Life Sciences Commons^™

Modeling The Economic Impact Of Feral Swine-Transmitted Foot-And- Mouth Disease: A Case Study From Missouri, Tyler Cozzens, Karen Gebhardt, Stephanie A. Shwiff, Mark W. Lutman, Kerri Pedersen, Seth Swafford

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Invasive feral swine combine a number of characteristics (e.g., high mobility, high fecundity, destructive behavior, reservoir of diseases, etc.) that make them one of the most serious wildlife threats to American agriculture. Additionally, feral swine are susceptible to foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) infection and could play a significant role in spreading and maintaining FMD if it was introduced to the U.S. Outbreaks of FMD also have devastating economic impacts and cause the loss of billions of dollars to the agricultural economy. Problems associated with spread and control would be exacerbated if FMD was contracted and spread by feral swine, threatening the …

Exclusion Fencing For Feral Hogs At White-Tailed Deer Feeders, Justin M. Rattan, Billy J. Higginbotham, David B. Long, Tyler A. Campbell

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Management programs aimed at white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) production often include the use of feeders, either to deliver supplemental feed or bait. However, much of the feed placed into deer feeders is consumed by non-target species, such as feral hogs (Sus scrofa). Our objectives were to compare three exclusion fence designs at deer feeders for their ability to restrict feral hog visitation and enable white-tailed deer visitation. Our high fence design consisted of 86 cm high graduated paneling. Our medium fence design consisted of 76 cm high, 10´10 cm paneling. Our low height design consisted of …

Response Of Deer To Containment By A Poly-Mesh Fence For Mitigating Disease Outbreaks, Michael J. Lavelle, Justin W. Fischer, Scott E. Hygnstrom, Joshua J. White, Aaron M. Hildreth, Gregory E. Phillips, Kurt C. Vercauteren

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Rapidly deployable and effective methods are needed to contain free-ranging deer (Odocoileus spp.) during acute disease outbreaks. We evaluated efficacy of a 2.1-m-tall polypropylene mesh (poly-mesh) fence for containing ≥15 free-ranging white-tailed deer (O. virginianus) within a 42-ha area in eastern Nebraska, USA. We observed a 99% decrease in deer leaving the enclosure area after we installed fencing (1 deer jumped; 0.02 deer/hr) compared with prefence rates (5.26 deer/hr). However, 8 deer (53% of censused population) escaped the enclosure during a census drive after our study. Poly-mesh fencing may be effective in temporarily containing free-ranging deer during …

Reporting Difference For Colored Patagial Tags On Ring-Billed Gulls, Thomas W. Seamans, Scott F. Beckerman, John W. Hartmann, James A. Rader, Bradley F. Blackwell

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The possible role of tag color in mediating behaviors that could bias resighting rate has not been examined. In a study that began in 2007, we marked 725 ring-billed gulls (Larus delawarensis) with Bondcote royal blue, green, yellow, or orange patagial tags. Reports we gathered over 2 years indicated approximately a 3.4:1 bias in resighting rate toward yellow or orange tags. The observed bias is inconsistent with color-associated visibility bias or differential mortality among color-tagged breeding adults. Potential behavioral effects of tag color on individuals and conspecifics should be considered by biologists when planning marking studies.

Raccoon (Procyon Lotor) Movements And Dispersal Associated With Ridges And Valleys Of Pennsylvania: Implications For Rabies Management, Robert B. Puskas, Justin W. Fischer, Craig B. Swope, Mike R. Dunbar, Robert G. Mclean, J. Jeffrey Root

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The raccoon (Procyon lotor) continues to be a prominent terrestrial rabies reservoir in the eastern United States. Describing the dispersal and movements of these animals and determining geographic features that are natural hindrances or corridors to movements could be used to assist oral rabies vaccination efforts. The landscape of the ridge-and-valley system in Pennsylvania exhibits characteristics of both natural potential hindrances and travel corridors to the movements of wildlife. The movements of 49 raccoons were monitored throughout a ridge and two adjacent valley sites to assess their movements related to these landscape features. Results suggest that few raccoons …

Site Use Of European Starlings Captured And Radio-Tagged At Texas Feedlots During Winter, H. Jeffrey Homan, A.A. Slowik, Linda B. Penry, George M. Linz, Michael J. Bodenchuk, Rickey L. Gilliland

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

We radio tagged and tracked 50 European starlings between December 2008 and January 2009 at 3 feedlots in the northern Texas Panhandle. Daily fidelity to sites of capture (home feedlots) was different among the 3 radio-tagged cohorts. Cohorts from Sites A and C were recorded at home feedlots on 48 and 59% of tracking days, respectively. The Site B cohort was at its home feedlot 95% of days. There were qualitative differences in use of home feedlots between cohorts A and C. The former were nearly obligate in their use of concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFO), whereas the latter tended …

