Animal Sciences Commons^™

Treatment With The Immunocontraceptive Vaccine, Gonacon, Induces Temporary Fertility Control In Free-Ranging Prairie Dog Populations In Colorado, Usa, Aaron B. Shiels, Jackson Runte, Emily W. Ruell, Douglas C. Eckery, Gary W. Witmer, Daniel J. Salkeld

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Context

Prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.) are rodents enjoyed by some humans; yet, they cause crop and property damage, and carry zoonotic disease. Non-lethal control of prairie dogs is of interest in urban/suburban settings. The injectable immunocontraceptive vaccine GonaCon (active ingredient is gonadotropin-releasing hormone [GnRH]) has been shown to be effective at reducing fertility in equine and deer, and is a US EPA-registered vaccine for use in these ungulate species.

Aims

To conduct a replicated field study to test efficacy of GonaCon in black-tailed prairie dogs (C. ludovicianus), and if found to be efficacious, to help facilitate …

Integrating Robotics Into Wildlife Conservation: Testing Improvements To Predator Deterrents Through Movement, Stewart W. Breck, Jeffrey T. Schultz, David Prause, Cameron Krebs, Anthony J. Giordano, Byron Boots

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Background Agricultural and pastoral landscapes can provide important habitat for wildlife conservation, but sharing these landscapes with wildlife can create conflict that is costly and requires managing. Livestock predation is a good example of the challenges involving coexistence with wildlife across shared landscapes. Integrating new technology into agricultural practices could help minimize human-wildlife conflict. In this study, we used concepts from the fields of robotics (i.e., automated movement and adaptiveness) and agricultural practices (i.e., managing livestock risk to predation) to explore how integration of these concepts could aid the development of more effective predator deterrents.

Methods …

Straight From The Coyote’S Mouth: Genetic Identification Of Prey Through Oral Swabs Of Predators, Julie K. Young, Amanda M. Mast, James A. Walton, Torrey Rodgers, Antionette J. Piaggio, Daniel R. Taylor, Karen E. Mock

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Human-carnivore conflicts often involve the depredation of domestic livestock. These depredation events are rarely observed, yet mitigation typically involves identifying the species or individual involved for removal or relocation. We tested a molecular method to identify individuals involved in depredation events using mouth swabs to determine if prey DNA could be detected, and for how long. We fed mule deer Odocoileus hemionus meat to captive coyotes Canis latrans and swabbed their mouths at five predetermined intervals between 2–72 h after consumption of the deer meat. We assessed two different molecular forensic methods to analyze the saliva swabs: qPCR for species …

Industrial Hemp As A Resource For Birds In Agroecosystems: Human-Wildlife Conflict Or Conservation Opportunity?, Emily A. Kotten, Iona Hennessy, Bryan M. Kluever, Bradley F. Blackwell, Lee A. Humberg, Page E. Klug

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.; hemp) is an emerging crop in the United States with little known about bird use or the potential for birds to become an agricultural pest. We identified birds associated with hemp fields, using repeated visits to oilseed plots in North Dakota, USA (n = 6) and cannabinoid (CBD) plots in Florida, USA (n = 4) from August to November 2020. We did not control for plot area or density; our observations were descriptive only. We observed 10 species in hemp, 12 species flying over hemp, and 11 species both foraging in and …

Man V.S. Wild: An Analysis Of Language Used Regarding Human-Wildlife Conflict In The Kibale National Park Community, Western Region, Uganda, Sophie Perfetto

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

If humans are to live sustainably and in harmony with wildlife in the vicinity of Protected Areas, policy makers, and government authorities need to make informed decisions with consideration to the needs of local communities. For this to happen, policy makers must understand the perceptions of local communities and take local perspectives into account. As language is at the root of perception, language was studied in the context of its role in shaping local perceptions of human-wildlife conflict and consequential conflict mitigation strategies. Six communities around the Northern region of Kibale National Park, Uganda, were studied, with sites located in …

Surgical Sterilization Impacts On Behavior Of Coyote Pairs, Tyler Leary, Jeffrey T. Schultz, Julie K. Young

