Life Sciences Commons^™

Development Of Known-Fate Survival Monitoring Techniques For Juvenile Wild Pigs (Sus Scrofa), David A. Keiter, John C. Kilgo, Mark A. Vukovich, Fred L. Cunningham, James C. Beasley

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Context. Wild pigs are an invasive species linked to numerous negative impacts on natural and anthropogenic ecosystems in many regions of the world. Robust estimates of juvenile wild pig survival are needed to improve population dynamics models to facilitate management of this economically and ecologically important invasive species. Despite this critical knowledge gap, to date no successful known-fate study of wild piglet survival (age) has been conducted, due to a lack of appropriate method for this species.

Aims. To aid in locating and tagging neonates, we piloted the use of vaginal implant transmitters (VITs) in adult wild pigs and …

Quantifying Drivers Of Wild Pig Movement Across Multiple Spatial And Temporal Scales, Shannon L. Kay, Justin W. Fischer, Andrew J. Monaghan, James C. Beasley, Raoul Boughton, Tyler A. Campbell, Susan M. Cooper, Stephen S. Ditchkoff, Steve B. Hartley, John C. Kilgo, Samantha M. Wisely, A. Christy Wyckoff, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Kim M. Pepin

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Background: The movement behavior of an animal is determined by extrinsic and intrinsic factors that operate at multiple spatio-temporal scales, yet much of our knowledge of animal movement comes from studies that examine only one or two scales concurrently. Understanding the drivers of animal movement across multiple scales is crucial for understanding the fundamentals of movement ecology, predicting changes in distribution, describing disease dynamics, and identifying efficient methods of wildlife conservation and management.

Methods: We obtained over 400,000 GPS locations of wild pigs from 13 different studies spanning six states in southern U.S.A., and quantified movement rates and home …

Use Of Fecal Volatile Organic Compound Analysis To Discriminate Between Nonvaccinated And Bcg-Vaccinated Cattle Prior To And After Mycobacterium Bovis Challenge, Christine K. Ellis, Somchai Rice, Devin Maurer, Randal S. Stahl, W. Ray Waters, Mitchell V. Palmer, Pauline Nol, Jack C. Rhyan, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Jacek A. Koziel

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Bovine tuberculosis is a zoonotic disease of global public health concern. Development of diagnostic tools to improve test accuracy and efficiency in domestic livestock and enable surveillance of wildlife reservoirs would improve disease management and eradication efforts. Use of volatile organic compound analysis in breath and fecal samples is being developed and optimized as a means to detect disease in humans and animals. In this study we demonstrate that VOCs present in fecal samples can be used to discriminate between non-vaccinated and BCG-vaccinated cattle prior to and after Mycobacterium bovis challenge.

Winter And Summer Home Ranges Of American White Pelicans (Pelecanus Erythrorhynchos) Captured At Loafing Sites In The Southeastern United States, D. Tommy King, Justin W. Fischer, Bronson K. Strickland, W. David Walter, Fred L. Cunningham, Guiwang Wang

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Satellite telemetry was used to investigate summer and winter home ranges for resident and migrant American White Pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) captured in the southeastern United States between 2002 and 2007. Home range utilization distributions were calculated using 50% and 95% kernel density estimators with the plug-in bandwidth selector. Mean summer home ranges (95%) varied from 177 to 4,710 km² and mean winter home ranges (95%) ranged from 185 to 916 km². Mean 50% and 95% home ranges of adult American White Pelicans during summer tended to be larger than those during winter, whereas mean 50% and …

Control Of Invasive Rats On Islands And Priorities For Future Action, Quiterie Duron, Aaron B. Shiels, Eric Vidal

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Invasive rats are one of the world’s most successful animal groups that cause native species extinctions and ecosystem change, particularly on islands. On large islands, rat eradication is often impossible and population control, defined as the local limitation of rat abundance, is now routinely performed on many of the world’s islands as an alternative management tool. However, a synthesis of the motivations, techniques, costs, and outcomes of such rat-control projects is lacking. We reviewed the literature, searched relevant websites, and conducted a survey via a questionnaire to synthesize the available information on rat-control projects in island natural areas worldwide to …

