Animal, equine and wildlife sciences research impact

The demand for animal products continues to grow. Our challenge is to meet this demand within the context of increased expectations of animal welfare, a decreasing resource base and a changing climatic environment, and includes investigations into:

• grazing systems in northern Australia, including supplement strategies for livestock on tropical pastures, and the effect of phosphorus on growth and reproduction in cattle
• rumen function, cell wall digestion and microbial protein supply, as influenced by the rumen ecology and implications for methane mitigation
• application of enzymes, probiotics (sheep, calves and poultry), and mycotoxin binders to improve grain utilisation and bird performance
• increasing the feed base by using Leucaena, algae and novel feed sources
• improved reproductive efficiency through determination of the role of the caterpillar in equine abortion and the hormonal control of reproduction in the early postnatal period
• delineation of metabolic diseases of pregnant mares and laying hens
• development of strategies for use of different housing systems, including free range, for poultry
• management of the impact of invasive feral species (pigs, goats, dogs, mice, deer, cats and camels) on sustainable production systems, including cropping systems
• animal production systems in developing countries: cow-calf and fattening systems for village cattle in Indonesia and Myanmar.

This theme concentrates on the delivery of resilient ecosystems with self-sustaining populations of fauna, and includes investigations into:

• ecology behaviour of native and introduced wildlife, including changing Australian land managers’ perspectives on wildlife utilisation and game management
• behaviour and welfare of captive wildlife (monkeys and felids) in the context of conservation and environmental enrichment
• ecology, captive breeding and release of endangered species
• habitat restoration studies and ecotourism
• development of game management strategies for the Australian environment
• reproductive physiology and management of koalas, wombats and echidnas
• genetic capture technology in the conservation of the koala in South-East Queensland
• incidence, management and transmission of chlamydiosis in koalas.

Significant outcomes of our research include:

• practical measures to alleviate heat stress in beef and dairy cattle, and in sea transport of animals
• international adoption of a heat load index for feedlot cattle
• sustainable cattle production systems in northern Australia, Asia and the Pacific
• increased understanding of metabolism, gene expression and metabolomics as they apply to our animal models of growth and physiological adaption to nutritional and environmental stress
• increased understanding of rumen function and the broader gastro-intestinal microbiology with respect to nutrition of animals, methane mitigation and gut microbiota
• amino acid digestibility values becoming the basis of amino acid feed formulation for poultry globally
• strategic applications for feed enzyme combinations to poultry diets
• definition of both the aetiology and pathogenesis of EAFL, a major cause of equine abortion
• management and reproductive strategies to ensure the survival of endangered species
• new ecotourism approaches to free-roaming and captive wildlife.