Digital Commons Network^™

The Mechanical Control Of Bushpig, Potamochoerus Porcus, In Zimbabwe, Michael La Grange

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 12th (1986)

Bushpig, Potamocheorus porcus, occurring naturally in the high rainfall areas of Zimbabwe, have become a major threat to maize producers in the country. Traditional means of control including hunting have been unsuccessful in keeping the numbers to a tolerable level owing to the secretive and cunning nature of the animal. The use of poisons has been discouraged because of indiscriminate use and problems of secondary poisoning, so alternative methods of mechanical control were sought. Several methods evolved during experimentation, producing a strategy to control bushpig throughout the year.

Private Costs Of Predator Control In New Mexico In 1983, Gary A. Littauer, Ronald J. White, David Carroll Hall

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 12th (1986)

A survey was conducted by the New Mexico Department of Agriculture in early 1984 to determine costs incurred by livestock producers to control predation on livestock during 1983. Out of a sample of 1,848 producers who were sent questionnaires, 706 (38%) usable responses were returned. The respondents reported having about 30% of the peak number of sheep and lambs and 19% of the peak number of range beef cattle and calves, respectively, estimated to have been in New Mexico in 1983. Total cost reported by 306 respondents who had costs, not including donations to the New Mexico cooperative Animal Damage …

Intoxication Of Domestic And Wild Animals By Anticoagulant Rodenticides — A Synthesis Of Data From The French National Veterinary Antipoison Center, G. Lorgue, K. Nahas, G. Keck, M. Rampaud

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 12th (1986)

During the period from 1980 to 1985 the laboratory of toxicological analysis associated with the National Veterinary Antipoison Center received 1,343 samples for research of anticoagulant rodenticide (e.g., 14.1% of total samples): 79% concerned animals, 31% baits. Six compounds marketed in France were investigated (warfarin, chlorophacinone, bromadiolone, difenacoum, coumachlore, coumatetralyl). In two-thirds of the samples, none of these substances could be found. Warfarin was by far the most incriminated rodenticide (23.1%), and dogs represented the most affected species (65.7%). However, its occurrence decreases regularly. The other compounds were found with a very low frequency (1 to 3%). In 70% of …

Specifications For Wire Mesh Fences To Exclude The European Wild Rabbit From Crops, I. Gordon Mckillop, Harry W. Pepper, Charles J. Wilson

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 12th (1986)

The sizes of hexagonal and rectangular meshes needed to exclude all age classes of rabbits(Oryctolagus cuniculus) were 31 mm and 50 x 25 mm, respectively. In an enclosure, fences 0.75 m high excluded >90% of adult rabbits, a similar percentage to that obtained using the commonly accepted height of 0.9 m. In a subsequent field experiment using fences with a mesh size of 31 mm and heights of 0.9 m and 0.75 m, the numbers of rabbits seen on protected fields were reduced by about 80% for each height and therefore the 0.75-m-high fence was more cost-effective.

An Integrated Approach To Bubonic Plague Control In A Southwestern Plague Focus, Curtis E. Montman, Allan M. Barnes, Gary O. Maupin

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 12th (1986)

Plague is widespread among rodents and their fleas in the western United States, but most human cases occur in several definable, ecologically unique, and geographically limited high risk areas in the Southwest and Pacific Coast states. Control strategies to prevent human cases in high risk areas must vary from one epizootic focus to another, depending on such basic ecological factors as rodent/flea species involved; their distribution, abundance, seasonality, and relationship with the plague organism; climatic factors that affect transmission; the lifestyles of human residents; and others. This paper briefly summarizes preliminary results of a long-term program to define human risk …

The Complexities At The Interface Among Domestic/Wild Rodents, Fleas, Pets, And Man In Urban Plague Ecology In Los Angeles, County, California, Bernard C. Nelson, Minoo B. Madon, Arthur Tilzer

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 12th (1986)

Bubonic plague was first found in Los Angeles County in 1908. The largest epidemic of pneumonic plague in the United States occurred in the county in 1924, and the last cases of plague associated with domestic rodents in the United States occurred here in 1925. Sporadic plague activity was recorded from 1925 to 1975. Since 1975, plague has been found annually and is now endemic in the San Gabriel Mountains and the interface, that area where suburban encroachment intermingles with wilderness areas along the southern edge of these mountains. Within these two areas, plague is amplified and is a risk …

Current Changes To Vertebrate Pest Management In New Zealand, Peter C. Nelson

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 12th (1986)