Studies Of Wolf X Coyote Hybridization Via Artificial Insemination, L. David Mech, Cheryl S. Asa, Margaret Callahan, Bruce W. Christensen, Fran Smith, Julie K. Young

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Following the production of western gray wolf (Canis lupus) x western coyote (Canis latrans) hybrids via artificial insemination (AI), the present article documents that the hybrids survived in captivity for at least 4 years and successfully bred with each other. It further reports that backcrossing one of the hybrids to a male gray wolf by AI also resulted in the birth of live pups that have survived for at least 10 months. All male hybrids (F₁ and F₂) produced sperm by about 10 months of age, and sperm quality of the F_{1 …}

Evidence Of Leptospirosis In The Kidneys And Serum Of Feral Swine (Sus Scrofa) In The United States, K. K. Pedersen, T. D. Anderson, S. N. Bevins, K. L. Pabilonia, P. N. Whitley, D. R. Virchow, T. Gidlewski

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Leptospirosis is the most widespread zoonosis in humans worldwide. In the United States, widespread detection of antibodies to leptospirosis have been identified in feral swine (Sus scrofa) with the highest detection of serovars, Bratislava, Icterohaemorrhagiae, and Pomona. Over the past few years, feral swine populations have expanded their geographical range and distribution in the United States with reports in at least 39 of 50 states. Since feral swine serve as reservoirs for serovars that can infect humans, it is important to understand the risk of transmission. In order to learn more about the probability that feral swine shed infectious …

Genetic Demography At The Leading Edge Of The Distribution Of A Rabies Virus Vector, Antoinette J. Piaggio, Amy L. Russell, Ignacio A. Osorio, Alejandro Jiménez Ramírez, Justin W. Fischer, Jennifer L. Neuwald, Annie E. Tibbels, Luis Lecuona, Gary F. Mccracken

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The common vampire bat, Desmodus rotundus, ranges from South America into northern Mexico in North America. This sanguivorous species of bat feeds primarily on medium to large-sized mammals and is known to rely on livestock as primary prey. Each year, there are hotspot areas of D. rotundus-specific rabies virus outbreaks that lead to the deaths of livestock and economic losses. Based on incidental captures in our study area, which is an area of high cattle mortality from D. rotundus transmitted rabies, it appears that D. rotundus are being caught regularly in areas and elevations where they previously were …

Differential Impacts Of Wildfire On The Population Dynamics Of An Old-Forest Species, Jeremy T. Rockweit, Alan B. Franklin, Peter C. Carlson

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Ecological disturbances shape and maintain natural communities, but climate change and human land use can alter disturbance regimes and affect population persistence and vital rates in unpredictable ways. Species inhabiting landscapes shaped by wildfire have evolved mechanisms allowing them to persist under this dynamic disturbance type, which creates habitats of varying quality for these species. We utilized data from a 26-yr demographic study of northern spotted owls to analyze the influence of wildfire on apparent survival and recruitment rates. Wildfires occurred across different years and affected different spotted owl territories, which allowed us to implement a retrospective Before-After-Control-Impact (BACI) analysis …

Transmission Of H6n2 Wild Bird-Origin Influenza A Virus Among Multiple Bird Species In A Stacked-Cage Setting, J. Jeffrey Root, Susan A. Shriner, Jeremy W. Ellis, Kaci K. Vandalen, Alan B. Franklin

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Live bird markets are common in certain regions of the U.S. and in other regions of the world. We experimentally tested the ability of a wild bird influenza A virus to transmit from index animals to naive animals at varying animal densities in stacked cages in a simulated live bird market. Two and six mallards, five and twelve quail, and six and nine pheasants were used in the low-density and high-density stacks of cages, respectively. Transmission did not occur in the high-density stack of cages likely due to the short duration and relatively low levels of shedding, a dominance of …

Investigation Of Techniques To Measure Cortisol And Testosterone Concentrations In Coyote Hair, Christopher J. Schell, Julie K. Young, Elizabeth V. Lonsdorf, Jill M. Mateo, Rachel M. Santymire

