Wild Horses, Post and Feedback - Assignment Example

My reaction to the documentary is framed in the behavioral ecology paradigm and its contribution towards the causation of behavior. As the documentary depicts, wild horses have for a long time roamed free within their own territory to represent nature at its most eloquent. However, I am of the considered opinion that this is no longer the case as man has interfered with this freedom through capture, slaughter, and brutal management of this species. Indeed, the most agonizing section to watch in this clip shows how humans terrify, maim and kill the animals using helicopters as they attempt to capture them to free up land for cattle rearing.

In my opinion, this is where nurture (man and his crude ways and land policies) crashes with nature (wild horses in their own natural habit) to lead to the destruction of the biodiversity of the environment. This crash will ultimately lead to the extinction of the species. Going by the available behavioral ecology literature (e.g. Montgomerie, 2011; Strassmann, 2014), I feel that such barbaric treatment of the animals can explain why today’s wild horses fear humans and are almost untamable.

Yet, the documentary cites archeological evidence to demonstrate that wild horses and humans may have co-existed harmoniously in pre-historic times. As the documentary reveals, humans have transformed wild horses from free animals to beasts of prey whose adaptive behavior (fearfulness, unfriendliness to humans) only shows how the species intend to increase survival and reproduction. However, in my view, humans are not keen to support the survival and reproduction of this species going by how they capture, slaughter, maim and kill these animals for selfish economic gains.

In all this, it is saddening to note that man is the trespasser in terms of creating administrative creations in land previously occupied by the wild horses and expecting that the animals have the capacity to read boundary signs. It is important to mention how the documentary captures the issue of foraging behavior within the context of behavioral ecology. American mustangs, for example, are increasingly facing extermination from their natural habitat in spite of the fact that their foraging behavior does not degrade resources as fast as that of cattle.

Mustangs, according to the documentary, are slowly being permanently removed from their natural habitat for lack of economic value. Although optimal foraging theory tells us that natural selection favors individuals whose foraging behavior is as energetically efficient as possible (Inglis & Langton, 2006), humans are interfering with such laws by capturing wild horses from their own natural habitat and replacing them with cattle for economic gains. Such a replacement, in my view, is counterproductive as it leads to the degradation of resources (cattle not energetically efficient) and the extinction of the wild horses.

The purpose of the filmmaker was to create awareness about the dangers faced by the wild horses in their own natural habitat. The filmmaker was also interested in showing how wild horses face the possibility of extinction if concerted efforts are not made to address these dangers. The dangers raised include capture, maiming, slaughter, and generating an enabling environment for the animals’ extinction by denying them the right to reproduce in their natural habitat. The recommendations include studying rangeland ecology, training the wild horses to interact with humans, and implementing adoption and rescue programs.

Overall, mustangs must be left alone to enjoy their freedom in their own natural habitat.   Post Although scientists have attempted to unravel the probable evolutionary foundations of same-sex behavior in animals, it is submitted here that these behaviors can be considered a “Darwinian Puzzle” as these animals have a trait that appears to reduce their chances of survival through normal reproduction. Although the puzzle cannot be explained in terms of natural selection, it may be that such a trait triggers behaviors that encourage animals to adapt to cover for their deficiencies.

The possible evolutionary explanation proposed here relates to the deficient trait.  It may be that animals used to live in monogamous relationships millions of years ago. These relationships allowed monogamous mating and disallowed same-sex behavior. But as they evolved over time and developed deficient genes, most of the animals embraced polygamous relationships and subsequent same-sex behavior. Response 1 The writer defines the “Darwinian Puzzle”, but fails to provide a solid connection between the puzzle and same-sex behavior in animals.

The writer also provides a possible solution but fails to locate it within the context of evolutionary theory.  However, the writer makes a good effort in explaining the probable cause of same-sex behavior in animals using concepts such as survival for the fittest and adoption.  Response 2 The writer suggests that same-sex behavior can be considered a “Darwinian Puzzle” because it inhibits the survival of a species as no reproduction is likely. This is a good suggestion; however, more explanation is needed to make the argument clearer.

The writer also does well to explain that the behavior could be a form of population control, though he does not locate this explanation from an evolutionary perspective.