Vertebrate pest control in New Zealand is changing as a result of a reduction in state funding. Monetary assistance for control programs is being withdrawn at $0.8 million per year and currently is $5.4 million. This reduction affects several parts of the organization and the Agricultural Pests Destruction Council has initiated various programs to rationalize control. The major effect of reducing assistance is that the landowners have to contribute more money. The necessity of blanket control of rabbits is now questioned and two investigations are underway to determine the extent of the areas where rabbit control is required and demonstrate …

An Approach To The Design Of Target-Specific Vertebrate Pest Control Systems, Peter H. O'Brien

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 12th (1986)

Vertebrate pest control has the dual objectives of maximizing efficacy and minimizing nontarget hazard. The task in design is to make these objectives complementary, rather than mutually exclusive. Historically, vertebrate pest control has emphasized target control as a single objective, with nontarget impact a subsequent, secondary consideration. This sequence necessarily constrains the capacity of the design process to minimize nontarget impact.

I describe a framework for the design of vertebrate pest control which is based on comparative evaluation of the socioecology of target and potential nontarget species. Using this approach, control systems are designed which focus on and exploit identified …

Bait Preference Field Study Of The California Ground Squirrel, Brenda D. Protopapas, A. Charles Crabb

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 12th (1986)

A bait preference field study of the California ground squirrel (Spermophilus beecheyi beecheyi) was performed involving the comparison of the following untreated bait formulations fed ad lib.: oat groats, Ramik Green, and ZP Rodent Ag Bait. The study was performed on rangeland at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, California, from March 11, 1984, to September 15, 1984.

Poor bait quality problems occurred in the early period of the study (March 11 to May 17), resulting in poor acceptance of both Ramik and Ag Bait. A descriptive analysis of this period is discussed. The statistical analysis of …

Approaches To Small-Holder Rodent Control, C. G. J. Richards

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 12th (1986)

Rodents are now recognized as one of the most important pests damaging crops in countries as far apart as Indonesia, Tanzania and Venezuela (Benigno and Sanchez 1984, Taylor 1984, Williams and Vega 1984). Damage to crops such as rice may be devastating during periodic upsurges in rodent numbers, with yields often reduced by 50% or more. It is being increasingly recognized, however, that continual chronic losses, which commonly occur over very large areas, are economically more significant (Buckle et al. 1985), resulting in yield losses in the range of 5 to 10% of national crops every year in many countries …

Comparison Of Fumigant Gases Used For Rabbit Control In Great Britain, John Ross

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 12th (1986)

The two most commonly used fumigant formulations, one generating hydrogen cyanide (HCN) and the other phosphine (PH3), were compared in paired field trials using the spoon-gassing technique. The two formulations were equally effective in reducing rabbit numbers seen in spotlight counts. The PH3 generating formulation was more convenient and slightly cheaper to use. Safety and humaneness aspects of the two formulations are discussed and alternative formulations (generating HCN and PH3) are considered. The potential usefulness (for rabbit control) of some other fumigant gases is briefly reviewed.

Agriculture And Forestry Rodent Problems And Control In Italy, Luciano A. Santini

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 12th (1986)

Rodent pest problems and their control in Italy are reviewed. Two rats, Rattus norvegicus and Rattus rattus, and the field mouse, Apodemus sylvaticus, are often important pests both in rural and forestry areas. Other species, such as voles, Microtus arvalis and Microtus (Pitymys) savii, in orchards and in horticulture, and Sciurus vulgaris and Myoxus (Glis) glis in forestry, sometimes represent serious problems. For each species the kind of damage and control is recorded, and additional considerations are supplied to the public and private organizations responsible for rodent control.

Laboratory Efficacy Studies With Strychnine Baits On Pigeons, Edward F. Schafer Jr., Mary L. Eschen

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 12th (1986)

Pigeons held under a fall and spring photoperiod-temperature regime consumed a maximum of 16.9 to 21.4 kernels of whole corn per hour with an average ranging from 7.6 to 12.4 kernels per hour. Peak consumption occurred during the first and/or next to last hour of the day with a secondary, but smaller, peak around noon. Corn consumption ranged from 91 to 112 kernels/bird/day and approximated daily consumption equal to 10% of an average bird's mass.

The acute oral LD50 of strychnine alkaloid to pigeons was estimated to be 7.73 mg/kg (95% Confidence Interval of 6.75 to 8.85). The LD90 was …

Rodent Control In East Africa, William R. Smythe

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 12th (1986)

The nations of East Africa consist of Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. They encompass a widely varied topography, from coral strands to snow-capped mountains, rain forests to deserts, and tropical to temperate. In all these areas where soil and rainfall patterns permit, agricultural crops are grown. For the most part farming is of a subsistence nature being small single family plots. These farms make up to 90% of the farming in most of the East African nations. There are large farms in Kenya and Zimbabwe generally confined to the temperate uplands. Elsewhere there are large government …

Approaches To Coot Management In California, Valerie Van Way

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 12th (1986)

Coot depredations have been documented in California since 1886, and shooting has been relied on as the principal means of mitigating damage. Immobilizing agents continue to offer promise as useful nonlethal tools for population reduction programs. Exploration of the use of tribromoethanol in coot capture is described, and the potential for other bird management techniques is discussed.