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Long-term noninvasive sampling for endangered or elusive species is particularly difficult due to the challenge of collecting fecal samples before hormone metabolite desiccation, as well as the difficulty in collecting a large enough sample size from all individuals. Hair samples may provide an environmentally stable alternative that provides a long-term assessment of stress and reproductive hormone profiles for captive, zoo, and wild mammals. Here, we extracted and analyzed both cortisol and testosterone in coyote (Canis latrans) hair for the first time. We collected samples from 5-week old coyote pups (six female, six male) housed at the USDA-NWRC Predator …

Cross-Species Transmission Potential Between Wild Pigs, Livestock, Poultry, Wildlife, And Humans: Implications For Disease Risk Management In North America, Ryan S. Miller, Steven J. Sweeney, Chris Slootmaker, Daniel A. Grear, Paul A. Di Salvo, Deborah Kiser, Stephanie A. Shwiff

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Cross-species disease transmission between wildlife, domestic animals and humans is an increasing threat to public and veterinary health. Wild pigs are increasingly a potential veterinary and public health threat. Here we investigate 84 pathogens and the host species most at risk for transmission with wild pigs using a network approach. We assess the risk to agricultural and human health by evaluating the status of these pathogens and the co-occurrence of wild pigs, agriculture and humans. We identified 34 (87%) OIE listed swine pathogens that cause clinical disease in livestock, poultry, wildlife, and humans. On average 73% of bacterial, 39% of …

Sudden Appearance And Population Outbreak Of Eunica Monima (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) On Desecheo Island, Puerto Rico, Aaron B. Shiels, William P. Haines, Kirsty J. Swinnerton, Susan Silander, Cielo Figuerola-Hernández, David Will, Juan G. García-Cancel, Christian W. Torres-Santana

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

We documented the appearance and elevated abundance of the uncommon dingy purplewing butterfly, Eunica monima (Stoll) (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae), and pronounced herbivory on its host plant Bursera simaruba (L.) Sarg. (Burseraceae) shortly after island-wide rat (Rattus rattus [L.]; Muridae) removal from Desecheo Island, Puerto Rico. We confirmed the species as E. monima by using both molecular and morphological analyses of larvae and adults. This is a first-time record of E. monima for the island of Desecheo, one of relatively few documented appearances in Puerto Rico during the last 100 yr, and an uncommon documentation of an outbreak of this species …

Optimization Of Human, Animal, And Environmental Health By Using The One Health Approach, Jonathan M. Sleeman, Thomas J. Deliberto, Natalie Nguyen

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Emerging diseases are increasing burdens on public health, negatively affecting the world economy, causing extinction of species, and disrupting ecological integrity. One Health recognizes that human, domestic animal, and wildlife health are interconnected within ecosystem health and provides a framework for the development of multidisciplinary solutions to global health challenges. To date, most health-promoting interventions have focused largely on single-sector outcomes. For example, risk for transmission of zoonotic pathogens from bush-meat hunting is primarily focused on human hygiene and personal protection. However, bush-meat hunting is a complex issue promoting the need for holistic strategies to reduce transmission of zoonotic disease …

Different Prey Resources Suggest Little Competition Between Non-Native Frogs And Insectivorous Birds Despite Isotopic Niche Overlap, Robyn L. Smith, Karen H. Beard, Aaron B. Shiels

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Non-native amphibians often compete with native amphibians in their introduced range, but their competitive effects on other vertebrates are less well known. The Puerto Rican coqui frog (Eleutherodactylus coqui) has colonized the island of Hawaii, and has been hypothesized to compete with insectivorous birds and bats. To address if the coqui could compete with these vertebrates, we used stable isotope analyses to compare the trophic position and isotopic niche overlap between the coqui, three insectivorous bird species, and the Hawaiian hoary bat. Coquis shared similar trophic position to Hawaii amakihi, Japanese white-eye, and red-billed leiothrix. Coquis were about …

