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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Taking An Endemically Infected Bovine Tb Area Through To Livestock Clearance. A Case Study Of West Taupo, New Zealand, Kevin Nicholas May 2005

Taking An Endemically Infected Bovine Tb Area Through To Livestock Clearance. A Case Study Of West Taupo, New Zealand, Kevin Nicholas

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

The Pest Management Strategy for Bovine Tuberculosis (Tb) in New Zealand aims to achieve efficient freedom from Tb by 2013 and to eradicate the disease from livestock and wildlife. The West Taupo area, in the central North Island of New Zealand, was chronically infected with Tb in both domestic livestock herds (cattle and deer) and within wildlife populations (brushtail possum, ferret, feral deer and pigs). Through the development and implementation of a technically innovative management plan, this area is now approaching Tb free status. The case study/management plan reported here discusses the operational techniques and strategies that were implemented to …


Evaluation Of A New Strategy For Control Of Bovine Tuberculosis In Michigan White-Tailed Deer: Year 1 Progress Report, Stephen Schmitt, Daniel O'Brien, Elaine Carlson, David Smith, Zachary Cooley, Brent Rudolph, Graham Hickling, Graham Nugent, Peter Butchko May 2005

Evaluation Of A New Strategy For Control Of Bovine Tuberculosis In Michigan White-Tailed Deer: Year 1 Progress Report, Stephen Schmitt, Daniel O'Brien, Elaine Carlson, David Smith, Zachary Cooley, Brent Rudolph, Graham Hickling, Graham Nugent, Peter Butchko

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

The State of Michigan is striving to eliminate bovine tuberculosis (Tb) infection among free-ranging white-tailed deer in the northeastern Lower Peninsula of the state. Aggressive reduction in the overall deer population abundance may help to further reduce TB prevalence, but this course of action is unacceptable to many hunters and landowners. Targeted culling of sick deer would likely be far more acceptable to these stakeholders, so in the winter of 2003 the Michigan Department of Natural Resources pilot-trialed a new strategy based on live-trapping and Tb-testing of wild deer. The field study was conducted in a township with relatively high …


Observations On The Use Of The Gnrh Vaccine Gonacon™ In The Male White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus), G. Killian, D. Wagner, L. Miller May 2005

Observations On The Use Of The Gnrh Vaccine Gonacon™ In The Male White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus), G. Killian, D. Wagner, L. Miller

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Observations made over an 11 year period during the development and evaluation of the GnRH vaccine GonaConTM use in male white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are summarized. Sexually mature bucks at the Penn State Deer Research Center were administered a single immunization of GonaConTM in July. Some males were also given a second boost immunization in September. Compared to similar aged controls, testicular size for treated males was considerably reduced in the first and subsequent years of study, as were testosterone concentrations and sexual libido. During the first year, antler development was relatively normal leading to antler …


Management Of Wolf-Livestock Conflicts Of Minnesota, William J. Paul May 2005

Management Of Wolf-Livestock Conflicts Of Minnesota, William J. Paul

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

In 1975, the gray wolf (Canis lupus) population in Minnesota was protected by the federal Endangered Species Act (USA). At that time, there were 500-750 wolves. By 2004, the population had grown to an estimated 3,020 wolves. Over time, conflicts between wolves and livestock increased. Wolf depredation control programs have been conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (1975-1986) and by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services program (1986 to present). In 1978, Minnesota's wolves were reclassified from endangered to threatened which allowed authorized federal agents to lethally remove wolves that had depredated on livestock or …


Elk In Nebraska: Opportunity Or Another Private-Public Land Conundrum, Scott E. Hygnstrom, Michael A. Cover, Bruce A. Stillings, R. Daniel Crank, Justin W. Fischer, James W. Merchant, Seth P. Korte May 2005

Elk In Nebraska: Opportunity Or Another Private-Public Land Conundrum, Scott E. Hygnstrom, Michael A. Cover, Bruce A. Stillings, R. Daniel Crank, Justin W. Fischer, James W. Merchant, Seth P. Korte

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

We conducted a comprehensive research project on elk in the Pine Ridge region of northwestern Nebraska from 1995 to 2002 to determine ecological factors that could be used to improve management and reduce damage. The population ranged from 120 to 150 animals, with an average calf:cow ratio of 0.5:1 and bull:cow ratio of 0.4:1. We located 21 radio-collared female elk 6,311 times during 1995 to 1997. Seasonal home ranges of 2 herds were 10 and 44 km2, while average annual home ranges of the herds were much larger (483 and 440 km2, respectively). All wintering areas …


