The article, “Herd’s Fate Lies in Preservation Clash” by Laura Beil was extremely informative and interesting. This article outlines the problems that the wild horses which live on a beach in Corolla, North Carolina are facing. These majestic horses which roam the beaches of North Carolina are said to be the descendants of the horses which the Spanish explorers rode five hundred years ago. The herd has dwindled from thousands of horses to just a couple hundred. The biggest herd has approximately 140 horses which inhabit only 7,500 acres. These horses have very little space to live in and they don’t have many natural predators. As a result, the herd has become increasingly inbred and many scientists predict a genetic collapse in only a couple of generations. One way in which scientists believe this problem can be solved is by placing new mares into the herd so there is an “introduction of fresh genes.” In addition, a bill has been passed in Congress which sets a herd size at 110 to 130 with the new mares. This bill was passed because of Dr. Cothran’s hypothesis that a herd of 60 horses could live if, and only if, a new mare was to enter the group each generation (about every 8 years). However this plan is not as simple as it sounds. By placing new mares into the herd, the size will increase and so will the needs of the herd. The herd will need to use up more space on the beach but there are other endangered species which need the space. Furthermore, the increased size of the herd could lead to detrimental environmental effects. In addition, the horses do not stay strictly on the beaches. On numerous occasions the horses have been found grazing in people’s backyards and walking down roads. Moreover, tourists present another problem. Many tourists feed the horses food that they can’t digest and are careless on the roads. A horse died from an intestinal blockage from food that it could not digest and many others have died from being hit by reckless drivers.
I found this article to be extremely relevant to our society today. There is a lot to learn about breeding and species from this article, but also about our effect, as humans, on a species of animals. Oftentimes we forget the enormous impact that we can have on animals and the environment. For example, the tourists which fed the wild horse watermelon rinds probably thought he was doing the horse a favor. However, the watermelon rinds proved to be that horse’s last meal. This article is very important and should serve as a warning to people that we must treat animals with respect and reverence and not take them for granted.
I thought that this article was very well structured and extremely well written. I thought that the author was able to get his point across to the reader without being too preachy. I also enjoyed the fact that the author moved from topic to topic with good transitions and was, as a result, able to cover many points within the article. In addition, I thought that the author explained the problem clearly and concisely and was able to outline the solutions as well.
Beil, Laura. "Wild Horses’ Fate in Outer Banks Lies in Preservation Clash." The New York Times. The New York Times, 08 May 2012. Web. 09 May 2012.
My classmate, Emma, did a fantastic job reviewing the article, “Herd’s Fate Lies in Preservation Clash” by Laura Beil. First of all, Emma summarized the obstacles wild horses on a beach in Corolla, North Carolina are confronting. For example, she talks about the very little living space horses face, reckless driving killing horses, tourists feeding the horses with food they cannot digest, etc. Secondly, Emma does a good job mentioning the plan that scientists believe may help these wild horses. for instance, she states that, “A bill was passed because of Dr. Cothran’s hypothesis that a herd of 60 horses could live if, and only if, a new mare was to enter the group each generation (about every 8 years).” However, Emma writes that this bill is not as simple as it may seem because it will trigger environmental problems. Thirdly, she relates this article perfectly, clearly, and concisely to everyday life by stating that, “Oftentimes we forget the enormous impact that we can have on animals and the environment…This article is very important and should serve as a warning to people that we must treat animals with respect and reverence and not take them for granted.”
ReplyDeleteEven though Emma did a great job with her review, there are some ways she could have improved it. For instance, when Emma writes that the bill passed will create environmental issues; she could have elaborated on what she meant. In other words, I understand how it will lead to issues, but I was confused on what environmental issues. In addition, Emma could have explained who Dr. Cothran is.
Emma’s article was very informative, but at times difficult to comprehend. After reading Emma’s article and her review, I found out that wild horses near a beach in Corolla, North Carolina are facing severe problems. I also found out that humans are contributing to these problems.
My classmate, Emma, did a great job reviewing the article. First of all, Emma summarized abbot the wild horses on a beach in Corolla, North Carolina. An example that she described on her summury was that, she talked about the every little details of horses face, driving killing horses, tourists feeding the horses with food they are no sup post to eat which it can not digest, and all other things. Secondly, Emma did a good job mentioning the plan that scientists believe may help these wild horses. Thirdly, she relates this article perfectly, clearly, and concisely to everyday life by stating that, “Oftentimes we forget the enormous impact that we can have on animals and the environment…This article is very important and should serve as a warning to people that we must treat animals with respect and reverence and not take them for granted.”
ReplyDeleteEven though Emma did a great job with her review, there are some ways she could have improved it. When Emma writes that the bill passed will create environmental issues; she could have elaborated on what she meant. In other words, I understand how it will lead to issues, but I was confused on what environmental issues. In addition, Emma could have explained who Dr. Cothran is.