Comparative Toxicity Of Diphacinone To Northern Bobwhite (Colinus Virginianus) And American Kestrels (Falco Sparverius), Barnett A. Rattner, Katherine E. Horak, Sarah E. Warner, Daniel D. Day, John J. Johnston

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The acute oral toxicity of the anticoagulant rodenticide diphacinone was found to be about 20 times greater to American kestrels (LD₅₀=97 mg/kg) than to northern bobwhite (LD₅₀=2,014 mg/kg). Several precise and sensitive clotting assays (prothrombin time, Russell’s Viper venom time, thrombin clotting time) were adapted for use in these species, and this combination of assays is recommended to detect effects of diphacinone and other rodenticides on coagulation. Oral administration of diphacinone over a range of doses (sublethal to the extrapolated LD₁₅) prolonged prothrombin time and Russell’s Viper venom time within 24 to 48 hrs …

Acute Toxicity Of Diphacinone In Northern Bobwhite: Effects On Survival And Blood Clotting, Barnett A. Rattner, Katherine E. Horak, Sarah E. Warner, John J. Johnston

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The anticoagulant rodenticide diphacinone was slightly toxic (acuteoralLD₅₀ 2014 mg/kg) to Northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) in a 14-day acute toxicity trial. Precise and sensitive assays of blood clotting (prothrombin time, Russell’s Viper venom time, and thrombin clotting time) were adapted for use in quail, and this combination of assays is recommended to measure the effects of anticoagulant rodenticides. A single oral sub lethal dose of diphacinone (434mg/kg body weight) prolonged clotting time at 48 h post-dose compared to controls. At 783 mg/kg (approximate LD₀₂), clotting time was prolonged at both 24 and 48 h post-dose. …

Arthropods Of A Semi-Natural Grassland In An Urban Environment: The John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York, Lisa Kutschbach-Brohl, Brian E. Washburn, Glen E. Bernhardt, Richard B. Chipman, Laura C. Francoeur

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Semi-natural grassland habitat fragments, such as those found on airports, might be important for arthropod conservation and biodiversity in urban ecosystems. The objectives of this study were to: (1) describe the arthropod communities present within the grasslands on the John F. Kennedy International Airport and (2) assess spatial and temporal variation in those arthropod communities. We collected arthropods using a vacuum sampler during 2003 and using sweep-net collection methods during 2003 and 2004. During 2003, a total of 1,467 arthropods, representing 17 orders and 68 families were found in vacuum samples. A total of 3,784 arthropods, representing 12 orders and …

Oral Rabies Vaccination In North America: Opportunities, Complexities, And Challenges, Dennis Slate, Timothy P. Algeo, Kathleen M. Nelson, Richard B. Chipman, Dennis Donovan, Jesse D. Blanton, Michael Niezgoda, Charles E. Rupprecht

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Steps to facilitate inter-jurisdictional collaboration nationally and continentally have been critical for implementing and conducting coordinated wildlife rabies management programs that rely heavily on oral rabies vaccination (ORV). Formation of a national rabies management team has been pivotal for coordinated ORV programs in the United States of America. The signing of the North American Rabies Management Plan extended a collaborative framework for coordination of surveillance, control, and research in border areas among Canada, Mexico, and the US. Advances in enhanced surveillance have facilitated sampling of greater scope and intensity near ORV zones for improved rabies management decision-making in real time. …

Evaluation Of Aerial Cluster Sampling Of Double-Crested Cormorants On Aquaculture Ponds In Mississippi, Brian S. Dorr, Loren W. Burger Jr., Scott C. Barras

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Concern over increasing numbers of double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) and their impacts on channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) aquaculture has resulted in increased need for quantitative information to develop and evaluate depredation management efforts. We evaluated aerial surveys in a stratified cluster sampling (SCS) design to estimate and monitor abundance of cormorants on catfish aquaculture ponds in the Yazoo River Basin of Mississippi, USA (hereafter Yazoo Basin). Twice monthly abundance estimates and coefficient of variation during winter averaged 8,128 (n = 29, SE = 1,233) and 33% (n = 29, SE = 0.02), respectively. Counts of cormorants …

Anatomy Of The Cape Cod Oral Rabies Vaccination Program, Timothy P. Algeo, Richard B. Chipman, Brian M. Bjorklund, Monte D. Chandler, Xingtai Wang, Dennis Slate, Charles E. Rupprecht

