Academic literature on the topic 'Feral buffalo'

Management of the natural environment and its resources leads to conflicts between different stake-holders worldwide. Recently mangrove browsing by feral water buffalo in the East-Godavari Delta (India) has been considered a threat to the regeneration of mangroves by the local Forest Department, which led to conflicts between the authorities and local herds-men who have an ancient tradition involving feral water buffalo. The impact of browsing and grazing of mangroves by feral water buffalo was monitored. Feral water buffalo consumed mangroves, but not to the extent claimed by the Forest Department, prefering Avicennia alba, A. marina and A. officinalis. Their browsing behaviour was not linked to a height zone, and buffalo preferred the fresh leaves from previously undamaged branches. Under experimental and natural conditions, browsing induced compensatory regrowth in Avicennia. The carrying capacity of the mangrove appears to be sufficient to accumulate impact. There are both positive and negative impacts of livestock animals on forest ecosystems, and sociocultural consequences must be carefully assessed prior to enforcing a change in natural resource or environmental management. Before banning feral water buffalo from the mangrove, forest managers should confront their prejudices about the real impact of feral herbivores on these forests.

An exercise is described in which transmitters were attached to feral buffalo females and these 'judas cows' were then used to lead a shooter to other animals with which they sought company. The technique, the problems and the benefits are described. The efficiency and thoroughness with which feral buffalo can be shot in difficult country is greatly increased by the use of radio tracking. The use of the technique with other feral animals in northern Australia or in extensive buffalo or cattle husbandry is discussed.

Dingo (Canis farniliaris dingo) predation on feral pigs (Sus scrofa) in response to experimental changes in prey populations was measured over seven years in the seasonally wet-dry tropics of northern Australia. Following the removal of feral swamp buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) from half of the 614-km*2 study area, the number of pigs doubled and there was a 3-fold increase of pig in dingo diet. The relationship between the functional response of the dingo and pig abundance was negative and significant for both the treatment and control areas. This indicated that dingoes were not regulating the pig population. Instead, dingo predation probably acted in concert with interference competition by buffalo which decreased access to critical subterranean food for pigs during the dry season and thus limited population growth in pigs.

Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve (KTWR) has the last remaining Nepalese population of the Endangered Asiatic Wild Buffalo (Bubalus arnee Kerr, 1792). Individual animals protected inside KTWR may be of purely wild, domestic or hybrid origin, and the wild population is under potential threat due to habitat loss and genetic introgression from feral backcrosses. Identification of genetically pure wild individuals is important for identifying animals for translocation to other areas within their former range. In this study we have sequenced a highly variable 422bp region of the Cytochrome b gene of 36 animals, and added 61 published sequences of both River and Swamp Buffalo from Italy and some southern Asian countries including India. The haplotype diversities ranged from 0.286-0.589 with slightly higher diversities in domesticated individuals. The AMOVA analysis revealed that 97.217% of the genetic variation was contained within groups and 2.782% occurred among groups. An overall fixation index (FST) was found to be 0.02782 (p>0.05). Phylogenetic relationships derived through a reduced median network and maximum parsimony analyses reconfirmed the ancestral nature of the Wild Water Buffalo. Moreover, this study has reviewed recent achievements of molecular research in wild buffalo, assessed the technical capacities of research institutes in Nepal to conduct molecular research required for identifying pure wild individual in KTWR and more importantly initiated DNA bank and DNA sequence library of buffalos, which will enable an international collaboration for advanced molecular research in the future.

Tree populations in the wooded savannas of northern Australia lack a well developed seed bank, but instead rely on a persistent ground layer of suppressed juvenile plants <1 m of indeterminate ages. The feral Asian water buffalo has been implicated as a factor in inhibiting the movement of juvenile trees to sapling stage. In a 6-year field study in Kakadu National Park, 656 juvenile plants were monitored for growth and survival, and in exploring the effects of buffalo, clipping surrounding vegetation and ambient fire. Buffalo were removed from one half of the sites across an environmental gradient in a landscape-scale experiment. Juvenile trees grew more slowly but fewer became dormant where buffalo were absent. Experimental clipping of surrounding vegetation produced significantly increased height at the buffalo-absent sites, but not at the buffalo-present sites, demonstrating that the positive effect of buffalo on growth was indirect, by reducing the competitive regime for juvenile trees. Within 3 years of removal of buffalo, ground-level green biomass increased 2–10 times and litter 1.3–2 times over a topographic gradient. Mortality of juvenile trees was not significantly different between buffalo-present and buffalo-absent sites when plots remained unburnt. By contrast, at buffalo-absent sites, three times more juveniles died after late dry-season fires than at unburnt sites, but there was no difference among buffalo-present sites. Overall, the total juvenile tree bank decreased by 7% where buffalo grazed and by 18% where buffalo had been removed. The study demonstrated a major mechanism(s) responsible for recorded changes in vegetation patterns of these savannas, whereby buffalo initiate a cascade of effects by changing ground-level biomass, which change competitive relationships and fuel loads, which then have an impact on tree growth and demography. The results are discussed with respect to dynamics of the juvenile tree bank and implications for long-term sustainability of these wooded savannas.