Development Of Toxic Bait To Control Invasive Wild Pigs And Reduce Damage, Nathan P. Snow, Justin A. Foster, John C. Kinsey, Simon T. Humphrys, Linton D. Staples, David G. Hewitt, Kurt C. Vercauteren

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Populations of invasive wild pigs (Sus scrofa) are increasing in many regions of the world, in particular the United States and Australia. Invasive wild pigs cause extensive damage to ecological resources and agriculture. Development and registration of a safe and humane toxic bait offers a practical and cost effective tool to control invasive species. Currently, no toxicants are approved for use on invasive wild pigs in the United States and those approved in Australia are under scrutiny because of concerns regarding humaneness and effects on nontarget species. We tested a newly formulated bait containing the microencapsulated active ingredient, …

Anthropogenic Factors Predict Movement Of An Invasive Species, Michael A. Tabak, Antoinette J. Piaggio, Ryan S. Miller, Rick A. Sweitzer, Holly B. Ernest

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Humans are playing an increasingly large role in the expansion of invasive species’ distributions, but few (if any) studies have evaluated anthropogenic factors associated with intentional translocation of invasives. The wild pig (Sus scrofa) is an extremely destructive and rapidly expanding invasive species whose movement is thought to be facilitated by humans.We sought to (1) identify a suite of genetic markers that can be applied to population genetic analyses of wild pigs, (2) find quantitative evidence of human-mediated dispersal of wild pigs, and (3) determine which anthropogenic factors were associated with their translocation. We identified 43 polymorphic microsatellite …

Greater Sage-Grouse Nest Survival In Northwestern Wyoming, Jimmy D. Taylor Ii, R. Douglas Holt, Elizabeth K. Orning, Julie K. Young

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Nest survival, along with female survival and chick survival, is the most important vital rates to population growth of greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; sage-grouse). We used global positioning system and very high-frequency transmitters on female sage-grouse to identify 204 nests and monitor incubation on 5 sites in the Bighorn Basin, Wyoming from 2011 to 2014; we determined nest fate and identified predators with camera traps. We used an information-theoretic approach to compare 6 a priori nest survival models. Nest survival was best described by a model that included differences across study sites and ranged from 0.20±0.01 (SE) to …

Den Use And Heterothermy During Winter In Free-Living, Suburban Striped Skunks, Tad C. Theimer, Cory T. Williams, Shylo R. Johnson, Amy T. Gilbert, David L. Bergman, C. Loren Buck

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Many mammals use heterothermy to meet challenges of reduced food availability and low temperatures, but little is known about the prevalence of heterothermy in wild mesocarnivores. We monitored body temperature (T_b) in free-living striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis) through winter 2015–2016 in suburban Flagstaff, Arizona, a high-elevation site that experiences temperate winters. Subcutaneous T_b and heterothermy index (HI) were significantly affected by ambient temperature, and varied significantly across 7 skunks in midwinter. Twenty-one of 36 (58%) unique diurnal dens used by skunks were associated with human structures, and although females were found in dens under houses …

Rising Fluoroquinolone Resistance In Campylobacter Isolated From Feedlot Cattle In The United States, Yizhi Tang, Orhan Sahin, Nada Pavlovic, Jeff Lejeune, James C. Carlson, Zuowei Wu, Lei Dai, Qijing Zhang

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Antibiotic resistance, particularly to fluoroquinolones and macrolides, in the major foodborne pathogen Campylobacter is considered a serious threat to public health. Although ruminant animals serve as a significant reservoir for Campylobacter, limited information is available on antibiotic-resistant Campylobacter of bovine origin. Here, we analyzed the antimicrobial susceptibilities of 320 C. jejuni and 115 C. coli isolates obtained from feedlot cattle farms in multiple states in the U.S. The results indicate that fluoroquinolone resistance reached to 35.4% in C. jejuni and 74.4% in C. coli, which are significantly higher than those previously reported in the U.S. While all fluoroquinolone resistant …

Seasonal Effects Of Wind Conditions On Migration Patterns Of Soaring American White Pelican, Javier Gutierrez Illan, Guiming Wang, Fred L. Cunningham, D. Tommy King

