We compared alternative bait markers for a Shldy of free-ranging white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) based on the following criteria: 1) detectability in fecal matter; 2) incorporation into com bait; 3) palatability; and 4) cost. We used penned sheep (Ovis aries) as an experimental model to evaluate Microtaggants, metallic t1akes, plastic chips, and rare earth elements as bait markers, a...

Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) is a pestivirus best known for causing a variety of disease syndromes in cattle, including gastrointestinal disease, reproductive insufficiency, immunosuppression, mucosal disease, and hemorrhagic syndrome. The virus can be spread by transiently infected individuals and by persistently infected animals that may be asymptomatic while shedding large amounts of v...

Specialty forages are those that do not have a wide application in animal production systems of Texas. Other than beef cattle, systems that use cultivated forage can be considered atypical in our state. These include white-tailed deer, game birds (quail or turkey), exotic game, goats, sheep, domesticated rabbits or any other species that is primarily an herbivore. These animals generally requir...

Lead (Pb) is a toxic metal and is a primary material in most bullets used to hunt white-tailed deer. We conducted a study to examine bullet fragmentation patterns and to assess lead levels in deer and domestic sheep using different types of bullets and firearms. The firearms we tested included a centerfire rifle, a shotgun, and an inline muzzleloader. For the centerfire rifle, we used lead bull...

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence data were used to compare the population genetic structures of five species of parasitic nematodes from three different hosts: Ostertagia ostertagi and Haemonchus placei from cattle, H. contortus and Teladorsagia circumcincta from sheep, and Mazamastrongylus odocoilei from white-tailed deer. The parasites of sheep and cattle showed a pattern consistent with hi...

In the spring of 2009 (April/May) the Denver Zoological Foundation in collaboration with the Mongolian Academy of Sciences conducted a fi eld coprological assessment feasibility study at the Ikh Nart Nature Reserve in southeastern Mongolia. Our initial effort was directed at fi nding simple methodologies that would work consistently in the fi eld for identifying some of the enteric parasites fo...

OBJECTIVE In this study, the effects of melatonin on superovulation and the transfer of transgenic embryos were investigated in Small-Tailed Han sheep. DESIGN Different doses of melatonin (0, 40 or 80 mg/animal) were subcutaneously implanted into both multiparous (4-5 years old) donors and recipients before superovulation and estrus synchronization. The one-year-old young ewes without melaton...