The War on Aoudad: Texas

[transpecos]

LRH fellows,
Aoudad attracted alot of attention in recent years some love them, some hate them. Although far from having all the answers I would appreciate if ya'll took a look at the current atmosphere surrounding this regal species!

Please let me know what ya'll think about this issue...

The War on Aoudad!

 

[transpecos]

Can you promote biodiversity by destroying it?

 

[wbm]

Read some research info from Texas A&M. Apparently Texas has 7 free roaming herds of Big Horn Sheep and the Aoudad may pose a competition threat to those herds. Guess the Jury is still out on whether that is the case so who knows.

 

[transpecos]

Read some research info from Texas A&M. Apparently Texas has 7 free roaming herds of Big Horn Sheep and the Aoudad may pose a competition threat to those herds. Guess the Jury is still out on whether that is the case so who knows.

While they are mostly careful with their language using the "may" or "possibly" words, for some reason it's being interpreted as conclusive findings. They don't even have a model for this "alleged" competition.

 

[wbm]

Lot's of "weasel words" for sure. Don't know about Texas but in New Mexico and Arizona the biggest threat to Desert Big Horn is disease contracted from domestic stock, especially sheep. My guess is that it would be the same in Texas.....if true, that would make the Aoudad much less of a threat than range live stock....don't think anyone in the Lone Star State wants to tackle that one.

 

[HARPERC]

I'm generally against non native species, feral horses, asian carp, pythons, wolves, hogs crossbreeds, and even noxious weeds. I also don't care for the government spending my hard earned dollars on ineffectual methods, with people out there that would jump at the opportunity to either pay, or do it themselves.

Both those scenario's have left town, and common sense is the only endangered species really left in this country.

I'd probably be more inclined to classify them a nuisance, and fair game whenever and wherever they're found, including the Park.

Texas has by and large created this situation, and a Texas solution is what is needed. There are lots of people such as myself that would love to come shoot nuisance species, but the cost is out of reach

We have the same issue here with wolves, and the goats in the Olympic Park. I appreciate the fact you've found a niche for yourself, and I enjoyed the article.

Putting the brakes on the Park service, and USFWS, is our only common issue.

 

[transpecos]

Lot's of "weasel words" for sure. Don't know about Texas but in New Mexico and Arizona the biggest threat to Desert Big Horn is disease contracted from domestic stock, especially sheep. My guess is that it would be the same in Texas.....if true, that would make the Aoudad much less of a threat than range live stock....don't think anyone in the Lone Star State wants to tackle that one.

We don't have much domestic sheep in this country but we do have cattle and horses. In regards to disease threats the current research is lazily stuck on "controlling disease reservoirs". Unfortunately, this ignores the most important factor determining the severity of an epidemic(s), transmission. Strains of paustuerella virus' continue to be the leading epizootic causing species natural mortalities.

This virus resides in the respiratory tract of the animal and can only survive 18ft of travel as an aerosol in a sterile wind tunnel. This means they have to come into more or less direct physical contact with the infected individual. This is also one of the most common virus strains found in the human respiratory tract.

So where might there be a warm, wet environment with plenty of organic material that the respiratory tract and saliva gland of every single species in the desert might insert. A disease and parasite warehouse if you will.

Water troughs and wildlife guzzlers.

But the virus has to be introduced first..............

[/IMG]

 

[transpecos]

I'm generally against non native species, feral horses, asian carp, pythons, wolves, hogs crossbreeds, and even noxious weeds. I also don't care for the government spending my hard earned dollars on ineffectual methods, with people out there that would jump at the opportunity to either pay, or do it themselves.

Both those scenario's have left town, and common sense is the only endangered species really left in this country.

I'd probably be more inclined to classify them a nuisance, and fair game whenever and wherever they're found, including the Park.

Texas has by and large created this situation, and a Texas solution is what is needed. There are lots of people such as myself that would love to come shoot nuisance species, but the cost is out of reach

We have the same issue here with wolves, and the goats in the Olympic Park. I appreciate the fact you've found a niche for yourself, and I enjoyed the article.

Putting the brakes on the Park service, and USFWS, is our only common issue.

Thank you, when I keep being told to play politics and "work with" the other organizations and state departments but, everyone involved with our wildlife already does that and it's going nowhere. It's time somebody stepped out of the line and asked the leader where we're going.