Freshwater wetlands have great ecological, social, cultural and economic importance and are considered some of the most threatened ecosystems globally, especially in the tropics. In the tropics of northern Australia, much land is owned by Aboriginal people, thus requiring community-based approaches to monitoring and decision making. Herein we present a collaborative community-based rapid appraisal of an observed decline in a culturally and ecologically important tree genus of the freshwater wetlands in northern Australia, locally known as kunkod (Melaleuca spp., Myrtaceae) by Bininj (local Aboriginal people). We conducted collaborative research with the local Aboriginal Djelk Rangers incorporating local and scientific knowledge and preferred research methods. The decline in kunkod was more common in the water zone than in the mud and dry zones of freshwater billabongs in the Djelk Indigenous Protected Area. Kunkod decline and poor regeneration were significantly correlated with high water electrical conductivity, turbidity and ammonium. Feral buffalo activity was also positively correlated with these parameters, suggesting an indirect effect of buffalo on kunkod population health (large and small trees) through reduced water quality rather than direct rubbing on the trees, as was initially expected. Ongoing monitoring will allow assessment of potential recovery of kunkod following planned feral buffalo control.

Context Some large herbivores introduced to Australia have achieved population densities so high as to cause considerable ecological damage. Intriguingly, others have been relatively less successful and have correspondingly perturbed their new environments less. An excellent example is two similar-sized bovine species that established feral populations in the Northern Territory of Australia in the mid-19th century. Asian swamp buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) rapidly colonised the tropical savannas, causing ecological degradation, especially on freshwater swamps. In contrast, banteng (Bos javanicus) are restricted to their point of introduction and have caused relatively negligible ecological damage. Understanding the reasons of this differential success is of theoretical and applied interest and contributes to managing large herbivore populations for ex situ conservation and feral-animal control. Aims To compare the population structure of buffalo and banteng on the basis of shot samples, so as to construct life tables for four contemporary (low-density) buffalo populations, and collated data from previous work from three historical (high-density) buffalo populations and one banteng population (the only extant ex situ population in existence). Further, to provide a validation of age estimation with and without informed priors in a Bayesian model comparing horn length and ages estimated from tooth cementum annuli. Finally, to interpret our results in the context of relative invasion potential of the two bovid species. Key Results For both species, survival of juveniles was the most important demographic component influencing deterministic population growth. However, buffalo have the demographic capacity to recover swiftly after control because of high survival and fertility rates across a range of population densities. Fertility of buffalo was historically greater than that of banteng, and buffalo fertility increased as their populations were reduced. Conclusions These findings highlight how subtle differences in demographic rates and feeding ecology can influence the success (high population growth and range expansion) of large herbivores, knowledge which is increasingly important for managing invasive species effectively. Implications We show that that individual life-history traits and demographic performance, especially fertility, play an important role in determining the spread of invasive bovids in a novel environment.

ABSTRACTThe abundance and distribution of reptiles and amphibians inhabiting tropical monsoonal wetlands in Kakadu National Park, northern Australia, were monitored between late 1979 and 1982. Seasonal trends in species richness, and the influence of various environmental attributes (including those caused by feral ungulates) on species distribution patterns were also examined.These wetlands support a high proportion of the amphibian species known from the Park, but are of less importance to reptiles. Within the wetlands, the structurally more complex forested ‘margins’ support many more species than the treeless floodplains. Amphibian species distributions seem to be influenced primarily by elevation, through its effects on soil moisture and flooding levels, while reptile distribution patterns reflect a more complex set of environmental factors, with structural attributes (e.g. vegetation height structure and cover, refuge abundance, leaf litter cover and depth, extent of flooding) being of prime importance.Feral buffalo and pigs, through their grazing, trampling and wallowing, may considerably influence such structural attributes and change the duration and extent of water lie, and thus indirectly affect species distribution patterns. Current buffalo culling programmes provide an opportunity to monitor vegetation and faunal changes, and quantify feral animal impact post facto.