An Evaluation Of The Acute Oral Toxicity Of Brodifacoum To Birds, Michael E. R. Godfrey

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 12th (1986)

Single acute doses of the rodenticide brodifacoum were administered orally to 13 species of birds which are at risk from accidental poisoning during rabbit or possum control operations. Median lethal dose values from less than 1 to more than 20 mg/kg were obtained for some species. Gulls and Canada geese appear to be particularly susceptible. Several species, particularly the gulls, waxeyes, sparrows, mallard ducks and harrier hawks, seem to be vulnerable to lead poisoning.

A Five-Year Evaluation Of The Silvicultural Treatments For The Control Of Squirrel Damage In Taiwan, Pao-Chang Kuo, Yue-Ken Liao

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 12th (1986)

The Formosan red-bellied tree squirrel (Callosciurus erythraeus. ) is a pest animal that causes serious damage to many conifer plantations in Taiwan. Poisoning has been the major means to control the damage. The feasibility of forestry control through habitat manipulation has been evaluated during the past 5 years. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of forest-tending operations on the activity and damage by squirrels. Forest-tending conducted included weeding and thinning. Test sites were at three Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) plantations located in Chitou. The results of this study revealed that squirrel activity in …

Efficacy Of A Carbon Monoxide Gas Cartridge Against Field Rodents, Deng Zhi, Zhao Wu Chang

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 12th (1986)

Efficacy data of a gas cartridge are reported. The gas cartridge contains 50 g of potassium nitrate (27.5 g, 55%) mixed with sawdust (22.5 g, 45%). When ignited, it generates large amounts of carbon monoxide (avg. 23.46%) and carbon dioxide (avg. 26.26%). A mimic field trial was carried out on a winter day. The air temperature averaged 1.2°C, ranging from -3.3°C to +5°C. Sixteen adult albino rats were killed within 3 minutes exposure in a man-made burrow system, 200 cm long, with an inside diameter of 8 cm.

Field trials were conducted in different parts of China, and there were …

Results Of Eight Years' Examination Of The Habitats Of Residual Urban Norway Rat Populations After Eradication, Daniel Bajomi, Katalin Sasvari

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 12th (1986)

In Budapest (population 2 million) 33 out of 100 buildings were rat-infested in the early seventies. Thus general deratization was decreed to cover the whole of the city in 1971 to 1972. As a result of the global eradication method applied, the rate of rat-infested premises could be reduced below 0.5% annually. After control the sparsely occurring rats could freely choose any of the habitats released for settling. The habitats of Budapest most preferred by Norway rats are presented after a wide-ranging investigation carried out over 8 years. Our examination data support and in some cases reveal the requirements of …

Barn Owls And Industry: Problems And Solutions, Lee R. Martin

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 12th (1986)

Three methods were explored to eliminate damage caused by owl pellets and fecal droppings: exclusion; trapping; and sound deterrents including abstract sound, biosonic sound, and high frequency sound.

Initial successful results of various types of sound diminished with time to the point that owls adapted and ignored all sound repellents within a short period. Exclusion techniques were ineffective as owls would find ways around, through or between any non-permanent structure blocking entry through warehouse openings. Live-trapping and relocating owls was the only effective technique tested in this experimental program. Three trap methods were found effective, but trap success diminished with …

Protection With Vexar Cylinders From Damage By Meadow Voles Of Tree And Shrub Seedlings In Northeastern Alberta, Ronald W. Pauls

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 12th (1986)

Vast areas of land will require reclamation and reforestation following oil sands development in northeastern Alberta. Greenhouse-grown tree and shrub seedlings used in reforestation may be clipped or girdled by meadow voles, especially during periods of high population density. The impact of partial girdling, the most common form of damage, varies among species. Reduced survival rates in seedlings girdled over as little as 50% of their circumference and reduced growth rates in seedlings girdled over as little as 25% of their circumference, have been noted. Plastic mesh cylinders (tradename Vexar) have proven effective in preventing seedling damage and durable in …

