International Wild Equid Conference
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International Wild Equid Conference 18-22 September 2012 in Vienna, Austria Book of Abstracts International Wild Equid Conference Book of Abstracts Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine 18-22 September 2012, in Vienna, Austria 1 International Wild Equid Conference Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Welcome 18-22 September 2012 Dear Delegates: It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the campus of the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna (Vetmeduni Vienna) on the occasion of the International Wild Equid Conference, 2012. Although we have the luxury of occupying this modern campus that was opened in 1996, we are an institution with a long tradition, stretching back to our inception in 1765. During these 247 years we have been constantly adapting to the changing nature of veterinary medicine, advancing developments in science and technology, and the changing demands that society is placing on our services. As a result, the Vetmeduni in 2012 is far from being a traditional veterinary medicine university. On one hand we seek to combine excellent teaching with outstanding research and active participation in practical treatment of animals. On the other hand we strive to broaden the impact of veterinary medicine by enhancing and facilitating cooperation with associated disciplines. This need is inspired by the recognition that humans are placing an ever-increasing range of demands on a clearly limited environment, and that addressing these real world issues requires the integration of multiple disciplines and a high degree of internationalization. Today our focus extends far beyond the traditional domestic pet and livestock issues, as we actively engage wildlife health and biodiversity conservation issues and relate these to human and environmental health in a “One Health” approach. As such, this conference on wild equids organized by the Research Institute for Wildlife Ecology, a part of our Department of Integrative Biology and Evolution, is a perfect showcase for our university‟s commitment to addressing these pressing environmental issues. The conference will feature presenters from 30 countries, summarizing results gathered from study sites on 6 continents. These represent disciplines as diverse as veterinary science, archaeology, genetics, ecology and ethology. They combine the fruits of basic and applied research, addressing topics dealing with the conservation and management of free-living populations of both wild and domestic equid species. These include species such as the domestic horse and the plains zebra with which we are all familiar and others with exotic names like the khulan or kiang that few people have ever seen. I hope that these four days provide stimulating scientific discussions and a chance to catch up with colleagues and friends. I also hope that you get the opportunity to see something of the host city of Vienna and experience its unique mixture of history and modernity. Dr. Sonja Hammerschmidt, Rector of Vetmeduni Vienna 2 International Wild Equid Conference Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Welcome 18-22 September 2012 Dear Colleagues: It's a great honour to welcome you all to the 2012 International Wild Equid Conference. We are truly excited that you have made the effort to travel across the globe to Vienna to contribute to this unique gathering of wild equid experts. You represent a repository of the world's knowledge on these species, as well as the most active agents working for their management and conservation. Wild equids need this help as there are many challenges facing them in the 21st century. Although we have some bright points of good news, such as the return of Przewalski's horse to the wild, there are many other issues of concern. Feral horse populations are expanding or remain high and present a never-ending sequence of management challenges and controversies, while many other species of wild equids decline and face a diversity of old and new threats to their conservation status. These wild species also often suffer from a lack of public focus. It is our hope that this conference will provide an update of the status of our knowledge about wild equids and of their various conservation issues around the world. We also hope that the presentations and discussions will raise awareness of the key research and conservation issues for the coming years, and provide inspiration for those who will follow up, turning ideas into action. We are especially pleased that the conference has attracted delegates from over 30 nations, working across the globe. The presence of both academic researchers and conservation