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Human–Wildlife Interactions

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Full-Text Articles in Environmental Health and Protection

Deer–Human Conflict And Hunter Access In An Exurban Landscape, Daniel J. Storm, Clayton K. Nielson, Eric M. Shauber, Alan Woolf Jan 2007

Deer–Human Conflict And Hunter Access In An Exurban Landscape, Daniel J. Storm, Clayton K. Nielson, Eric M. Shauber, Alan Woolf

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Exurban development (non-metropolitan, residential development) poses unique challenges for wildlife managers through increases in human–wildlife interactions. However, little is known about hunting activity and human attitudes toward white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in exurban areas. In 2004, we surveyed exurbanites near Carbondale, Illinois, regarding their experiences with and attitudes toward deer, whose population in the study area was at or above cultural carrying capacity. Deer–vehicle collisions (DVC) were common and a concern for most respondents (84%). However, DVCs were less influential than plant damage in determining landowner tolerance of deer. Only 19% of respondents allowed hunting on their property, …

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Expanding Bear Populations Bring New Challenges To State Wildlife Agencies, Robert Southwick Jan 2007

Expanding Bear Populations Bring New Challenges To State Wildlife Agencies, Robert Southwick

Human–Wildlife Interactions

In the 1800s, bears were almost eliminated from the United States because they were seen as a threat to humans and livestock and were labeled pests. Now, bear populations are growing and becoming more widely dispersed. Their numbers are increasing and continually extending into new territories, including suburban areas. Suburban developments also are expanding into already established bear territory. This helps to explain that while state wildlife agencies estimate bear populations have increased 12% nationally during the past 5 years, bear complaints have increased 19%, personnel hours to resolve complaints have increased 22%, and state agency expenditures to control bear …

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Developing People Skills In The Human–Wildlife Conflict Community, Ben C. West Jan 2007

Developing People Skills In The Human–Wildlife Conflict Community, Ben C. West

Human–Wildlife Interactions

As I travel across the country talking with wildlife professionals about leadership and communication, I often ask groups this question: “How many of you decided to become a wildlife biologist because you just love working with people?” Believe it or not, I’ve never witnessed the raising of a single hand.

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Using Predator Exclosures To Protect Ground Nests From Red Fox, Ben C. West, Terry A. Messmer, Dominic C. Bachman Jan 2007

Using Predator Exclosures To Protect Ground Nests From Red Fox, Ben C. West, Terry A. Messmer, Dominic C. Bachman

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Nest predation often is cited as a primary cause for low recruitment and subsequent population decline of many ground-nesting bird species. In response, managers and researchers have developed a myriad of techniques to reduce rates of predation on ground nests. Fences to exclude predators from nesting areas have reportedly been a successful, albeit expensive, strategy to reduce predation rates. Although many studies have evaluated the use of exclusionary fences as a management tool, nearly all of these studies have evaluated the impact of fences in terms of nest success rather than by actual fence penetration by predators. Many authors, for …

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Intrafield Patterns Of Wildlife Damage To Corn And Soybeans In Northern Indiana, Travis L. Devault, James C. Beasley, Lee A. Humberg, Brian J. Macgowan, Mónica I. Retamosa, Ollin E. Rhodes Jr. Jan 2007

Intrafield Patterns Of Wildlife Damage To Corn And Soybeans In Northern Indiana, Travis L. Devault, James C. Beasley, Lee A. Humberg, Brian J. Macgowan, Mónica I. Retamosa, Ollin E. Rhodes Jr.

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Management programs aimed at reducing wildlife damage to row crops rely on information concerning the spatial nature of wildlife damage at local and landscape scales. In this study we explored spatial patterns of wildlife damage within individual corn and soybean fields by describing relationships between specific locations where wildlife damage was recorded and distances from such locations to various habitat types that presumably influenced animal abundance and movements in our study area. Using stratified random sampling, we conducted depredation surveys of 100 corn fi elds and 60 soybean fields from May through October both in 2003 and 2004 and recorded …

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An Extraordinary Patch Of Feral Hog Damage In Florida Before And After Initiating Hog Removal, Richard M. Engeman, John Woolard, Henry T. Smith, Jean Bourassa, Bernice U. Constantin, Daniel Griffin Jan 2007

An Extraordinary Patch Of Feral Hog Damage In Florida Before And After Initiating Hog Removal, Richard M. Engeman, John Woolard, Henry T. Smith, Jean Bourassa, Bernice U. Constantin, Daniel Griffin

