Papers by Stephen J G Hall
Blackwell Publishing Ltd eBooks, Nov 16, 2007
Animal Welfare, Feb 1, 2006
This publication (excluding the logo) may be reproduced free of charge in any format or medium pr... more This publication (excluding the logo) may be reproduced free of charge in any format or medium provided that it is reproduced accurately and not used in a misleading context. The material must be acknowledged as Crown copyright with the title and source of the publication specified. Printed on recycled paper containing 80% post consumer waste and 20% Totally Chlorine Free virgin pulp.
In order that the wild cattle park is understood in its historical and design context, the survey... more In order that the wild cattle park is understood in its historical and design context, the survey and analysis stages of the report consider the wider site based on the English Heritage boundary. The later stages of the report covering management issues, conservation policies and management and restoration proposals deal only with the CWCA-owned area. The report has been produced in tandem with the Interpretation Strategy. Some management issues relating to visitor access, signage etc mentioned in Section 4 and 5 are considered in detailed in the Interpretation Strategy. Chillingham Parkland Plan Final Report May 2010 11 2 Understanding the Park 2.1 Geology, soils, land use and local landscape character 2.1.1 Geology Local geology comprises Ballagan Formation sandstone, siltstone and Dolomitic limestone with outcrops of Fell sandstone with more Fell sandstone on the high ground in the east, and a pocket of Scremerston Coal Member sandstone, siltstone and mudstone in the vicinity of the church. The superficial deposit are generally Till, Devensian -Diamicton. The topography of the park and its setting is described under Section 2.4.1. Soils of Northern England, Lawes Agricultural Trust (Soil Survey of England and Wales, 1983) shows the following soil types for Chillingham Park: Lower ground -711p: Till from Palaeozoic and Mesozoic sandstone and shale. Slowly permeable, seasonally waterlogged fine loamy and fine loamy over clayey soils, associated with similar clayey soils. Grassland in moist lowlands, some arable cropping in drier lowlands. Upper slopes -631a: Palaeozoic and Mesozoic sandstone. Well-drained very acid coarse loamy soils over sandstone, with a bleached subsurface horizon. Some shallow soils with a peaty or humose surface horizon. Rocks and boulders locally. Dry moorland habitats of poor grazing value, coniferous woodland, recreation. Agricultural Land Classification 1976, Northern region (ADAS) shows classifications as follows for Chillingham Park: Grade 4 in lower parts, Grade 5 on the upper slopes and 'other land primarily not in agricultural use' in an area centred on the Deer Park.
Defra Research Contract GC0146 Development of coordinated in situ and ex situ UK Farm Animal Gene... more Defra Research Contract GC0146 Development of coordinated in situ and ex situ UK Farm Animal Genetic Resources conservation strategy and implementation guidance 1. This report considers the policies that govern Farm Animal Genetic Resources (FAnGR) conservation strategies and breeding programmes.
Animal Genetics, Nov 11, 2015
Local breeds of livestock are of conservation significance as components of global biodiversity a... more Local breeds of livestock are of conservation significance as components of global biodiversity and as reservoirs of genetic variation relevant to the future sustainability of agriculture. One such rare historic breed, the Chillingham cattle of northern England, have a 350 year history of isolation and inbreeding, yet show no diminution of viability or fertility. The Chilliamham cattle have not been subjected to selective breeding. It has been suggested previously that the herd has minimal genetic variation. In the present study, high density SNP genotyping with the 777K SNP chip showed that 9.1% loci on the chip are polymorphic in the herd, compared with 62-90% seen in commercial cattle breeds. Instead of being homogeneously distributed along the genome, these loci are clustered at specific chromosomal locations. A high proportion of the Chillingham individuals examined were heterozygous at many of these polymorphic loci, suggesting that some loci are under balancing selection. Some of these frequently heterozygous loci have been implicated as sites of recessive lethal mutations in cattle. Linkage disequilibrium equal or close to 100% was found to span up to 1350 kbps, and LD was above r 2 =0.25 up to more than 5000 kbps. This strong LD is consistent with the lack of polymorphic loci in the herd. The heterozygous regions in the Chillingham cattle may be the locations of genes relevant to fitness or survival which may help elucidate the biology of local adaptation in traditional breeds, and facilitate selection for such traits in commercial cattle.
Animal Behaviour, Aug 1, 1989
... Of the 113watches, 12 spanned dawn or dusk and for much of the analysis these were each consi... more ... Of the 113watches, 12 spanned dawn or dusk and for much of the analysis these were each considered ... A full account of the vege-tation survey is available from me ... the Indian rhino-ceros (a relatively solitary animal, breeding all year round), found that 'tusk displays' couldeither ...
Ecology and Evolution, Apr 29, 2019
This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which... more This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
CABI Publishing eBooks, 2002
Applied Animal Ethology, Nov 1, 1982
Blackwell Publishing Ltd eBooks, Nov 16, 2007
Rural History-economy Society Culture, Mar 5, 2010
The Chillingham Wild White Cattle have a unique place in the British fauna. They are one of the v... more The Chillingham Wild White Cattle have a unique place in the British fauna. They are one of the very few herds of cattle anywhere in the world that have a natural sex ratio and age distribution, and there is no castration nor culling. This article looks at the herd from a veterinary point of view. Livestock and wildlife legislation in the UK was not drafted with freeliving cattle in mind, and this article outlines the steps that are taken to ensure compliance.