(1) Aerial survey methods for estimating population size of feral water buffalo in northern Australia were examined. (2) Line transect models underestimated population size. Of six models tested the most accurate underestimated by nearly half. The models give biased estimates most probably because not all animals on the survey line were sighted . (3) Aerial strip transect surveys were also negatively biased. The extent of this bias was estimated in index-removal experiments. Experiments were carried out on two populations in areas of differing obstructive canopy cover. (4) In woodland habitat with a canopy cover of 30- 60%, a correction factor of 3.2 was required to take account of animals not seen. In forest habitat with a canopy cover of 60-100%, a correction factor of 4.9 was required. (5) Using these results, the population size of feral buffalo, cattle and horses in Kakadu National Park was estimated by aerial survey at the end of each year over 6 years. Annual rates of increase for three regions of the Park were estimated, taking into account known removals from the population. The effects of dry season rainfall and population density in the preceding year on rate of increase were examined for each species. (6) The mean annual exponential rate of increase for each species was 0.10 yr-1 for buffalo, 0.23 yr-1 for cattle and -0.14 yr-1 for horses. (7) The annual rates of increase varied greatly between years within all species and were highly correlated with dry season rainfall in the year of survey for buffalo and cattle but not for horses. (8) No significant effect of preceding density on rate of increase was found for any species. A large reduction in buffalo populations did not correspond with an increase in unharvested populations of horses, suggesting the two species do not compete for food or other resources. (9) A campaign to control populations of feral water buffalo in Kakadu National Park was assessed. Between 1979 and 1988, approximately 79,000 animals were removed, 54% by commercial live-capture, 35% by shooting from helicopters and 10% by shooting from the ground. (10) In the period 1983-1988 when population estimates from aerial survey are available, mean buffalo population density was reduced from 5.60 km-2 to 1.17 km-2 over the surveyed area of the Park. (11) The costs of removal by shooting from helicopters, capturing animals alive and shooting from the ground were compared. The mean costs per animal in 1988 were $24.13, $74.53, and $86.02 respectively. (12) The effects of initial density and time spent shooting on number of animals removed by shooting from helicopters were examined. One linear and two curvilinear models were fitted to data from four different removal exercises. The relationship between time spent shooting and number removed was best described by a curvilinear (Ivlev) function. This model was used to estimate costs of control to a specified density. (13) Model regression coefficients differed between removal exercises, suggesting that the number removed may be affected by variables other than time spent shooting and initial density. Data from the range of conditions encountered during removal is thus likely to be required for robust estimation of removal costs.