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Coyotes (Canis latrans) involved in depredation of livestock, an act frequently resulting in human-wildlife conflict, often do so out of necessity for provisioning pups. Surgical sterilization methods such as vasectomy that preserve gonadal hormones have been successful in reducing depredation by free-ranging coyotes while allowing individuals to maintain territoriality and mate fidelity. However, use of these methods remain costly and ineffective for wide-scale use. Given the alternative proposal of using chemical sterilization techniques, we investigated whether the use of hormone-altering sterilization methods impacted behavior of captive coyote pairs (i.e., male-female pair bonds). Our objective was to evaluate behavior …

A Sonic Net Reduces Damage To Sunflower By Blackbirds (Icteridae): Implications For Broad-Scale Agriculture And Crop Establishment, Amanda K. Werrell, Page E. Klug, Romuald N. Lipcius, John P. Swaddle

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Blackbirds, such as red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus), are notorious agricultural pests and damage crops at multiple stages of growth. Our aim was to test a novel deterrent, the use of sound designed to mask communication among birds (termed a “Sonic Net”), to deter blackbirds (Icteridae) from target areas of maturing sunflower crops. The Sonic Net masks communication of a target species by delivering “pink noise” that overlaps with the frequencies that the species uses for acoustic communication. If birds cannot hear predators or conspecific warning calls their perceived predation risk increases, and they relocate to an area with …

Conflict, Coexistence, Or Both? Cougar Habitat Selection, Prey Composition, And Mortality In A Multiple-Use Landscape, David C. Stoner, Mark A. Ditmer, Dustin L. Mitchell, Julie K. Young, Michael L. Wolfe

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Western North America is experiencing remarkable human population growth and land-use change. Irrigation and associated cultivation have led to colonization of urban-wildland interface (UWI) environments by mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), and consequently, cougars (Puma concolor). In the wake of these changes, human-wildlife conflicts have increased in tandem with questions about long-term species conservation. To address these concerns, we fit 79 cougars with radio-telemetry collars in the Oquirrh Mountains near Salt Lake City, Utah (2002–2010). Our goal was to evaluate variation in cougar habitat selection, diet, and cause-specific mortality in a landscape dominated by urban, military, and industrial activities. We used …

Testing A Key Assumption Of Using Drones As Frightening Devices: Do Birds Perceive Drones As Risky?, Conor C. Egan, Bradley Blackwell, Esteban Fernández-Juricic, Page E. Klug

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Wildlife managers have recently suggested the use of unmanned aircraft systems or drones as nonlethal hazing tools to deter birds from areas of human-wildlife conflict. However, it remains unclear if birds perceive common drone platforms as threatening. Based on field studies assessing behavioral and physiological responses, it is generally assumed that birds perceive less risk from drones than from predators. However, studies controlling for multiple confounding effects have not been conducted. Our goal was to establish the degree to which the perception of risk by birds would vary between common drone platforms relative to a predator model when flown at …

Assessment Of Wildlife Rehabilitation Trends: Domestic Dog And Cat Attacks, Rachel Wilson

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

Human-wildlife conflict is a growing concern, and domestic cat predation is estimated to be responsible for billions of wildlife deaths every year in the Unites States. Domestic dog predation has been less well studied, but as dogs are the second most numerous pet in the U.S. after cats, their impact on native wildlife should also be assessed. One method to assess domestic animal predation is to examine trends in wildlife rehabilitation records. Using the online database WILD-ONe, I analyzed over 31,000 wildlife hospital records in the United States from 2011-2016. During this time span, data showed over 14,000 domestic dog …

Impacts Of Elephant Crop-Raiding On Subsistence Farmers And Approaches To Reduce Human-Elephant Farming Conflict In Sagalla, Kenya, Sophia Weinmann

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

As human and elephant populations grow in Kenya, elephants increasingly leave parks to eat farmers’ crops while foraging, which creates epicenters of human-elephant conflict (HEC). This conflict compromises farmers’ food and economic security, impedes elephant conservation initiatives, and threatens the safety of humans and elephants. In recent years, the situation has been exacerbated by drought and national-level infrastructure development that bisects key elephant habitat. Although researchers have widely studied elephant populations, few have examined the cultural, economic, and emotional effects of HEC on subsistence farmers. This project utilized a mixed methods approach to address this knowledge gap and understand the …

