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Factors Influencing Owners' Willing to Pay for Veterinary Medicine services for Pet Dogs: A Pilot Sutdy
Get PDFThe field of veterinary medicine has been changing dramatically over recent decades, as society changes its perspective on animals. Throughout human history, people have seen animals as a resource; now we are seeing them as companions or friends. A way to measure this changing perspective is to look at the amount of money that people are willing to spend on their pets. This study looked at dogs, in particular, and utilized a survey method to analyze factors that could influence people’s willingness to pay for veterinary medicine services. Factor analyzed included the severity of the condition (life-saving aspect of surgery). likelihood of normal recovery, age of the dog, income level of owner, amount of owner’s dog experience, and whether the owner was a health professional of any kind. Results: People were more willing to pay when the surgery was life-saving and when there was high likelihood of recovery. People were willing to pay more for younger dogs. Not surprisingly, there was a positive correlation between income level and owners’ willingness to pay for veterinary services. Amount of experience with dogs had a varied effect on willingness to spend. It appeared that the owners’ connection with health care professions also had an impact, although it did not reach statistical significance: those that were connected to the healthcare fields seemed more likely to pay. This study has implications for the practice of veterinary medicine today
Determination of Solubility Limits for PDTC and Cu[PDTC]Br
Get PDFCarbon tetrachloride (CCl4) is an organic compound that once widely used as an industrial solvent, degreaser, and grain fumigant. Improper disposal and ground water solubility issues led to CCl4 being listed as a priority pollutant by the U.S. EPA. We are currently investigating the use of 2,6-pyridinedithiocarboxylic (PDTC) and its copper coordination compound [Cu(PDTC)L]x as a potential CCl4 environmental remediation technology. PDTC and Cu[PDTC]Cl have a very low solubility in water, which decreases the effectiveness of the molecule as a remediation technique. Using a ligated iron UV-Vis spectroscopy assay PDTC’s solubility was determined to be 39 mM in a pH 7.6 (check this number) buffer. The solubility of Cu(PDTC)Br in pH 7.6 buffer was determined to be 50 mM via oversaturation UV-VIS assay. The results from both solubility studies were used to confirm a high throughput assay based on dynamic light scattering. The solubilities determined in this study will act as an initial benchmark for the comparison of future novel PDTC derivatives
Modeling Management Strategies for the Control of Bighorn Sheep Respiratory Disease
Get PDFInfectious pneumonia has plagued bighorn sheep populations and stymied recovery efforts across the western United States for decades. Here we present a simple, non-spatial, stochastic, discrete-time model that captures basic bighorn sheep demographics and in which we simulate the dynamics of Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae, the suspected primary causative agent in bighorn sheep respiratory disease. We then use the model to explore the impacts of management approaches, including augmentation, depopulation and reintroduction, density reduction, and test-and-cull, aimed at reducing or eliminating the pathogen, its transmission, or associated infection costs. Results suggest that test-and-cull (testing 95% of a herd and removing PCR-positive individuals) and depopulation and reintroduction (assuming ability to only depopulate 95% of the herd) offer the best probability of eliminating the pathogen, although neither are expected to be 100% successful. Augmentation (adding 30 adult ewes) does not increase the probability of pathogen extinction, and in some cases may prolong pathogen persistence and diminish herd recovery. Density reduction (randomly removing 25-50% of the herd) only modestly increases the probability of stochastic pathogen extinction and herd recovery. Stochastic pathogen extinction and herd recovery is predicted to occur on occasion without any management intervention. Ultimately, decisions to manage respiratory disease in wild sheep must weigh the predicted success of the management tool against financial, logistical, ethical, and value-based considerations. Here, we aim to supply mechanistic-based predictions of the relative efficacy of currently employed or proposed tools, as well as characterize the sensitivity of these predictions to our assumptions about how the disease process works
Montana Peregrine Falcon Population Survey: 2016
Get PDFThe release of 617 captive-bred young during the 1980’s and 1990’s sparked the recovery of the Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) in Montana. By 1994, a mix of state, federal, and private biologists (Montana Peregrine Falcon Working Group) documented 13 known active Peregrine Falcon territories. For the following four years, the number of known territories averaged about 16, but then intensive survey efforts in 1999 documented a total of 28 territories. The number of active Peregrine Falcon territories discovered in Montana has increased yearly. Montana had a record number of 108 active Peregrine Falcon territories recorded during the 2012 field season. By the end of the 2016 field season, we have recorded 207 active Peregrine Falcon territories. Annual survey objectives include the establishment of a citizens group (Project Peregrine Watch) to monitor individual Peregrine territories throughout the state, determine status and trends of Montana’s Peregrine Falcon population, study all known historic Peregrine Falcon eyries, record occupancy and productivity at all active territories, locate new Peregrine Falcon territories, seek confirm and consolidate information from all public and private sources, record activity and locations of neighboring cliff-nesting raptors (Prairie Falcon (Falco mexicanus), Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), and the Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis), and develop a long-term and cost-effective monitoring program for determining annual status and population trends of the State’s Peregrine Falcon population