Badger Movement Ecology In Colorado Agricultural Areas After A Fire, Craig A. Ramey, Jean B. Bourassa May 2005

Badger Movement Ecology In Colorado Agricultural Areas After A Fire, Craig A. Ramey, Jean B. Bourassa

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

While investigating the American badger (Taxidea taxus) in eastern Colorado' s wheatlands, we studied 3 badgers which were affected by a 2.1 km2 man-made fire and compared them to 2 adjacent badgers unaffected by the fire. All badgers were equipped with radio-telemetry collars and generally located day and night for approximately 1 month pre-fire and 3 weeks post-fire. Three point triangulation locations were converted into a global information system database. Adaptive kernel analyses compared pre- and post-fire horizontal: home ranges (i.e. 95% utilization areas, UAs), core activity areas (50% UAs), movements, den and habitat use patterns. Mean …


Challenges Of Invasive Reptiles And Amphibians, William C. Pitt, Daniel S. Vice, Mike E. Pitzler May 2005

Challenges Of Invasive Reptiles And Amphibians, William C. Pitt, Daniel S. Vice, Mike E. Pitzler

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Although worldwide distributions of many amphibians and reptiles are declining, a handful of species are spreading rapidly throughout tropical regions of the world. The species that have the greatest effect tend to be generalist feeders, have high reproductive rates, attain large population sizes, and often due to their behavior and or small size, are easily transported or are difficult to detect. The most notable of these species include the coqui frog, cane toad, bullfrog, brown tree snake, and Burmese pythons. The effect of a few individuals typically is small but the combined effect of large populations can be devastating to …


Initial Development Of A Web-Based Tool To Increase Hunter Harvest Of Female Ungulates, James E. Knight, Marc Kenyon, Linda Keddington May 2005

Initial Development Of A Web-Based Tool To Increase Hunter Harvest Of Female Ungulates, James E. Knight, Marc Kenyon, Linda Keddington

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Landowners and agencies have expressed difficulty finding hunters willing to harvest the female portion of the ungulate populations, and likewise, hunters have expressed difficulty achieving access to private lands. Since 2003, the Montana "DoeCowHunt" website (www.doecowhunt.montana.edu) has provided an avenue to improve hunter-landowner contact and wild ungulate population management. A product of Montana State University Extension Wildlife Program, this website provides a means for hunters and landowners in Montana to contact each other by listing contact information (email address, physical address, and telephone number) for the purpose of harvesting antlerless ungulates. In the first year over 10,000 users visited the …


Comparison Of Predation Rates On Wild Turkey Hens Between Two Forest Ecosystems In Mississippi, Michael J. Chamberlain, Darren A. Miller, Bruce D. Leopold, George A. Hurst Nov 1995

Comparison Of Predation Rates On Wild Turkey Hens Between Two Forest Ecosystems In Mississippi, Michael J. Chamberlain, Darren A. Miller, Bruce D. Leopold, George A. Hurst

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Because of increases in predator populations, concern has arisen about effects on wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) populations. We examined differences in predation of adult hens between 2 forested areas in Mississippi. Twin Oaks Wildlife Management Area (OAKS), located in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley, is a 2,302 ha tract of mature bottomland hardwood forest surrounded on 3 sides by soybean fields. Tallahala Wildlife Management Area (TWMA) is a 14,410 ha mixed forest in central Mississippi and is part of a large, forested ecosystem. Hens were captured, fitted with transmitters, and monitored by telemetry, 1990-1994 on TWMA (n = …


Incorporating Depredation Permits Into Integrated Damage Management Plans For Aquaculture Facilities, Philip Mastrangelo, Charles Sloan, Kevin Bruce Nov 1995

Incorporating Depredation Permits Into Integrated Damage Management Plans For Aquaculture Facilities, Philip Mastrangelo, Charles Sloan, Kevin Bruce

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Increasing bird depredation at aquaculture facilities in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi creates economic hardships for many fish farmers. Solutions to bird depredation at these facilities require the development of integrated damage management plans that will reduce damage levels while insuring minimal impacts to bird populations. Damage management plans developed for fish farmers by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Health Plant Inspection Service, Animal Damage Control (ADC) program always include non-lethal control recommendations. If nonlethal control is ineffective or only marginally effective in reducing damage, the management plans may also recommend the issuance of depredation permits by the …