The Battalion • Page 3
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ty are mo Dr. Dave Owens, a marine biology professor at A&M, is part of an
vasculardi ernational collaboration between Mexico and the United States,
dso increa e t wo countries are attempting to protect the endangered turtles,
endometri: ich are indigenous in the Gulf of Mexico.
cy compliti ^ or centuries, several species of sea turtles have been hunted for
jirmeat, shells and eggs. The meat and shells have high black-
DA sum ir ket values, and some people believe the eggs contain an aphro-
t differeoi i ac - The turtles, especially the Kemp’s Ridleys, have nearly been
knowled' ven to extinction.
regardii Recently, the U.S. and Mexican governments have begun major
Althoui nervation efforts. The governments have established land pre-
e aware; ' ves for the endangered species, although poaching remains a seri-
(tween di; 5 concern. When an injured turtle is found, it can be placed in a
in one-thi labilitation program, where biologists such as Owens can try to
dons told lcue the reptile.
irt diseas A&M has provided rehabilitation services for several sea turtles
rosis. Al it have been returned to their ocean home.
nize obesit Owens received this particular group of Kemp’s Ridleys several
their root irs ago. Initially, the four turtles arrived at A&M for rehabilita-
is still di e treatment and eventual return to the ocean. Since each turtle
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Eddy Wylie /The Battalion
ndangered sea turtles find safe haven at A&M
ards.
8 a slight deformation that inhibits it’s release into the wild,
fens keeps the turtles for observational and educational purposes.
People are really interested because the turtles are endangered
threatened,” Owens said. “They often don’t realize that Texas is
sea turtle habitat.”
Although the Texas Gulf Coast is not a turtle nesting area, Owens
d the turtles often migrate to Texas to feed on the abundance of
crabs, turtle grass and algae. Owens said the tur
tles return to Latin American shores to lay their
eggs, so turtle sightings on Texas shores are rare
occurrences.
“We have a lot of food resources here,” Owens
said. “The turtles eat here then migrate some
where else at adulthood. People don’t see the tur
tles in Texas waters, so they assume they can’t be
found here.”
Owens also said people aren’t always aware of
the threats sea turtles must face. At one time,
there were five turtle canneries in Texas. Owens
said this was a small industry often overlooked by
Texas residents.
Since the turtles share their ocean habitat with
shrimp, Owens said the reptiles often get trapped
in trawls, devices used by commercial fisherman to
catch shrimp. Owens said this has created a con
troversy over the safety of the turtles, who are fre
quently injured and die when snagged in the
trawls. Fisherman insist on using the trawls to
support their income, but conservationists seek to
preserve the sea turtles.
Owens said Texas is lacking in its attempts to
protect the species.
“The state is a little behind in terms of sea tur
tle conservation,” Owens said. “But I think Texas
is now starting to understand the importance of
preserving the turtles. As far as I’m concerned, we’re catching up.”
Several A&M graduate students are also working on the pro
gram with Owens, although most of them are working in other
countries. Owens has undergraduate students who are currently
assisting him with local educational programs regarding the pro
The four A&M seat turtles are part of a rehabilitation program.
Eddy Wylie / The Battalion
tection of marine animals.
Schools in the Bryan-College Station area are encouraged to bring
children to the A&M campus to visit the turtles.
“We get phone calls all the time,” Owens said. “Kids love to come
see the turtles, fish and reefs.”
Horse course provides unique equine experience
Nikki Hopkins
e Battalion
M aria is having a baby.
She paces back and forth
across the floor, waiting for
ght to fall.
Finally, with a great sigh, she lays
)wn on her side as the labor pains
udder through her body.
Maria gives birth to an auburn-
ired youngster who lays quietly for a
ile, then stands up on four wobbly
gs to stumble to her mother.
Maria’s full name is Maria Copy and
|e is one of the pregnant horses as-
gned to Texas A&M students during
ie spring for Animal Science 420,
}uine Production and Management.
This course is designed to instruct
students in the reproductive systems of
the horse in hands-on experience.
Students are assigned a pregnant
mare at the beginning of the spring se
mester and it is their job to care for and
monitor the horse throughout her preg
nancy until she foals, or gives birth.
Experience is not necessary for the
class, and the students do not have to
be veterinary students. But the hours
are long and erratic and students have
to be prepared to spend a few nights in
a dusty bam.
Joe Abies, senior biomedical science
and animal science major, said his mare
had her baby over spring break when
he took the course last year,.so he
missed the foaling.
Abies said he wanted to see at least
one birth, so he stayed up at the barn
orphan foal being taken care of at the Equine center.
Roger Hsieh / The Battalion
eight nights in hopes of watching an
other mare.
“A mare would foal right before I got
there,” Abies said, “and the minute I
left, another one would go.”
“I got to see everything before and
after three foalings,” he said. “So when
I finally got to see one, I was really ex
perienced.”
Heather Lowrey-Koenning and her
partner Brenda Radde hold the AJMSC
420 record for the longest time spent
in the barn.
Lowrey-Koenning, senior animal
science major, spent 21 nights in the
Equine Center barn waiting for her
mare, My Darlin Enterprise, to have
her foal.
“It’s exciting watching your mare
foal out,” she said. “A lot of people
gripe about how long they have to
spend in the barn but I tell them,
‘Hey, look at how long I was here and
I’m not complaining.’”
Lowrey-Koenning said her mare was
a maiden, a horse who has never had a
foal before, and was two weeks overdue.
“At first we stayed up all night and
checked her every hour or so,” she said.
“We brought pillows, sleeping bags, an
alarm clock and we ordered out a lot.”
My Darlin Enterprise had her foal
at 11:20 pm on March 8, Lowrey-Koen
ning said.
“I was glad,” she said. “I’m married
and so is my partner, but you wait so
long and somehow it’s worth it when
it’s all over.”
Charlie Apter, teaching assistant for
the course, said some students have an
easier time than others.
“Some people luck out ,” Apter said.
“They look at their mare, put her in the
barn, and she foals the next day.”
Apter, who is on call in case of prob
lems during the births, said he
promised to get Lowrey-Koenning and
Radde some sort of trophy for their
record-breaking stay in the barn.
“It’s definitely time-consuming,”
Apter said. “Two nights ago I got three
phone calls between one and five in
the morning.
“This year one of the mares, Mary
McDock, got a salmonella infection and
died, leaving an orphan foal,” he said.
Apter said he tried to get another
mare to adopt the 32-day-old foal but
she wouldn’t accept it.
“The other mare produces a massive
amount of milk,” he said. “We put her
Roger Hsieh / The Battalion
This foal is only part of a program designed to give students hands-on experience
with horse foaling.
in stocks (a restraining device) and let
the foal nurse, but the mare was not
too happy about it.”
Apter said the foal is being fed with
buckets of a milk substitute and is do
ing fine.
“I think this class is an opportunity
not many students get to have,” he
said. “Some look at it as just another
class but I don’t think so. Every time I
see a mare foal, I see a life-threaten
ing, life-giving event.”