Grizzly Bear Population Trend Estimated Using Genetic Detection
Get PDFWe use genetic detection data from natural bear rub sites to estimate annual rate of change for a threatened grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) population in the 33,300 km2 Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem (NCDE) in northwestern Montana, USA). Bear rubs were surveyed twice annually in 2004, 2009-2012 (3,580 – 4,805 rubs). We detected approximately 1/3 of the grizzly bear population annually. Using spatially explicit capturerecapture (SCR) models in a maximum likelihood framework, we estimate growth rate from the slope of a linear regression fit to the log of density estimates. To evaluate the usefulness of our estimates, we compare them to estimates of ? made using independent data from known-fate telemetry monitoring for our population. Total annual population rate of change was 1.056 (95% CI = 1.033-1.079). The large sample sizes generated by genetic detection provided information on variation in density and trend within the NCDE useful for designing monitoring and management strategies tailored to area-specific needs and priorities. Local rates of change within the NCDE were higher in areas of lower density and population expansion than in Glacier NP, the area with highest density. As density increased, the amount of space used by bears estimated by the SCR models, ?, decreased. Hair collection from natural bear rub sites was an efficient sampling approach able to generate precise estimates of annual growth rate from 2 years of data
Response of Amphibian and Invertebrate Communities to Wetland Mitigation in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
Get PDFIn the United States, a “no net loss” of wetlands policy mandates that when wetland impacts cannot be avoided, they must be mitigated by creating or restoring wetlands of equal or greater area. A primary goal of these projects is often habitat replacement, but success is generally evaluated only through presence of wetland-associated vegetation and physical characteristics, which may not be good surrogates for wetland function. Because amphibians and aquatic macroinvertebrates integrate processes at multiple levels and are sensitive to conditions in both the aquatic and surrounding terrestrial environment, evaluating their response to wetland mitigation may be more meaningful. The Wyoming Department of Transportation recently (2008-2013) constructed and restored 38 wetlands in Teton County, WY to mitigate for loss of wetland area caused by a road reconstruction project. Our objectives were to assess differences in species richness and community composition of amphibian and aquatic macroinvertebrate communities among ten constructed, seven impacted and ten reference wetlands. Preliminary results suggest that amphibians and invertebrates have quickly colonized created wetlands, leading to similar species richness among wetland types, but that community composition remains distinct even several years after wetland construction. These results suggest that wetland creation may be an important tool, but that the life histories of target species should be accounted for in the design phase to maximize the probability of native amphibian and invertebrate colonization and persistence
Timing, Duration, and Pathways of Harlequin Duck Migration to Pacific Molting and Wintering Areas
Get PDFThe core breeding range for Harlequin Ducks (Histrionicus histrionicus) in western North America extends from Alaska, and south through the Yukon, Northwest Territories, and British Columbia. Smaller breeding populations exist in southwestern Alberta, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana. Each state and province in these areas has identified the Harlequin Duck as a species of conservation priority, given its small and isolated populations, its specific nesting requirements, and changes in abundance or distribution. Conservation objectives for all areas have identified the importance of mapping migration routes that connect breeding sites to Pacific coast molting and wintering locations, as well as determining migration timing, duration, habitat use, and stopover sites. In spring 2016, we captured Harlequin Duck pairs on breeding streams and surgically implanted satellite transmitters in the males and attached geolocators to the leg bands of females. We marked 18 harlequin pairs (Alberta = 10 (minus one female), Montana = 5, Wyoming = 2, Washington = 1). Migration initiation dates varied by breeding areas and occurred from June 3 to July 10. Male migration lasted between 1-17 days and stopovers occurred approximately half-way to the coast and included rivers, mountain streams, and lakes. They arrived at their molting areas between June 5-July 24 and these areas ranged from southeast Alaska to northwestern Washington. The majority (71%) of harlequins departed molt locations to differing winter locations. Efforts will be made to retrieve the geolocators from females in spring 2017 to compare locations between males and females from different devices