Animal genetic resources information, Apr 1, 1999
SummaryCharacterisations are given of the little-known Sabi sheep and the local population of the... more SummaryCharacterisations are given of the little-known Sabi sheep and the local population of the Small East African goat in two areas in NE Zimbabwe. The southern area had been more affected by drought in 1991–92. For sheep (both areas combined; n = 28 in 10 flocks) the mean declared age of breeding females and the median age at first parturition were surprisingly high (6.1 years and 4 years respectively). Breeding female goats in the southern area were younger (4.9 vs. 6.4 years), and their age at first kidding was lower (3 years vs. 5 years), than in the north (n = 122 in 25 flocks total). These advanced ages could be an after-effect of the drought. Juvenile mortality and the proportions of young that were ultimately marketed were similar to what has been found elsewhere in semi-arid Africa. Breeding females were found to be smaller than their counterparts in semi-arid areas in West Africa with mean withers heights of 56.5 cm (n = 112 goats) and 60.4 cm (n = 36 sheep). Conditions in this area appear difficult for small ruminants and the populations sampled may be well adapted to marginal environments and thus worthy of conservation.
Nature, May 1, 1975
Prey density (number per standard area) Fig. 4 Relationships between mean prey density during an ... more Prey density (number per standard area) Fig. 4 Relationships between mean prey density during an instar and the proportion of individual predators surviving to the end of that instar. Data are for (a, b) coccinellids l8 • 23 (Adalia decempunclala, and Adalia bipunctala), (c) an hemipteran l • (Blepharidopterus angulatus (FalL) and (d) a spider l3 (Linyphia triangularis). • , lnstar I; 0, instar II. Having documented well-corroborated relationships between the components of the predator rate of increase and the prey death rate, the task remains to investigate their implications for the behaviour of predator-prey systems. These problems, together with a more detailed treatment of the material in this paper, will be discussed elsewhere.
Journal of Zoology, Aug 20, 2009
Three hundred and eighty‐three Clethrionomys glareolus from 20 localities in England, Wales and S... more Three hundred and eighty‐three Clethrionomys glareolus from 20 localities in England, Wales and Scotland were typed for plasma esterase and a genetic polymorphism was discovered. The esterase was named Es‐1. Breeding tests suggested that three alleles were segregating: Es‐1o when homozygous results in complete absence of enzyme activity. The active alleles Es‐1f and Es‐1s code for enzyme variants which migrate more rapidly and less rapidly, respectively, under starch gel electrophoresis. Of these active alleles, Es‐1f is morc common in the north of Britain and Es‐18 in the south. A 23‐month field study on two areas at Wicken Fen, Cambridgeshire, suggested that animals possessing Es‐1s survived less well at high population densities, perhaps through their being more likely to emigrate.
Animal Science, Dec 1, 1998
In Italy, National Law (281/1991) prohibits euthanasia of shelter dogs if they are not dangerous ... more In Italy, National Law (281/1991) prohibits euthanasia of shelter dogs if they are not dangerous or suffering seriously. Adoption rates in rescue shelters are often lower than entrance rates, leading inevitably to overcrowded facilities where animals are likely to spend the rest of their lives in kennels. In this situation, housing conditions (i.e. space provided, environmental, and social stimulation) may have an impact on canine welfare. In this research project, the effects of two different forms of housing (group-and pair housing) on long-term shelter dogs were compared using behavioural and physiological parameters. Observational data and saliva samples were collected from dogs exposed to both experimental settings; behaviour and cortisol concentration levels were used as welfare indicators. Pair housing offered fewer social and environmental stimuli and behavioural analysis showed a significant decrease in locomotor, exploratory, and social behaviour. Cortisol levels show that this parameter varied independently of housing conditions. Although this study found no evidence suggesting that one form of confinement reduced animal welfare more than the other (e.g. in terms of abnormal behaviour, or higher cortisol concentrations), the type of confinement did affect the expression of a variety of behaviours and these variations should not be ignored with respect to housing decisions for long-term shelter dogs.
PubMed, Dec 23, 1989
The degree of assistance provided at 1353 calvings from 954 heifers and cows of nine breeds of Br... more The degree of assistance provided at 1353 calvings from 954 heifers and cows of nine breeds of British cattle (Ayrshire, British White, Dexter, Friesian/Holstein type, Gloucester, Kerry, Longhorn, Shetland and White Park) was recorded and analysed in terms of the dimensions of the dam and the calf. The sires had been chosen in accordance with normal farming practice. A heavy calf did not lead to dystocia. Assistance at calving was most frequently provided in the Ayrshire herd, which was used for veterinary teaching. There were very few difficult calvings in the seven rare breeds, but this was as likely to have been due to management policy as to the breed characteristics. A large tuber coxae measurement was associated with ease of calving, particularly in the Dexter. The breeds showed a wide range of pelvic dimensions and therefore provide a source of genetic variation.
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Papers by Stephen J G Hall