118. What Happens When Feral Horses Use Contraception? with Dr. Cassandra Nunez (S13)

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Episode 4 of series 13: Sex and Animals  Transcript

Being a researcher thoroughly acquainted with the Shackleford Banks horses during her PhD, she was uniquely positioned to investigate the behavioral changes noticed by the National Park Service when they introduced contraceptive management. This intervention aimed to control the horse population to protect the island's endangered plants and animals that were being impacted by overgrazing.

Guest Bio: Dr. Cassandra Nunez is interested in the effects of wildlife management practices on target species’ behavior and physiology, and  how these patterns can better inform management and advance basic knowledge of the linkages among animal behavior, physiology, and the surrounding ecology.

As human populations continue to grow, the management of wildlife species is becoming increasingly necessary. As stewards of wild populations, we have a responsibility to manage them with the most effective and ethical means possible.

 My research suggests that if we are to achieve this goal, we must better understand the potential individual- and population-level side-effects of our management practices. I incorporate the natural history, behavioral ecology, and the physiology of species to better understand these issues, to more effectively conserve and manage animal populations, and to better understand the basic biology of organisms.

Book Recommendations: An Immense World by Ed Yong and Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? by Frans de Waal 

Related Episodes:  99. Reintroductions and Management with Dr Liz Peterson, Dr. Julie Young, and Dr. Rachel Chock (S10)

97. Urbanization and Industrialization (It's Effects on Behavior and Cognition) with Dr. Kathleen Church and Dr. Lauren Stanton (S10)

94. Rapid Environmental Change with Dr. Rachel Blakey and Dr. Kasey Fowler-Finn (S10)

E15: The History of the Conservation Movement with Author and Journalist, Michelle Nijhuis

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