Contact Patterns Among Bighorn Sheep In and Around Glacier National Park
Get PDFIdentifying patterns of direct contacts among individual animals is important to understanding infectious disease transmission. Social behavior can be influenced by both intrinsic and extrinsic variables and can be explored at 3 levels: social network structure, dyad structure, and contact structure. We investigated drivers of contact structure using GPS locations of 87 male and female bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) in and around Glacier National Park in Montana, USA. Focusing on contacts between sheep moving separately, we examined relationships between contact locations and movement variables, land cover, distances to various resources, and variables known to influence survival using a resource selection function. Used and available points were defined as simultaneous locations within 25 m (the contact-used) and 13 km (largest step length- available) of another collared bighorn sheep, thus results of this analysis describe the strengths of these variables relative to habitat use. Data were analyzed separately according to dyad type (male-male, female-female, malefemale). Most contacts occurred in March for male-male and female-female dyads and in November, December, and January for male-female dyads. For male-male dyads, contacts occurred more than expected given habitat use in conifer land cover and locations farther from perennial water sources, high NDVI, little canopy cover, and low and high solar radiation index. For female-female dyads, contacts occurred less than expected given habitat use in grass and barren land cover and locations with intermediate terrain ruggedness, high NDVI, and low and high snow water equivalent. For male-female dyads, contacts occurred most during the night, least during the day, and at locations with intermediate elevation and farther from escape terrain. Together, these results suggest that more specific conditions apply to contact locations than general locations and that we can predict locations where contacts are most likely to occur, which may be useful for disease management
Effects of Supplementation Strategy and Dormant Season Grazing on Cattle Use of Mixed-Grass Prairie Habitats
Get PDFDormant season grazing reduces reliance on harvested feeds, but typically requires protein supplementation to be successful. However, information relating supplementation strategies to individual resource utilization on dormant forage is lacking. Thus, the intent of this research is to examine cattle resource utilization, residual cover of vegetation and utilization on rangelands grazed during the dormant season under two supplementation strategies. Thirty transects were randomly located within each pasture for measuring vegetation composition, production, canopy cover and visual obstruction readings (VOR) pre and post grazing. Grazing locations were monitored for seven individuals within each treatment with Lotek GPS collars containing head position sensors that record daily space use. Resource utilization effect size was variable by treatment and time period. Vegetation response to treatment was similar for both cake and protein treatments across time periods (44.2 ± 4.8% vs 41.7 ± 4.5%, 36.7 ± 4.8% vs 30.7 ± 4.3%, 10.4 ± 3.1% vs 16.5 ± 3.5%). VOR was affected by supplementation treatment during time period 1, such that protein treatment significantly decreased VOR in comparison to the Cake treatment (36.6 ± 5.6% vs 15.7 ± 3.6%). Herbaceous and ground cover effects were similar across both supplementation treatments during time periods 1 and 3, while time period 2, cake supplementation had greater percent decrease of litter cover than the protein treatment (28.2 ± 4.4% vs 10.4 ± 2.9%). This research addresses comprehensive agro-ecosystem responses of dormant season grazing while providing multidimensional insight to stakeholders concerning grazing behavior and the ecological impacts on Montana rangelands
Immigration as a Compensatory Mechanism to Offset Harvest Mortality in Harvested Wolf Populations
Get PDFIn less than a decade the U.S. Northern Rocky Mountain gray wolf (Canis lupus) population has experienced large shifts in management practices, from federal protection under the Endangered Species Act to increasingly liberal hunting and trapping seasons in many portions of their range after delisting. As a result, there is interest in how current wolf management practices will affect this population over time. Recent research suggests wolf pup recruitment in central Idaho has declined since harvest was initiated, yet wolf densities appear stable in many regions of the state, suggesting other compensatory mechanisms are offsetting the effects of harvest mortality. Our objective was to evaluate immigration as a compensatory mechanism that may offset the effects of harvest mortality and facilitate population persistence in a heavily harvested wolf population. Using noninvasively sampled DNA we identified dispersers into two focal study areas in central Idaho prior to and after harvest was initiated. We measured genetic relatedness within and among wolf packs using three different metrics to assess how immigration has changed with changing management practices. Our results suggest that at current harvest rates immigration is not acting as a compensatory mechanism to offset the effects of harvest mortality. Local dispersal may be unaffected by harvest pressure whereas harvest has negative effects on long-distance dispersal. Our research can help managers consider the effects of immigration on local wolf populations when making harvest management decisions