干旱区生态环境知识资源中心(Arid): Feral Donkey Distribution and Ecological Impacts in a Hyper-Arid Region

Arid

DOI	10.3390/ani13182885
	Feral Donkey Distribution and Ecological Impacts in a Hyper-Arid Region
	Soultan, Alaaeldin; Darwish, Mohammed; Al-Johani, Nawaf; Abdulkareem, Ayman; Alfaifi, Yousef; Assaeed, Abdulaziz M.; El-Bana, Magdy; Browne, Stephen; Hillstroem, Lars; Carpio, Antonio
通讯作者	Soultan, A
来源期刊	ANIMALS
ISSN	2076-2615
出版年	2023
卷号	13 期号:18
英文摘要	Simple Summary: We estimated the population density and the population size of feral donkeys in northwest Saudi Arabia. The estimated overall population density was 1.03 (0.19 SE) donkey/km(2) and an abundance at similar to 1135 individuals. The negative impact of feral donkeys on natural resources included overgrazing, habitat fragmentation, and competition for resources with native species. Our study adds evidence to the detrimental impacts of feral donkeys and calls for urgent actions to control the presence of feral donkeys in the region. We recommend humane eradication for controlling the feral donkeys as it would be the most efficient and applicable action that can significantly abate the feral donkeys' negative impacts. The feral donkey (Equus asinus L.) is an invasive species in Saudi Arabia and can cause severe damage to natural and cultural heritage. Over the last 30 years, feral donkeys have become a serious problem, as their abundance and geographic distribution has increased drastically. The impacts of feral donkeys are not well documented, and information about their abundance and distribution is lacking, certainly in Saudi Arabia, which hampers the implementation of effective management plans. Accordingly, we used the minimum population number approach (MPN) to determine the number of feral donkeys in this part of northwest Saudi Arabia. A total of 1135 feral donkeys were encountered in the region. The area around Khaybar harbors similar to 25% (n = 338) of the feral donkey population, whereas Tayma and AlGhrameel nature reserves were the least-inhabited sites (almost absent). The average population density of feral donkeys was estimated as 1.03 (0.19 SE) donkey/km(2). We documented the negative ecological impact of feral donkeys on natural resources, which constituted overgrazing that resulted in habitat fragmentation and competition for resources with native species. We propose urgent actions to control the presence of feral donkeys in the region and suggest humane eradication as the most efficient and applicable to significantly reduce the negative impacts of feral donkeys.
英文关键词	feral donkey Arabian Desert AlUla overgrazing density
类型	Article
语种	英语
开放获取类型	gold, Green Published
收录类别	SCI-E
WOS记录号	WOS:001072878800001
WOS关键词	EQUUS-ASINUS ; WORKING DONKEYS ; CLIMATE-CHANGE ; POPULATION ; RANGELANDS ; HORSES ; WATER
WOS类目	Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science ; Veterinary Sciences ; Zoology
WOS研究方向	Agriculture ; Veterinary Sciences ; Zoology
资源类型	期刊论文
条目标识符	http://119.78.100.177/qdio/handle/2XILL650/395311
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Soultan, Alaaeldin,Darwish, Mohammed,Al-Johani, Nawaf,et al. Feral Donkey Distribution and Ecological Impacts in a Hyper-Arid Region[J],2023,13(18).
APA	Soultan, Alaaeldin.,Darwish, Mohammed.,Al-Johani, Nawaf.,Abdulkareem, Ayman.,Alfaifi, Yousef.,...&Carpio, Antonio.(2023).Feral Donkey Distribution and Ecological Impacts in a Hyper-Arid Region.ANIMALS,13(18).
MLA	Soultan, Alaaeldin,et al."Feral Donkey Distribution and Ecological Impacts in a Hyper-Arid Region".ANIMALS 13.18(2023).