Pod Network News, February 17, 1986, Bette Lasere Erickson

Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education: POD Network News

Core Committee members

March Core Committee Meeting

POD Panel and Reception at AAHE

TO IMPROVE THE ACADEMY Submissions

1986 POD Conference Call for Proposals

Teaching Consultants' Workshop

GLCA Workshop on Course Design and Teaching

Professional Development Materials and Resources

7. The Future Of Clinical Assessment, Jay Ziskin

The Future of Testing

At the outset, this writer's frame of reference should be made clear. It is the perspective of the author of a book that contains more than five hundred references from the scientific and professional literature which raise doubts about the expertise of clinicians in their role as diagnosticians in general, and also, specifically, within the forensic arena. The perspective further is that of one who provides a consultation service to lawyers pointing out to them the weakness and shortcomings of psychiatric and psychological reports and testimony both in terms of the inherent problems and of any specific deficiencies of omission …

10. Needed Directions For Measurement In Work Settings, Mary L. Tenopyr

The Future of Testing

One of the greatest needs in psychology today is the establishment of more rigorous psychological measurement practices in the millions of work settings throughout the country. Today, any semblance of precise measurement appears to be limited to the largest of employers. Only the biggest corporations and the major governmental units , such as those in the federal government, have the scientific staffs to conduct the research and development work necessary to provide the type of measurement that is so needed.

Psychological measurement in work settings has a profound effect upon American society. Indeed, it affects almost all citizens' lives. Employees, …

6. The Future Of Testing For Licensure And Certification Exam I Nations, Michael T. Kane

The Future of Testing

Licensure and certification examinations constitute a major use of tests in the United States, and since licensure and certification provide obvious benefits to the persons licensed or certified and to the public, their use is not likely to decrease. Rather, the usage of such examinations to document competence is likely to continue to increase, although perhaps more slowly than it has in the recent past.

Critics of licensure have argued that licensure tends to benefit the licensed profession more than the public and that the benefits of licensure to the public do not always justify the costs (e.g., see Hogan, …

3. Computer Technology In Testing, Gale H. Roid

The Future of Testing

COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY IN TESTING

Although computers have had an important role in educational and psychological testing for decades, the widespread availability of personal computers has focused interest on the appropriate role of computerization in the development, administration, scoring, and interpretation of tests. Although the early decades of computer usage found hardware and services concentrated in large computer installations, future decades will find hardware and services distributed more widely among individual users. With this rapid diffusion of technology and the lightning speed with which technology is changing, it will be increasingly difficult to predict the directions that computerized testing will take. …

5. Minimum Competency Testing: Status And Potential, Ronald A. Berk

The Future of Testing

INTRODUCTION

Competency becomes an issue when one seemingly encounters incompetence and its consequences. For example, suppose an automobile is taken to a dealer for brake repair. Once the repair has presumably been completed, the owner drives the car to the first intersection, one block from the dealer, and the brake light in the dashboard appears. This owner would probably begin to question the competence of the attending mechanic. As consumers, employers, or even students, we witness countless other examples of probable incompetence.

It is this questioning of competence that provided the impetus for the minimum competency testing movement in this …

Ec86-416 Depression : The Common Cold Of Mental Health, Leon H. Rottmann

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Extension Circular 86-416: Depression: the common cold of mental health. According to this circular taking the viewpoint that depression is a part of living puts the problem in perspective. It gets away from foolish notions that depression is automatically a sign of personal weakness or mental illness.

Economic Evaluation Of Breeding Objectives For Milk And Beef Production In Tropical Environments, F. E. Madalena

World Congress on Genetics Applied to Livestock Production: 3rd (1986)

The influence of some elements of tropical milk production systems on breeding objectives is discussed. Expansion of demand for milk and meat should be expected from increased population and income growth. Relative commercial value of milk fat may be strongly influenced by government policies regulating to proportion of liquid milk consumed. Calf production is an integral part of cow performance under the common practices of hand milking and suckling. Milk letdown may be an important trait for milking in modern dairy parlours. Experimental economic evaluations have referred mainly to comparisons of breeds and crosses, indicating that European × zebu crosses …

Evaluation And Utilization Of Tropical Breeds For Efficient Beef Production In The Tropics: Challenges And Opportunities, Assefaw Tewolde

World Congress on Genetics Applied to Livestock Production: 3rd (1986)

Crossbreeding results between tropical breeds and European beef breeds as well as within breed (mainly Zebu) genetic variability for some economically important traits is reviewed. Heterosis of between 9% to 11% has been reported for preweaning growth rate, 2% to 11% for postweaning and carcass traits as well as up to 15% for reproduction related traits in crosses involving Bos indicus and Bos taurus cattle. Maximum heterosis was observed in crosses involving Zebu and Criollo cattle, both well adapted to the tropics. Within breed genetic parameter estimates under tropical conditions are still scanty. Based on the production environment and after …