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2016-07-14T18:28:11Z No. of bitstreams: 1 eduardolagebisaggio.pdf: 9894299 bytes, checksum: 39e251314b1dd98e469868c1cf6f9696 (MD5)
Approved for entry into archive by Diamantino Mayra (mayra.diamantino@ufjf.edu.br) on 2016-07-19T15:47:18Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 eduardolagebisaggio.pdf: 9894299 bytes, checksum: 39e251314b1dd98e469868c1cf6f9696 (MD5)
Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-19T15:47:18Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 eduardolagebisaggio.pdf: 9894299 bytes, checksum: 39e251314b1dd98e469868c1cf6f9696 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-02-18
Populações bubalinas ferais (Bubalus bubalis) são conhecidas por provocarem significativos impactos ambientais em diversas regiões do mundo, inclusive no Brasil. Uma dessas populações se encontra na Reserva Biológica do Guaporé, situada no Vale do Guaporé, Rondônia. A chegada dos búfalos no Vale ocorreu por volta da década de 1950, quando 66 animais foram trazidos para uma fazenda vizinha à Reserva. Com o abandono da fazenda, os búfalos permaneceram sem controle, aumentaram em número (atualmente estimado aprox. 4.000 cabeças) e provocaram significativas alterações ambientais na região da Reserva. Poucas medidas trataram a questão e quase nada se conhece sobre os búfalos da região. Com isso, o presente trabalho busca mapear a área de ocorrência dos animais na Reserva e fornecer propostas para o manejo da espécie. Além disso, indica como os prováveis impactos ambientais dos búfalos sobre a Reserva podem ser monitorados e avaliados. Para o mapeamento da área, três sobrevôos foram realizados. Os dados obtidos em GPS foram transferidos para softwares, os quais forneceram uma área ocupada total de 49.311 há (aprox. 8% da Reserva). Ela é composta predominantemente por campos naturais (62,5%), seguidos de 25,1% de florestas e ecótonos e 12,4% de buritizais. Da área total, 18.706 ha estão densamente ocupados por búfalos. A presença de cursos d’água perenes e grandes extensões de florestas, bem como aspectos inerentes à espécie, contribuem para a delimitação dos búfalos em uma única área. A soma da área ocupada na Reserva com a área da Fazenda Pau D’Óleo (local de introdução inicial) resulta em 60.300 ha ocupados. Existem diferentes indícios de alterações ambientais na área ocupada. Os búfalos são a principal ameaça aos ecossistemas da Reserva. Existe alto potencial de dispersão dos animais para terras vizinhas à área ocupada. Para solucionar a questão, duas propostas de erradicação foram apresentadas. A primeira constitui no abate massivo de animais e a segunda em campanhas sucessivas de esterilização. Aspectos éticos, econômicos e logísticos são avaliados. Entretanto, tais medidas de controle somente podem ser adotadas caso existam as necessárias condições de execução. Independentemente da decisão tomada, o monitoramento da população bubalina é indispensável.
Impacts of feral water buffalo populations (Bubalus bubalis) have happened worldwide included Brazil. In this country the protected area of REBIO do Guaporé in the state of Rondônia (Amazon) has been affected by water buffalo. The buffalo’s introduction in this area occurred around the 1950s, when 66 animals were brought to a farm next to REBIO do Guaporé. When the farm was abandoned the Buffaloes remained unchecked, increased in number (currently estimated approx. 4.000 animals) and resulted in significant alterations in the region of the Reserve. Few steps dealt with this issue and almost nothing is known about the buffaloes of the region. This dissertation attempted mapping the area where the animals have been, as also providing proposals for the control of the population. In addition, it indicates how the likely environmental impacts of the buffaloes on the Reserve can be monitored and evaluated. For mapping of the area, three flights were conducted. The captured data from the GPS were transferred to softwares which provided a total area occupied of 49.311 ha (nearly 8% of Reserve area). From this total Area, 18.706 ha are heavily populated by buffaloes. The area used is composed predominantly of grasslands (62.5%), followed by 25.1% of forests and ecotones and 12.4% of palm forests. The presence of perennial water courses and large extensions forests, as well as aspects related to the species, contribute to the delimitation of the buffalo in one single area. The total of the occupied area in the Reserve plus the area of Pau D'Óleo farm (place of the initial introduction of the buffaloes) results a total of 60,300 ha occupied. There are different indications of environmental changes in the occupied area. Buffaloes are the main threat to the ecosystems of the Reserve. There is high dispersion potential of animals to bordering land of the occupied area. To solve that problem, two proposals are presented for the eradication of the Buffaloes. The first is the massive slaughter of animals. The second is successive rounds of sterilization. Ethical, economic and logistical aspects were evaluated. However, control measures can be adopted only if there are necessary conditions for implementation. Regardless of the decision, the buffaloes population monitoring is essential.