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Rabies remains a globally significant zoonotic disease, but rabies control is achievable under certain circumstances. Canine rabies has been eliminated from the U.S.; however, approximately 55,000 humans die annually worldwide from the disease. In the U.S., economic losses continue to be substantial and the risk to humans and domestic animals has not been eliminated. As an example of the complexity of rabies management, we describe a local rabies control program and efforts to restore Cape Cod, MA to terrestrial rabies-free status, after a 2004 oral rabies vaccination (ORV) barrier breach following 10 years of rabies-free status. The emergence of raccoon …

Downside Risk Of Wildlife Translocation, R. Chipman, D. Slate, C. Rupprecht, M. Mendoza

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Translocation has been used successfully by wildlife professionals to enhance or reintroduce populations of rare or extirpated wildlife, provide hunting or wildlife viewing opportunities, farm wild game, and reduce local human-wildlife conflicts. However, accidental and intentional translocations may have multiple unintended negative consequences, including increased stress and mortality of relocated animals, negative impacts on resident animals at release sites, increased conflicts with human interests, and the spread of diseases. Many wildlife professionals now question the practice of translocation, particularly in light of the need to contain or eliminate high profile, economically important wildlife diseases and because using this technique may …

Non-Lethal Management To Reduce Conflicts With Winter Urban Crow Roosts In New York: 2002 - 2007, Richard B. Chipman, Travis L. Devault, Dennis Slate, Kenneth J. Preusser, Mark S. Carrara, Joshua W. Friers, Timothy P. Algeo

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

American crow populations have increased steadily since 1966 in many parts of the U.S. Large winter congregations of crows in urban environments have resulted in an increased number of requests for assistance in managing nocturnal roosts in New York. In 2002, the USDA APHIS Wildlife Services program initiated a large-scale non-lethal winter roost dispersal program in Troy, New York. Since that time, similar programs have been implemented in 4 other cities in New York to manage crow roosts ranging in size from 8,000 - 63,000 individuals. The goals of the programs were to minimize noise, accumulations of crow feces around …

Evaluation Of An Integrated Non-Lethal Canada Goose Management Program In New York (2004 - 2006), Stacy E. Preusser, Tom W. Seamans, Allen L. Gosser, Richard B. Chipman

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

New York State has an estimated population of 249,702 resident Canada geese. Human-goose conflicts are increasing, including unacceptable accumulation of goose feces in public parks, overgrazing of landscaped lawns, noise, and aggressive behavior of individual geese. An integrated Canada goose management program was conducted and evaluated at 8 sites in Orange County, New York from 2004 to 2006. The program, conducted from March through November each year, consisted of egg oiling (300-470 eggs oiled a year), hazing to reduce local goose populations using multiple techniques, public outreach/education, and program monitoring. The monitoring component included goose movement and population surveys using …

Chlorophacinone Baiting For Belding’S Ground Squirrels, Craig A. Ramey, George H. Matschke, Richard M. Engeman

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The efficacy of using 0.01% chlorophacinone on steam-rolled oat (SRO) groats applied in CA alfalfa by spot-baiting/hand baiting around burrow entrances (~11.5 g) to control free-ranging Belding's ground squirrels (Spermophilus beldingi) were compared in 6 randomly assigned square treatment units (TUs). Four TUs were given the rodenticide and 2 treated with placebo bait. Each TU was a 0.4 ha square surrounded by a similarly treated 5.5 ha square buffer zone. Baits were applied on May 13 and re-applied, on May 20 and May 22, after 7 days of un-forecasted cool wet weather greatly reduced their above ground activity. Pesticide (EPA …

Evaluation Of Bird Response To Propane Exploders In An Airport Environment, Brian E. Washburn, Richard B. Chipman, Laura C. Francoeur

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Bird-aircraft collisions (bird-strikes) cause serious safety hazards to aircraft, costing civilian aviation at least $496 million annually in the U.S. Non-lethal bird-frightening devices, such as propane exploders, are commonly used to deter birds from airport environments. We conducted a study during August - October 2004 to determine the efficacy of propane exploders utilized with and without concurrent lethal reinforcement activities for altering bird behavior at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, New York. Two groups of 8 propane exploders each were deployed on the airfield. One group of propane exploders was set to “off” (control), whereas the other group …

Status Of Oral Rabies Vaccination In Wild Carnivores In The United States, Dennis Slate, Charles E. Rupprecht, Jane A. Rooney, Dennis Donovan, Donald H. Lein, Richard B. Chipman