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Energy and time expenditures are determinants of bird migration strategies. Soaring birds have developed migration strategies to minimize these costs, optimizing the use of all the available resources to facilitate their displacement. We analyzed the effects of different wind factors (tailwind, turbulence, vertical updrafts) on the migratory flying strategies adopted by 24 satellite-tracked American white pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) throughout spring and autumn in North America. We hypothesize that different wind conditions encountered along migration routes between spring and autumn induce pelicans to adopt different flying strategies and use of these wind resources. Using quantile regression and fine-scale atmospheric …

Changes In White Cell Estimates And Plasma Chemistry Measurements Following Oral Or External Dosing Of Double-Crested Cormorants, Phalacocorax Auritus, With Artificially Weathered Mc252 Oil, Karen M. Dean, Steven J. Bursian, Dave Cacela, Michael W. Carney, Fred L. Cunningham, Brian S. Dorr, Katie C. Hanson-Dorr, Kate A. Healy, Katherine E. Horak, Jane E. Link, Ian Lipton, Andrew K. Mcfadden, Moira A. Mckernan, Kendal E. Harr

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Scoping studies were designed whereby double-crested cormorants (Phalacocorax auritus) were dosed with artificially weathered Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil either daily through oil injected feeder fish, or by application of oil directly to feathers every three days. Preening results in oil ingestion, and may be an effective means of orally dosing birds with toxicant to improve our understanding of the full range of physiological effects of oral oil ingestion on birds. Blood samples collected every 5–6 days were analyzed for a number of clinical endpoints including white blood cell (WBC) estimates and differential cell counts. Plasma biochemical evaluations were …

The Persistence Of Multiple Strains Of Avian Influenza In Live Bird Markets, Amy Pinsent, Kim M. Pepin, Huachen Zhu, Yi Guan, Michael T. White, Steven Riley

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Multiple subtypes of avian influenza (AI) and novel reassortants are frequently isolated from live bird markets (LBMs). However, our understanding of the drivers of persistence of multiple AI subtypes is limited. We propose a stochastic model of AI transmission within an LBM that incorporates market size, turnover rate and the balance of direct versus environmental transmissibility. We investigate the relationship between these factors and the critical community size (CCS) for the persistence of single and multiple AI strains within an LBM. We fit different models of seeding from farms to two-strain surveillance data collected from Shantou, China. For a single …

Influence Of Precipitation And Crop Germination On Resource Selection By Mule Deer (Odocoileus Hemionus) In Southwest Colorado, Emily M. Carrollo, Heather E. Johnson, Justin W. Fischer, Matthew Hammond, Patricia D. Dorsey, Charles Anderson, Kurt C. Vercauteren, W. David Walter

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) populations in the western United States provide many benefits to local economies but can also cause considerable damage to agriculture, particularly damage to lucrative crops. Limited information exists to understand resource selection of mule deer in response to annual variation in crop rotation and climatic conditions. We tested the hypothesis that mule deer select certain crops, and in particular sunflower, based on annual climatic variability. Our objective was to use movements, estimates of home range, and resource selection analysis to identify resources selected by mule deer. We used annually-derived crop-specific datasets along with Global …

Effective Dose And Persistence Of Rhodamine-B In Wild Pig Vibrissae, Sarah C. Webster, Fred L. Cunningham, John C. Kilgo, Mark A. Vukovich, Olin E. Rhodes Jr., James C. Beasley

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

As a result of substantial ecological and economic damage attributed to wild pigs (Sus scrofa), there is international interest in using pharmaceutical baits to control populations. To assess the efficacy and specificity of baiting programs, chemical biomarkers can be used to evaluate uptake of pharmaceutical baits. Rhodamine B (RB) is known to be an effective biomarker in wild pigs. However, significant data gaps exist regarding the minimum effective dosage and persistence of RB in wild pigs. We used a controlled doubleblind study experiment conducted in spring of 2014 on the Savannah River Site, Aiken, South Carolina, USA, wherein …