Human-Wildlife Conflict As A Barrier To Large Carnivore Managementand Conservation In Turkey, Mark Chynoweth, Emrah Çoban, Çağatay Altin, Çağan Şekerci̇oğlu

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Large carnivorous mammals are wide-ranging animals and thus frequently come into contact with human settlements in agrarian landscapes. This often generates human-wildlife conflict; carnivores potentially damage livestock, agricultural products, or human well-being. In Turkey, the cooccurrence of eight medium-large carnivore species combined with a burgeoning human population and unsustainable consumption of natural resources increasingly threatens carnivore populations. To better understand human-wildlife conflict in Turkey and provide potential solutions, we conducted 959 human opinion surveys in 2006, 2010, and 2014 in 58 distinct settlements surrounding the Sarıkamış-Allahuekber Mountains National Park in Kars, Ardahan, and Erzurum provinces. Results show that respondents regularly …

Current Status, Distribution, And Conservation Of Brown Bear (Ursidae) Andwild Canids (Gray Wolf, Golden Jackal, And Red Fox; Canidae) In Turkey, Hüseyi̇n Ambarli, Alper Ertürk, Anil Soyumert

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Turkey has viable populations of many carnivore species of the Western Palearctic. Among those, ursids and canids are represented by brown bear (Ursus arctos) and 3 canid species, gray wolf (Canis lupus), golden jackal (Canis aureus), and red fox (Vulpes vulpes), respectively. Those species occur in major ecosystems of Turkey and experience a wide range of threats, and they are at the center of human-wildlife conflicts. However, due to a limited number of studies about their ecology and taxonomy, their current distributions, population sizes, and statuses are vague. In this study, we document the 4 species' known data in terms …

Habituation To Auditory Stimuli By Captive African Elephants (Loxodonta Africana), Sarah Elizabeth Goodyear

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Elephants are cognitive species that exhibit many types of learning. Associative, social, and insight learning have been investigated with elephants, but one of the simplest forms, habituation, has not. As an individual learns that a stimulus is neither harmful nor beneficial, it will decrease its response to the stimulus through the process of habituation. Elephants possess a well-developed sensory system and may habituate to stimuli that could be used for enrichment and/or management. The aim of this study was to examine the habituation process of elephants in response to repeated presentations of two auditory stimuli –buzzing by a disturbed beehive …

Conservation Of A New Breeding Population Of Caucasian Lynx(Lynx Lynx Dinniki) In Eastern Turkey, Mark Chynoweth, Emrah Çoban, Çağan Şekerci̇oğlu

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Current data on the distribution and ecology of the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) in Turkey are limited. Furthermore, lynx in the Caucasus region are likely to represent a subspecies of the Eurasian lynx, the Caucasian lynx (L. l. dinniki). Throughout its range, lynx increasingly face threats due to human activity, with habitat loss and prey depletion being of particular concern in eastern Turkey. As part of our camera trapping efforts to monitor large carnivores in the Sarıkamış-Allahuekber National Park and surrounding forests in Kars and Erzurum provinces, eastern Turkey, we have documented a breeding population of Caucasian lynx outside the …

Bearing The Costs Of Human-Wildlife Conflict: The Challenges Of Compensation Schemes, Philip J. Nyhus, Steve A. Osofsky, Paul Ferraro, H Fischer, Francine Madden

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Bearing The Costs Of Human-Wildlife Conflict: The Challenges Of Compensation Schemes, Philip J. Nyhus, Steve A. Osofsky, Paul Ferraro, H Fischer, Francine Madden

Philip J. Nyhus

No abstract provided.

Taking The Bite Out Of Wildlife Damage: The Challenges Of Wildlife Compensation Schemes, Philip J. Nyhus, Hank Fisher, Steve Osofsky, Francine Madden

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Taking The Bite Out Of Wildlife Damage: The Challenges Of Wildlife Compensation Schemes, Philip J. Nyhus, Hank Fisher, Steve Osofsky, Francine Madden

Philip J. Nyhus

No abstract provided.

Tiger Restoration In Asia: Ecological Theory Vs. Sociological Reality, Ronald Tilson, Philip J. Nyhus, Neil Franklin

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Tiger Restoration In Asia: Ecological Theory Vs. Sociological Reality, Ronald Tilson, Philip J. Nyhus, Neil Franklin

Philip J. Nyhus

No abstract provided.