In a research, Ludek Bartos, researchers from the Institute of Animal Science in the Czech Republic reported in the journal Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology that the practice of inserting into a group of male zebra foal increases the likelihood of death.
As is known, all married male zebra females in the group and he has no tolerance for foals that are not descendants.
In previous research, Bartos and his colleagues revealed that most of the foal was not killed by the new stud, but died while still in the womb.
"If the new stud is brought into the herd shortly after a pregnant female zebra, the chance that the foal can survive only under 5 percent," said Bartos, as quoted by BBC, 18 April 2011. "The possibility of living rose to above 60 percent if the foal is a month old," he said.
Bartos believe that zebras - as well as horses domesticated - a strategy similar abortion. He and his team believe that the mare can 'decision' to terminate the pregnancy.
Abortion triggered by a natural chemical substance is a known phenomenon in the biological world. The phenomenon is called the Bruce effect has been observed particularly in mice where the smell of male urine cause pregnancy female rats stopped.
Although the mechanism behind the high rates of abortion on zebras and horses in general is not known, but Bartos convinced that the findings reveal an important message to the observer horses.
"The practice of bringing mares to artificial insemination or bring zebra male into a herd of horses is not the right thing," said Bartos. "These practices are probably the reasons for the high percentage of pregnancy disorders in horses," he said.
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