Caldasia (Jan 2018)

Domestic horses within the Maya biosphere reserve: A possible threat to the Central American tapir (Tapirus bairdii)

  • Manuel Lepe-López,
  • Rony García-Anleu,
  • Nicholas M. Fountain-Jones,
  • Gabriela Ponce,
  • Mariano Gonzalez,
  • Luis E. Escobar

DOI
https://doi.org/10.15446/caldasia.v40n1.63654
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 40, no. 1
pp. 188 – 191

Abstract

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The Central American tapir (Tapirus bairdii) is the largest herbivore in the Neotropics classified as “endangered.” It has been proposed that Equine Infectious Anemia virus (EIA) is a disease of horses with potential to lead to further decline of T. bairdii populations. In this study, we used domestic horses as sentinels for EIA in the Maya Biosphere Reserve in Guatemala. In total, 40 % (13) horses tested were seropositive to EIA. This study may inform wildlife management strategies inside protected areas by considering the threat from incursions of domestic animals inside core areas of natural reserves.

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