Serologic Evidence Of Various Arboviruses Detected In White Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) In The United States, Kerri Pedersen, Eryu Wang, Scott C. Weaver, Paul C. Wolf, Adam R. Randall, Kyle R. Van Why, Amelia P.A. Travassos Da Rosa, Thomas Gidlewski

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are an abundant mammal with a wide geographic distribution in the United States, which make them good sentinels for monitoring arboviral activity across the country. Exposure to various arboviruses has been detected in white-tailed deer, typically in conjunction with another diagnostic finding. To better assess the exposure of white-tailed deer to seven arboviruses, wetested 1,508 sera collected from 2010 to 2016 for antibodies to eastern equine encephalitis (2.5%), Powassan (4.2%), St. Louis encephalitis, (3.7%), West Nile (6.0%), Maguari (19.4%), La Crosse (30.3%), and bluetongue (7.8%) viruses. At least one arbovirus was detected in 51.3%, …

Evaluating The Impact Of An Exotic Plant Invasion On Rodent Community Richness And Abundance, Trinity N. Smith, Eric M. Gese, Bryan M. Kluever

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum), Russian thistle (Salsola kali), and tall tumblemustard (Sisymbrium altissimum) are nonnative plants widely distributed throughout the desert and shrubsteppe communities of the western United States. The impact of these invaders on plant community structure, form, and function has been well documented, but investigations determining the impacts of this cumulative invasion on terrestrial vertebrates have not been undertaken. Our objective was to assess community-level rodent responses to changes in plant community features, with an emphasis on dominance of invasive plant species. We sampled rodent and plant communities in the Great Basin Desert …

Quantile Regression Of Microgeographic Variation In Population Characteristics Of An Invasive Vertebrate Predator, Shane R. Siers, Julie A. Savidge, Robert N. Reed

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Localized ecological conditions have the potential to induce variation in population characteristics such as size distributions and body conditions. The ability to generalize the influence of ecological characteristics on such population traits may be particularly meaningful when those traits influence prospects for successful management interventions. To characterize variability in invasive Brown Treesnake population attributes within and among habitat types, we conducted systematic and seasonally-balanced surveys, collecting 100 snakes from each of 18 sites: three replicates within each of six major habitat types comprising 95% of Guam's geographic expanse. Our study constitutes one of the most comprehensive and controlled samplings of …

The Effects Of Demographic, Social, And Environmental Characteristics On Pathogen Prevalence In Wild Felids Across A Gradient Of Urbanization, Jesse S. Lewis, Kenneth A. Logan, Mat W. Alldredge, Scott Carver, Sarah N. Bevins, Michael Lappin, Sue Vandewoude, Kevin R. Crooks

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Transmission of pathogens among animals is influenced by demographic, social, and environmental factors. Anthropogenic alteration of landscapes can impact patterns of disease dynamics in wildlife populations, increasing the potential for spillover and spread of emerging infectious diseases in wildlife, human, and domestic animal populations. We evaluated the effects of multiple ecological mechanisms on patterns of pathogen exposure in animal populations. Specifically, we evaluated how ecological factors affected the prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii (Toxoplasma), Bartonella spp. (Bartonella), feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), and feline calicivirus (FCV) in bobcat and puma populations across wildlandurban interface (WUI), low-density exurban development, and wildland habitat …

Effective Dose And Persistence Of Rhodamine-B In Wild Pig Vibrissae, Sarah C. Webster, Fred L. Cunningham, John C. Kilgo, Mark A. Vukovich, Olin E. Rhodes Jr., James C. Beasley

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

As a result of substantial ecological and economic damage attributed to wild pigs (Sus scrofa), there is international interest in using pharmaceutical baits to control populations. To assess the efficacy and specificity of baiting programs, chemical biomarkers can be used to evaluate uptake of pharmaceutical baits. Rhodamine B (RB) is known to be an effective biomarker in wild pigs. However, significant data gaps exist regarding the minimum effective dosage and persistence of RB in wild pigs. We used a controlled doubleblind study experiment conducted in spring of 2014 on the Savannah River Site, Aiken, South Carolina, USA, wherein …