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Persistence of multiple variants of rabies virus in wild Chiroptera and Carnivora presents a continuing challenge to medical, veterinary and wildlife management professionals. Oral rabies vaccination (ORV) targeting specific Carnivora species has emerged as an integral adjunct to conventional rabies control strategies to protect humans and domestic animals. ORV has been applied with progress toward eliminating rabies in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in western Europe and southern Ontario, Canada. More recently since 1995, coordinated ORV was implemented among eastern states in the U.S.A. to prevent spread of raccoon (Procyon lotor) rabies and to contain and eliminate …

Management Of Cattail (Typha Spp.) Stands With Glyphosate To Disperse Blackbirds, George M. Linz, H. Jeffrey Homan, Ryan L. Wimberly, Philip Mastrangelo, William J. Bleier

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

In the Prairie Pothole Region of North Dakota and South Dakota, blackbirds (Icteridae) gather by the thousands in large premigratory roosts in late summer and early fall. Wetlands dominated by cattails (Typha spp.) provide ideal roosting habitat for these aggregations. Sunflower fields near large roosts can receive substantial damage. To eliminate potential roosting sites, Wildlife Services of the United States Department of Agriculture has implemented a cattail management program that aerially sprays dense cattail stands with the herbicide glyphosate m-(phosphonomethyl) glycine]. The continued viability of the program depends on a positive benefit-cost ratio and minimal environmental impacts. In this …

Crocodylia, Alligator Mississippiensis (American Alligator): Homing And Site Fidelity, John W. Woolard, Richard M. Engeman, Henry T. Smith, Mark Nelson

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Crocodylia, Alligator mississippiensis (American Alligator): Homing and Site Fidelity

Cheloniidae (Marine Turtle) Nest Predation, John Woolard, Richard M. Engeman, Henry T. Smith, John Griner

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

On 19 June 2003 at 0217 h, an opossum (Didelphis virginiana) was observed for 10 min while digging into a marine turtle nest and eating 4 eggs on the beach at St. Lucie Inlet Preserve State Park (SLIPSP) on Jupiter Island, Florida. The predation event was observed using night vision equipment as part of nightly patrols to protect turtle nests from raccoon (Procyon lotor) and armadillo (Dasypus noverncinctus) predation during the nesting season. After verification of an ongoing predation event, the opossum was euthanized and removed. Prior to implementing predator removal on this beach, …

Uncertainty Of Exploitation Estimates Made From Tag Returns, L.E. Miranda, R.E. Brock, Brian S. Dorr

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Over 6,000 crappies Pomoxis spp. were tagged in five water bodies to estimate exploitation rates by anglers. Exploitation rates were computed as the percentage of tags returned after adjustment for three sources of uncertainty: post-release mortality due to the tagging process, tag loss, and the reporting rate of tagged fish. Confidence intervals around exploitation rates were estimated by re-sampling from the probability distributions of tagging mortality, tag loss, and reporting rate. Estimates of exploitation rates ranged from 17% to 54% among the five study systems. Uncertainty around estimates of tagging mortality, tag loss, and reporting resulted in 90% confidence intervals …

A New Flavor-Coated Sachet Bait For Delivering Oral Rabies Vaccine To Raccoons And Coyotes, Samuel B. Linhart, John C. Wlodkowski, Darrell M. Kavanaugh, Laurie Motes-Kreimeyer, Andrew J. Montoney, Richard B. Chipman, Dennis Slate, Laura L. Bigler, Malcomb G. Fearneyhough

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Research was conducted during 1996–2000 to develop baits for delivering an oral rabies vaccine to raccoons (Procyon lotor) and coyotes (Canis latrans). A bait was sought that: (1) was attractive to the target species, (2) could be distributed by aircraft, (3) was as effective (or more so) than the currently used fish meal polymer bait, and (4) could be produced in large numbers by automated procedures and could be purchased by user groups at substantially lower cost.

Ten field trials were conducted to document raccoons’ bait flavor preferences, evaluate a new vaccine sachet bait coated with …

Evaluation Of Mirrors To Deter Nesting Starlings, Thomas W. Seamans, Charles D. Lovell, Richard A. Dolbeer, Jonathon D. Cepek

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) nesting in buildings and other structures can cause health, nuisance, and safety problems. We evaluated effectiveness of flashing lights combined with mirrors, and mirrors alone, as deterrents for starlings nesting in starling nest boxes in northern Ohio, 1998-2000. Each year, 100 nest boxes attached to utility poles were randomly assigned equally among 4 treatments (including untreated boxes): 1998- mirrored (internally placed on the back and 2 side walls of nest boxes), mirrored with red-flashing lights, and mirrored with green-flashing lights; 1999-convex mirror above entrance hole, convex mirror at back of nest box, and flat …