practitioners, of experienced and young researchers, and of researchers from a diversity of disciplines is particularly rewarding. We really hope that there will be time to renew old friendships as well as develop new ones during the next few days. The family of equid researchers and conservationists is small and the magnitude of the tasks that await us are daunting - so only by working together and pooling our collective experience, knowledge and energy can we hope to ensure that these species persist throughout this century and beyond. Welcome to Vienna. Petra Kaczensky, PhD Jason Ransom, PhD IWEC 2012 Organizer IWEC 2012 Organizer 3 International Wild Equid Conference Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Public Event Das Forschungsinstitut für Wildtierkunde und Ökologie der Veterinärmedizinischen Universität Wien lädt Sie ein zur Abendveranstaltung The Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, Veterinary University of Vienna invites you to the evening event 20-jähriges Jubiläum der Wiedereinbürgerung der Przewalski Pferde in der Mongolei 20-year anniversary of Przewalski horse reintroductions in Mongolia Dienstag (Tuesday), 18. September 2012 18:00 Uhr Festsaal der Veterinärmedizinischen Universität Wien (Conference hall) Veterinärplatz 1 1210 Wien Programm 18.00 Uhr Öffentlicher Vortrag (Presentation for the general public – In German) „20 Jahre Wiedereinbürgerung der Przewalski Pferde in der Mongolei“ „20 years of Przewalski horse re-introduction in Mongolia“ Univ.Prof. Dr. Chris Walzer und Dr. Petra Kaczensky, Veterinärmedizinische Universität Wien 19.00 Uhr Ausstellungseröffnung (Opening of the exhibit) Ausstellung einer landestypischen Jurte (mongolisches Zelt) und Fotoausstellung „Highlights aus der Wüste Gobi“ Traditional Mongolian felt tent (ger/yurt) and photo exhibit “Highlights from the Gobi desert” Sektempfang (Reception) Für sämtliche Fragen steht Ihnen (For all questions please contact) Karin Svadlenak-Gomez, MSc, T +43 1 4890915-104 oder unter E-Mail: karin.svadlenak- [email protected], gerne zur Verfügung. Website der “International Wild Equid Conference”:http://www.vetmeduni.ac.at/equid-conference-2012 Mit finanzieller Unterstützung der (with financial support by) 4 International Wild Equid Conference Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Acknowledgments A sincere thank you to the sponsors that helped make this conference happen. Please visit their websites and learn about who they are! http://www.zit.co.at http://www.savethewildhorse.org http://www.waza.org http://www.collaborativeconservation.org http://www.gullivers.at http://www.vectronic-aerospace.com Mrs. Mag. Evelyn Haim-Swarovski (private donation) Please join us in thanking Joel Berger, Sandra Olsen, and Dan Rubenstein for bringing their vast experience and insights to this conference. Also, thanks to Karin Svadlenak-Gomez, Chris Walzer, Sabine Klima, Maria Leitgeb, Beate Zöchtweister, Felizitas Steindl, Christian Schwarz, Claudia Seeber and Sandrina Sinko for help with conference organization. Cover photos are courtesy of Petra Kaczensky, Jason Ransom, St. Louis Zoo, Grevy‟s Zebra Trust, and Zhigang Jiang. The E. africanus photo on the back cover is courtesy of Patricia Moehlman (image © P.D. Moehlman). 5 International Wild Equid Conference Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Schedule Tuesday, September 18, 2012 start finish length 18:00 20:00 2:00 h arrival and check in Location: check-in table at the conference hall, parallel with event 18:00 20:00 2:00 h Special event "20 years Przewalski's horse reintroduction in Mongolia" Location: Anteroom and Conference hall, Veterinary University of Vienna Wednesday, September 19, 2012 start finish length 7:30 8:30 1:00 h Check-in and poster set-up Location: Anteroom of the Conference hall, Veterinary University of Vienna 8:30 9:00 30 m Welcome: Petra Kaczensky and Jason Ransom, IWEC organizers Welcome from University by rector Dr. Sonja Hammerschmid Location: Conference hall, Veterinary University of Vienna Keynote: Equids and ecological niches: behavioural and life history variations on a 9:00 9:45 45 m common theme: Daniel Rubenstein, Princeton University, USA Scientific Program: Behavior and Population Ecology Juvenile dispersal of Takhi (Equus ferus przewalskii) from their natal harems 9:45 10:05 20 m in Hustai National Park, Mongolia: Lee Boyd* Vigilance and its links to social cohesion in a reintroduced equid: Sarah R.B. 10:05 10:25 20 m King* and John Gurnell Foal survival and wolf predation in a population of Galician wild ponies 10:25 10:45 20 m (Equus caballus): Laura Lagos* and Felipe Bárcena 10:45 11:15 30 m Morning Break A long-term investigation of social and sexual behavior of endangered Somali wild asses (Equus africanus