Characterization, Insertion and Resistance of Mules and Donkeys

Abstract

Os muares são animais híbridos provenientes do cruzamento entre a fêmea equina (Equus caballus) e o macho asinino (Equus asinus). São animais rústicos e resistentes, e muito utilizados em trabalhos de tração. Os muares tiveram grande importância no Brasil na era colonial no transporte de gêneros alimentícios e outras mercadorias, principalmente no interior do país. Há um grande senso empírico de que os muares são animais mais resistentes do que os equinos e mais indicados para provas de resistência de baixa intensidade e longa duração, mas poucos dados científicos a respeito do assunto podem ser encontrados. Devido a esse fato há uma tendência crescente de se criar muares em detrimento de equinos, e o avanço desse setor em relação à seleção genética, têm feito da criação de muares um nicho de negócio bastante rentável. Análises de constituintes séricos sanguíneos de muares e equinos podem ser capazes de identificar qual espécie animal é mais resistente ao exercício físico. Os muares atualmente participam do chamado "agronegócio do cavalo", que movimenta grande valor econômico no país e gera muitos empregos diretos e indiretos. As enzimas lactato desidrogenase (LDH) e creatina quinase (CK) podem revelar se equinos e muares apresentam o mesmo desgaste frente ao exercício físico ou não. Devido ao exposto o presente trabalho tem como objetivo caracterizar os muares em relação aos equinos, descrever sua resistência e elucidar sua inserção no agronegócio atual.Palavras-chave: Equídeos. Exercício físico. Mulas. Mercado equino. CHARACTERIZATION, INSERTION AND RESISTANCE OF MULES AND DONKEYS SUMMARY: Mules and donkeys are hybrid animals from the cross between the equine female (Equus caballus)and the male asinine (Equus asinus). They are rustic and resistant animals, and much used in traction works. The mules had great importance in Brazil in the colonial time in the transportation of foodstuffs and other goods, mainly in the countryside. There is a great empirical sense that mule animals are more resistant than equines and are best suited for low intensity and long duration resistance tests, but few scientific data on the subject can be found. Due to this fact there is a growing tendency to breed mules to the detriment of equines, and the advancement of this sector in relation to genetic selection, have made mule breeding a very profitable niche business. Analysis of serum blood constituents of mules and horses may be able to identify which animal species is more resistant to exercise. The mules currently participate in the so-called "agribusiness of the horse", which moves great economic value in the country and generates many direct and indirect jobs. The enzymes lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and creatine kinase (CK) may reveal whether equines and mules present the same wear versus physical exercise or not. Due to the above the present work has the objective to characterize the mule in relation to the equines, to describe its resistance and to elucidate its insertion in the current agribusiness.

Evaluation of angular, linear, and body index measures of pêga donkeys (Equus Asinus) from southeast of Brazil

“…They influence gait quality, interfering with body motion's biodynamics. The values obtained for THL were 57.1 ± 3.0 cm for males and 56.6 ± 1.7 cm for females, similar to those by Moreira and Brum when evaluating the same breed, and higher than those of Costa and Pacheco (2017) that evaluated Brazilian donkeys. The values found for DH were 28.0 ± 1.3 cm for males and 27.3 ± 0.9 cm for females, higher than those found by Moreira and Brum. The region of the bridge of nose must be wide to allow good air passage.…”

Casuistry of Diseases in Donkeys and Mules Attended at the Veterinary Hospital in the Countryside of São Paulo, Brazil

“…In the study, 66 records were collected, with 30,30% referring to donkeys and 69,70% referring to mules. The collected data proved to be relevant for the studied region, as these animals are more commonly studied in rural areas of Northeast Brazil, such as the Caatinga and Sertão regions (PESSOA et al, 2014); the Midwest, widely spread in states like Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul, where these animals are used for rural work and transportation (WATANABE et al, 2009;CUNHA et al, 2020); and the South of Brazil, especially in the states of Rio Grande do Sul and Paraná, serving both for work and leisure purposes (HEIDMANN et al, 2012;COSTA;PACHECO, 2017). The animals in the study were primarily used for transportation and leisure activities and the majority of the animals (42/66) were from Leme (26,20% of donkeys and 73,80% of mules), with the remainder coming from neighboring cities within a maximum distance of 90km.…”

Cardiovascular Particularities in Pega Breed Donkeys (Equus asinus)

“…There are l 8 million donkeys and horses, with transactions of R$ 7.3 billion only thru the production of horses (Costa and Pacheco 2017). The main breeds of donkeys used to obtain mules are the Paulista or Brasileiro, the Pega and the Northeastern donkey.…”