Aerodrome Bird Hazard Prevention: Case Study At John F. Kennedy International Airport, Richard A. Dolbeer

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The collision of birds with aircraft is a serious problem at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFKIA), New York. Gulls (Larus spp.) accounted for 86% of bird strikes (an aircraft striking >1 bird) from 1988-1990, averaging 260 strikes/year. Laughing Gulls (L. atricilla) are present from May- September in association with a protected nesting colony in Jamaica Bay National Wildlife Refuge adjacent to the airport. The colony increased from 15 nests in 1979 to 7,629 nests in 1990. During the 1970s and 1980s, JFKIA implemented various management activities to reduce gull strikes, including maintenance of tall grass, improved sanitation, drainage of …

Serum Concentrations Of Pituitary And Adrenal Hormones In Female Pigs Exposed To Two Photoperiods, Robert R. Kraeling, George B. Rampacek, John W. Mabry, Fred L. Cunningham, Carl A. Pinkert

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Serum concentrations of pituitary and adrenal hormones were determined in lactating sows and ovariectomized (OVX) gilts exposed to 8 h (8L:16D) or 16 h of light (16L:8D). In addition serum prolactin (PRL) concentrations were determined after a thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH) challenge. At 103 -+ 2 d of gestation or 3 wk after ovariectomy of nullipai'ous gilts on d 7 to 9 of the estrous cycle (d -10), blood samples were collected from jugular vein cannulae at 30-rain intervals for 8 h beginning at 0800 h. Immediately after the last sample, 13 sows and five OVX gilts were assigned to …

The Effect Of Artificially Extended Photoperiod During Lactation On Maternal Performance Of The Sow, John W. Mabry, Fred L. Cunningham, Robert R. Kraeling, George B. Rampacek

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

A 20-stall farrowing facility was partitioned into two separate rooms of 10 stalls each so that photoperiod could be controlled. In addition, temperature and air movement were equalized in the two rooms. The two light regimens utilized were 8 h light: 16 h dark, and 16 h light:8 h dark. A total of 26 sows in two replicates were used. Females were moved into the facility on d 103 -+2 of pregnancy, litters were equalized at birth and weaning was at 28 d of age. Traits evaluated included litter size at birth and weaning, 21-d pig and litter weights, milk …

Mustela Nigripes, Conrad N. Hillman, Tim W. Clark

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

CONTEXT AND CONTENT. Order Carnivora, Family Mustelidae, Genus Mustela, Subgenus Putorius. There are about 14 living species of Mustela including three of Putorius. No subspecies of M. nigripes have been recognized.

DIAGNOSIS. Mustela nigripes is about mink-sized; upper parts are yellowish buff, occasionally whitish, especially on the face and venter (Fig. 1); feet are black; tail is tipped with black; mastoid process is notably angular (Fig. 2) (Long, 1965). Ferrets (subgenus Putorius) differ from other Mustela (weasels and mink) in being larger than weasels and in having the following combination of characters: ventral and dorsal pelage without …

Hazards To Wildlife Associated With 1080 Baiting For California Ground Squirrels, Paul L. Hegdal, Thomas A. Gatz, Kathleen A. Fagerstone, James F. Glahn, George H. Matschke

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Under an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Interagency Agreement, we evaluated the hazards to wildlife associated with aerial 1080 (sodium monofluoroacetate) baiting for California ground squirrels (Spermophilus beecheyi fisheri). We conducted the study in Tulare County, in south-central California, in the eastern foothills of the San Joaquin Valley. Vegetation is annual range grasses and associated forbs, under open stands of oak (Quercus spp.), with cottonwood (Populus spp.), California sycamore (Platanus racemosa), and California buckeye (Aesculus californica) along stream bottoms. The study monitored a large-scale operational baiting program conducted in Tulare County by the …

Report On Nebraska Insects, Lawrence Bruner

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Sir: Aside from a very limited number of species such as are always more or less injurious, the insect depredations in the State of Nebraska have been unusually few and light during the present year. Among these latter I will notice in brief the following as having attracted my attention at the time of their occurrence:

Plum weevils (Conotrachelus nenuphar and Coccotorus scutellaria), the Codling Moth (Carpoeapsa pomonella), Cabbage butterflies ( Pieris protodice and P. rapai), the Army-worm (Leucania unipuncta), the Large Willow Saw-fly (Cimbex americana), the Box-elder Aphid (Chaitophorus …