This book retells American southern history from feral animals' perspective, examining social, cultural, and evolutionary consequences of domestication and feralization.

The relationship between humans and domestic animals has changed in dramatic ways over the ages, and those transitions have had profound consequences for all parties involved. As societies evolve, the selective pressures that shape domestic populations also change. Some animals retain close relationships with humans, but many do not. Those who establish residency in the wild, free from direct human control, are technically neither domestic nor wild: they are feral. If we really want to understand humanity's complex relationship with domestic animals, then we cannot simply ignore the ones who went feral. This is especially true in the American South, where social and cultural norms have facilitated and sustained large populations of feral animals for hundreds of years. Feral Animals in the American South retells southern history from this new perspective of feral animals.

Hurricanes, floods, oil spills, disease, and disappearing wetlands are some of the many environmental disasters that impact the Gulf South. The contributors to Environmental Disaster in the Gulf South explore the threat, frequency, and management of this region’s disasters from the mid-nineteenth century to the present. Scholars from the fields of history, sociology, and anthropology examine the underlying causes of vulnerability to natural hazards in the coastal states while also suggesting ways to increase resilience. Greg O’Brien considers the New Orleans flood of 1849; Andy Horowitz, the Galveston storm of 1900; and Christopher M. Church, the 1928 hurricane in Florida and the Caribbean. Urmi Engineer Willoughby delves into the turn-of-the-century yellow fever outbreaks in New Orleans and local attempts to eradicate them, while Abraham H. Gibson and Cindy Ermus discuss the human introduction of invasive species and their long-term impact on the region’s ecosystem. Roberto E. Barrios looks at political-ecological susceptibility in New Orleans’s Lower Ninth Ward, and Kevin Fox Gotham treats storm- and flood-defense infrastructures. In his afterword, Ted Steinberg ponders what the future holds when the capitalist state supports an unwinnable battle between land developers and nature. These case studies offer new ways of understanding humans’ interactions with the unique, and at times unforgiving, environment of the Gulf South. These lessons are particularly important as we cope with the effects of climate change and seek to build resilience and reduce vulnerability through enhanced awareness, adequate preparation, and efficient planning.

With an estimated population of at least 500,000 distributed across nineteen states, the wild-living pig (Sus scrofa) is the most abundant free-ranging introduced ungulate in the United States. Until now, however, little has been known about the wild pig on a national scale, despite its abundance and significance as both a pest and a game animal. Whereas previous studies have been regional in scope, Wild Pigs in the United States is the most comprehensive work available on wild pig history, current status, comparative morphology, and other subjects important to the species' management and control. The information in this volume relates to the country's three prevalent wild pig types: the introduced Eurasian wild boar, the feral (once domestic, now wild) hog, and hybrids of the two. The first section of the book presents a history of wild pigs in this country-their origins; when, where, and by whom they were first introduced; and their subsequent dispersal. John J. Mayer and I. Lehr Brisbin, Jr. then develop specific criteria, based on taxonomic principles, for differentiating between the wild pig types. Employing numerous illustrations, graphs, and tables, they analyze and compare morphometric and discrete characters of the skull, external body dimensions and proportions, coat colorations patterns, and hair structure and form. A report on the status of wild pig populations in the United States (as of 1991) completes the volume. To profile the present ranges, habitats, and morphotypic makeups of wild pigs, the authors conducted two national surveys--in 1981 and 1988--among private individuals and federal and state personnel. Their report is also based on other recent wild pig studies and additional information from survey respondents. The book's reference section is particularly valuable, for its lists all sources consulted as well as the names and addresses of authorities the authors interviewed or with whom they corresponded. Aided by the book's wealth of current data, biologists and wildlife managers can make informed decisions about such issues as state versus private ownership of wild pig populations and the status of wild pigs as pests or game animals. In addition, hunters and sportsmen, zoologists, and even specialized historians and archaeologists will find Wild Pigs in the United States useful and informative.

Examines how horses shaped society, politics, and imperial control during the first century of conquest and colonization in Spanish America.

This Volume 2 of a two-volume work is the first textbook to offer a practical yet comprehensive approach to clinical ophthalmology in wild and exotic mammals. A phylogenetic approach is used to introduce the ecology and importance of vision across the entire diversity of mammal species before focusing on both the diverse aspects of comparative anatomy and clinical management of ocular disease from one animal group to the next. Edited by three of the most esteemed authorities in exotic animal ophthalmology, this two-volume work is separated into non-mammalian species (Volume 1: Invertebrates, Fishes, Amphibians, Reptiles, and Birds) and Mammals (Volume 2: Mammals). Wild and Exotic Animal Ophthalmology, Volumes 1 and 2 is an essential collection for veterinary ophthalmologists and other veterinary practitioners working with wild and exotic animals.