Wild bovid habitat and infectious disease risk in Thailand : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Veterinary Science, School of Veterinary Sciences, Massey University

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dc.confidentialEmbargo : Yes
dc.contributor.advisorHayman, David
dc.contributor.authorHorpiencharoen, Wantida
dc.date.accessioned2024-11-13T22:38:01Z
dc.date.available2024-11-13T22:38:01Z
dc.date.issued2024-11-07
dc.description.abstractWild bovids are a diverse group of typically large, hoofed ruminant mammals that play crucial functions in ecosystems as seed transporters and prey for predators to maintain biodiversity. However, their conservation status varies from least concern to critically endangered with extinction, depending on the regions and remaining population. The expansion of agricultural areas and livestock farming has led to habitat loss and natural resource sharing, likely increasing the risk of disease transmission and pathogen circulation between humans, wildlife, and domestic animals at the shared habitats or the interface areas. This thesis aims to identify the habitat suitability of five wild bovids remaining in Thailand, understand the consequences of introducing infectious disease into the population, and identify where there is a risk of disease transmission. Therefore, three main studies were conducted: 1) identifying suitable areas for five wild bovid species, including gaur, banteng, wild water buffalo, mainland serow and Chinese goral in Thailand; 2) simulating the impact of infectious diseases of cattle on wild bovid populations, and; 3) mapping potential risk areas between wild bovids and cattle. Initially, I used ecological niche modelling to identify the habitat suitability of five wild bovids remaining in Thailand. Due to poor model predictions for two species (mainland serow and Chinese goral), I excluded these two models from further analyses. The results indicated that over 50% of the potentially suitable areas for the three modelled species (gaur, banteng, wild water buffalo) were located outside protected areas close to human populations and agricultural areas. Then, I simulated the number of animals in a model gaur population with and without infections over 100 years with 100 repetitions using stochastic mathematical models. I selected six bovine infectious diseases with different traits, such as incubation and infectious periods or fatality probabilities, including anthrax, bovine tuberculosis, haemorrhagic septicaemia, lumpy skin disease, foot and mouth disease and brucellosis. I introduced an individual infected animal into a closed population for each infectious disease. The disease-free gaur population grew over time, with infections with different traits having different impacts. The populations infected with chronic diseases (e.g. bovine tuberculosis and bovine brucellosis) showed the greatest decline, while diseases with high mortality but acute disease or high transmission rates with low mortality had less impact on the populations. Finally, I mapped the potential risk areas for disease transmission, assuming that high cattle density and habitat suitability increased transmission risk between wild bovids and livestock. The results also indicated that the potential high-risk areas were at the interface areas at the forest edges where interactions between wildlife and cattle occur. All my studies and findings will require further investigation and validation to gain a deeper and better understanding of the complexity of infectious diseases within wildlife populations and the dynamics of their distributions, but they contribute to supporting wildlife conservation and implementing disease mitigation measures to prevent disease transmission among the populations by highlighting where wild bovids might have suitable habitat, what types of infections may be problems and where mitigation may be better targeted.
dc.identifier.urihttps://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/71997
dc.publisherMassey University
dc.rights©The Author
dc.subjectbovine
dc.subjecthabitat suitability
dc.subjectdisease transmission
dc.subjectinterface area
dc.subjectwildlife conservation
dc.subjectUngulates
dc.subjectDiseases
dc.subjectInfections
dc.subjectThailand
dc.subjectGeographical distribution
dc.subjectEffect of habitat modification on
dc.subjectHabitat
dc.subjectConservation
dc.subject.anzsrc300903 Veterinary bacteriology
dc.subject.anzsrc410407 Wildlife and habitat management
dc.titleWild bovid habitat and infectious disease risk in Thailand : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Veterinary Science, School of Veterinary Sciences, Massey University
thesis.degree.disciplineVeterinary Epidemiology
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophy (Ph.D)
thesis.description.doctoral-citation-abridgedWild bovids are hoofed ungulates essential to ecosystems. Wantida’s research predicted suitable habitats, disease transmission risks, and impacts of introducing infections in populations. Findings showed that half of suitable habitats were outside protected forests, with high disease risks at forest edges, and that chronic infectious diseases led to significant population declines. These findings support conservation and disease surveillance strategies.
thesis.description.doctoral-citation-longWild bovids play a crucial role in ecosystems but are threatened by habitat loss and often overlap with livestock, increasing disease transmission risks. Wantida’s studies aimed to identify suitable habitats and the potential risk area of disease transmission between wild bovids and livestock, as well as simulate population changes after introducing an infectious animal. The study found that over 50% of suitable habitats lay outside protected forests, with the highest disease transmission risks occurring at forest edges near agricultural areas. Chronic diseases like brucellosis caused the greatest population decline, and these findings may inform conservation and disease management strategies.
thesis.description.name-pronounciationWAN TI DA HOR PIEN JA ROEN
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