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Soultan A, Darwish M, Al-Johani N, Abdulkareem A, Alfaifi Y, Assaeed AM, El-Bana M, Browne S. Feral Donkey Distribution and Ecological Impacts in a Hyper-Arid Region. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:2885. [PMID: 37760285 PMCID: PMC10525148 DOI: 10.3390/ani13182885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2023] [Revised: 09/04/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
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 ~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/km2. 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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alaaeldin Soultan
- The Royal Commission for AlUla, Riyadh 12512, Saudi Arabia; (M.D.); (N.A.-J.)
| | - Mohammed Darwish
- The Royal Commission for AlUla, Riyadh 12512, Saudi Arabia; (M.D.); (N.A.-J.)
| | - Nawaf Al-Johani
- The Royal Commission for AlUla, Riyadh 12512, Saudi Arabia; (M.D.); (N.A.-J.)
| | - Ayman Abdulkareem
- The Royal Commission for AlUla, Riyadh 12512, Saudi Arabia; (M.D.); (N.A.-J.)
| | - Yousef Alfaifi
- The Royal Commission for AlUla, Riyadh 12512, Saudi Arabia; (M.D.); (N.A.-J.)
| | - Abdulaziz M. Assaeed
- The Royal Commission for AlUla, Riyadh 12512, Saudi Arabia; (M.D.); (N.A.-J.)
- Plant Production Department, College of Food & Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Magdy El-Bana
- The Royal Commission for AlUla, Riyadh 12512, Saudi Arabia; (M.D.); (N.A.-J.)
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Port Said University, Port Said 42511, Egypt
| | - Stephen Browne
- The Royal Commission for AlUla, Riyadh 12512, Saudi Arabia; (M.D.); (N.A.-J.)
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de Andrade Morais D, Nunes BC, Soares RR, de Oliveira MD, da Costa DF, de Araújo HG, Júnior JPA, Malossi CD, Silva MLCR, de Azevedo SS, Alves CJ. Strong Evidence of the Role of Donkeys in the Epidemiology of Leptospira spp. in Semiarid Conditions. Microorganisms 2023; 11:1853. [PMID: 37513025 PMCID: PMC10384114 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11071853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Donkeys (Equus asinus) are historically known for their close relationship to humanity, which raises the need to study zoonotic diseases that affect them. In this perspective, leptospirosis stands out as a disease with an economic and public health impact, and its occurrence is facilitated in times of higher rainfall indexes, especially in large urban centers. In view of the scarcity of information about leptospirosis in donkeys, the objective of this study was to detect the presence of Leptospira spp. and anti-leptospiral antibodies in donkeys rescued by a zoonosis center located in the Caatiga biome, Brazilian semiarid region. Overall, 30 donkeys of both sexes, aged between 4 months and 15 years, were used, from which 64 serum samples were collected and submitted to the microscopic agglutination test (MAT). In addition, 64 samples of urine, vaginal and preputial fluid, in duplicates, were subjected to the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and microbiological. Sixteen (53.3%) animals tested positive in at least one diagnostic test, 12 (40%) of which were positive at MAT and seven (23.3%) in the molecular and bacteriological detection (urine, vaginal, and preputial fluid samples). This is the first report identifying donkeys infected with Leptospira spp. by molecular and bacteriological diagnosis in Brazil, and the first in the world to detect this agent in their genital fluids. The study also shows that donkeys are commonly exposed to leptospires in the Caatinga biome, and this constitutes a One Health-based concern, demonstrating the importance of broad studies where large numbers of humans and animals coexist when investigating zoonotic infections and when planning and implementing control measures for donkeys-associated leptospirosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davidianne de Andrade Morais
- Centro de Saúde Tecnologia Rural (CSTR), Universidade Federal de Campina Grande (UFCG), Av. Universitária, s/n, Santa Cecília, Patos 58708-110, PB, Brazil
| | - Bruno Cesar Nunes
- Centro de Saúde Tecnologia Rural (CSTR), Universidade Federal de Campina Grande (UFCG), Av. Universitária, s/n, Santa Cecília, Patos 58708-110, PB, Brazil
| | - Rafael Rodrigues Soares
- Centro de Saúde Tecnologia Rural (CSTR), Universidade Federal de Campina Grande (UFCG), Av. Universitária, s/n, Santa Cecília, Patos 58708-110, PB, Brazil
| | - Murilo Duarte de Oliveira
- Centro de Saúde Tecnologia Rural (CSTR), Universidade Federal de Campina Grande (UFCG), Av. Universitária, s/n, Santa Cecília, Patos 58708-110, PB, Brazil
| | - Diego Figueiredo da Costa
- Centro de Ciências Agrárias (CCA), Universidade Federal da Paraíba (UFPB), Rodovia BR 079, Km 02, Areia 58397-000, PB, Brazil
| | - Hosaneide Gomes de Araújo
- Centro de Saúde Tecnologia Rural (CSTR), Universidade Federal de Campina Grande (UFCG), Av. Universitária, s/n, Santa Cecília, Patos 58708-110, PB, Brazil
| | - João Pessoa Araújo Júnior
- Campus de Botucatu, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Av. Prof. Mário Rubens Guimarães Montenegro, s/n, Botucatu 18618-687, SP, Brazil
| | - Camila Dantas Malossi
- Campus de Botucatu, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Av. Prof. Mário Rubens Guimarães Montenegro, s/n, Botucatu 18618-687, SP, Brazil
| | - Maria Luana Cristiny Rodrigues Silva
- Centro de Saúde Tecnologia Rural (CSTR), Universidade Federal de Campina Grande (UFCG), Av. Universitária, s/n, Santa Cecília, Patos 58708-110, PB, Brazil
| | - Sérgio Santos de Azevedo
- Centro de Saúde Tecnologia Rural (CSTR), Universidade Federal de Campina Grande (UFCG), Av. Universitária, s/n, Santa Cecília, Patos 58708-110, PB, Brazil
| | - Clebert José Alves
- Centro de Saúde Tecnologia Rural (CSTR), Universidade Federal de Campina Grande (UFCG), Av. Universitária, s/n, Santa Cecília, Patos 58708-110, PB, Brazil
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Clancy CL, Kubasiewicz LM, Raw Z, Cooke F. Science and Knowledge of Free‐Roaming Donkeys—A Critical Review. J Wildl Manage 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.22090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Cara L. Clancy
- The Donkey Sanctuary, Slade House Farm Sidmouth EX10 0NU United Kingdom
| | | | - Zoe Raw
- The Donkey Sanctuary, Slade House Farm Sidmouth EX10 0NU United Kingdom
| | - Fiona Cooke
- The Donkey Sanctuary, Slade House Farm Sidmouth EX10 0NU United Kingdom
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