of female space use suggests that females did not increase mate sampling behaviour nor did they become more choosy about which males they visited when reproductively active. These findings suggest that males may maximize reproductive success by defending areas containing more grassland habitat.
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