Submitted by Marivaldo Rodrigues Figueiro (marivaldo.figueiro@embrapa.br) on 2018-05-02T19:49:49Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese_Marivaldo_Rodrigues_Figueiro.pdf: 1104812 bytes, checksum: 07b57b57c50c0ce48e486b2965bd2e74 (MD5)
Approved for entry into archive by Alexandra Maria Donadon Lusser Segali null (alexmar@fcav.unesp.br) on 2018-05-04T17:05:00Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 figueiró_mr_dr_jabo.pdf: 1104812 bytes, checksum: 07b57b57c50c0ce48e486b2965bd2e74 (MD5)
Made available in DSpace on 2018-05-04T17:05:00Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 figueiró_mr_dr_jabo.pdf: 1104812 bytes, checksum: 07b57b57c50c0ce48e486b2965bd2e74 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-03-19
O maior rebanho bubalino da América Latina encontra-se no Brasil, fato que pode fazer do país um grande exportador de material genético da espécie. Nesse contexto, o desenvolvimento e o uso das biotécnicas da reprodução animal surgem como eixo central para aumentar a capacidade de multiplicação de material genético superior e promover o melhoramento animal. Desta forma, este estudo trem como objetivo validar protocolos que proporcionem a obtenção de embriões com maior qualidade e menor acúmulo lipídico, os quais estão apresentados em dois capítulos. O capitulo I, é composto de revisão bibliográfica abordando os estudos relacionados aos principais aspectos na maturação in vitro de oócitos bubalinos, importância dos lipídeos nos oócitos e embriões produzidos in vitro, efeitos da redução lipídica no desenvolvimento oocitário e embrionário e o emprego da L-carnitina na produção embrionária. No capítulo II, está apresentado um artigo composto de experimento I, o qual foi a determinado a menor concentração de SFB no meio MIV que promovesse manutenção das taxas de desenvolvimento embrionário, No experimento II, foi avaliado a adição de 5 mM de L-carnitina nos meios de maturação e consequentemente forma submetidos à avaliação lipídica, por meio de técnicas de coloração em microscopia óptica e confocal. Onde concluímos que não houve diferenças em relação ao acúmulo lipídico embrionário e que possível reduzir a concentração de SFB até 5% nos meios de maturação in vitro para produção de embriões em bubalinos e a suplementação do meio com L-carnitina não proporciona aumento na produção embrionária.
The largest buffaloes herd in Latin America is in Brazil, a fact that can make the country a great exporter of genetic material of the species. In this context, the development and use of biotechnics of animal reproduction arise as a central axis to increase the multiplication capacity of higher genetic material and promote animal improvement. In this way, this study train as objective validate protocols that provide the obtaining of embryos with higher quality and lower lipid accumulation, which are presented in two chapters. Chapter I, is composed of a bibliographical revision addressing the studies related to the main aspects of the in vitro maturation of oocytes buffaloes, importance of the lipids in the oocytes and in vitro embryos produced, effects of the reduction lipid in oocitário and embryonic development and the use of L-carnitine in embryonic production. In chapter II, an article composed of experiment I, which was determined the smallest concentration of fetal bovine serum (FBS) in the IVM environment that promoted the maintenance of the embryo development rates. In the experiment II, was evaluated the addition of 5 mM of L-carnitine in the means of maturation and consequently form subjected to the lipid evaluation, by means of coloring techniques in optical and confocal microscopy. Where we concluded that there were no differences in relation to embryonic lipid accumulation and that it could reduce the concentration of FBS up to 5% in the IVM methods for the production of embryos in buffaloes and the supplementation of the medium with L-carnitine does not provide increase in embryonic production.

Brucellosis has been defined as a zoonotic disease affecting a myriad of species like bovine and buffalo’s herd. This disease has broadly been reported in many regions from Brazil which may give rises economic losses because of reproductive problems caused to the home farm animals, including the necrosis process within testicles resulting upon male sterility and birth of weak calf and retention of the fetal membrane upon female ruminants (SOUSA et al., 2015, 2017). Because abortion personifies the key symptom, brucellosis is usually referred to as Infectious Abortion, Contagious Abortion, or Bang Disease; each abortion occurred must be considered as brucellosis. The causer of brucellosis on cattle and buffaloes is a gram-negative coco-bacilli of the genus Brucella named Brucella abortus of which DNA may be found for about second to last pregnancy month within both maternal tissue and fetal fluid. Epidemiologically, the main infection pathway in buffaloes is the uterine transmission (SOUSA et al., 2015; LEITE and BASTIANETTO, 2009; SILVEIRA, 2006) but the transmissions encompass contact with bacteria including oral, conjunctive, and dermal pathways, natural mount, and artificial insemination for both cattle and buffaloes. There are no therapeutical treatments for brucellosis which may be diagnosed by either direct (PCR, bacterium isolation, and so forth) or indirect (serology) exam. Once diagnosed, the appropriate control commonly used is the elimination of reagent animals whereas may involve modulation in animal transit as well. The present paper categorizes and describes common diagnostics, transmission pathways, and control methods in cattle and buffaloes within signs of brucellosis. Moreover, it was hypothesized the age may relate with an immunological response with the subsequent incidence of such disease.