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Feral hogs (Sus scrofa) are a particularly destructive exotic species in the United States (U.S. Department of Agriculture 1999), including Florida, which, along with Hawaii, is one of 2 states cited as having the most severe invasive species problems (U.S. Congress 1993) in the country. First introduced to North America by the European colonists (Conover 2007) hogs were one of the first invasive exotic species to take hold in Florida. They can transmit disease to livestock (Hartin et al. 2007) and humans (Conover and Vail 2007). They impose a variety of negative environmental impacts, including habitat degradation and …

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Birth Control Is Not For Everyone: A Response, Allen T. Rutberg Jan 2007

Birth Control Is Not For Everyone: A Response, Allen T. Rutberg

Human–Wildlife Interactions

In her Soap Box critique of wildlife contraception (HWC 2007), Elizabeth Bingham makes 2 basic points (if she will forgive my distillation of a complex set of arguments). She argues, first, that wildlife contraception is too expensive and too slow to act to meet the needs of farmers, ranchers, and other business people who suffer losses from wildlife damage. Second, she argues, inflated expectations for the problem-solving capacity of wildlife contraception are driving more attention and research money into wildlife contraception than a more hard-headed evaluation would warrant.

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Appreciating Feral Hogs: Extension Education For Diverse Stakeholders In Texas, Dale Rollins, Billy J. Higginbotham, Kenneth A. Cearly, R. Neal Wilkins Jan 2007

Appreciating Feral Hogs: Extension Education For Diverse Stakeholders In Texas, Dale Rollins, Billy J. Higginbotham, Kenneth A. Cearly, R. Neal Wilkins

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Texas harbors the largest population of feral hogs (Sus scrofa) in the United States, with populations estimated at >2 million. Depending on one’s perspective, feral hogs are either a pariah (from the farmer’s standpoint) or a popular sporting animal (from a hunter’s standpoint). As feral hogs increase in range and density, conflicts among stakeholders are sure to increase. Texas Cooperative Extension (TCE) initiated educational programs in 1991 to address concerns regarding the presence and management of feral hogs. Since that time, we have developed various workshops, symposia, and educational materials (e.g., print, videotape, and website) as means of …

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Birth Control Is Not For Everyone (Or Everything), Elizabeth Bingham Jan 2007

Birth Control Is Not For Everyone (Or Everything), Elizabeth Bingham

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Conservationists and wildlife managers often look for the silver bullet in dealing with human–wildlife conflicts. While most in this profession would agree there is no silver bullet, a great amount of financial and scientific emphasis has been placed on the technology of contraceptives for wildlife to appease the victims of damage caused by wildlife and the public at large. With increasing frequency, general public opinion of what should be done to solve wildlife damage oft en weighs heavier than the feelings and perspective of the actual victim. Agriculturists oft en find themselves at odds with general public opinion because agriculturists …

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In The News, Spring 2007, Michael R. Conover Jan 2007

In The News, Spring 2007, Michael R. Conover

Human–Wildlife Interactions

High Country News reported that on November 8, 2006, the body of 22-year-old Joel Carnegie was found at Points North Landing in the northern boreal forest of Saskatchewan, Canada. Investigators believe Carnegie was attacked by a group of 2 to 4 wolves when he was walking alone near a mining exploration company camp. The attack is the first documented case of a fatal wolf attack in North America since 1900, but a nonfatal wolf attack occurred a year earlier in the same area. In that incident, wolves attacked and injured a jogger. Wildlife biologists linked the attacks to the presence …

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Perceptions Of Wildlife Damage And Species Conservation: Lessons Learned From The Utah Prairie Dog, R. Dwayne Elmore, Terry A. Messmer, Mark W. Brunson Jan 2007

Perceptions Of Wildlife Damage And Species Conservation: Lessons Learned From The Utah Prairie Dog, R. Dwayne Elmore, Terry A. Messmer, Mark W. Brunson

Human–Wildlife Interactions

The Utah prairie dog (Cynomys parvidens), a federally listed threatened species, causes damage to agricultural operations, yet little incentive exists for private landowners to conserve them. Therefore, we surveyed Utah residents to identify stakeholder attitudes regarding prairie dog management. We assessed how perceptions of wildlife damage affect respondent attitudes regarding conservation among agricultural producers, rural residents, and urban residents. Higher levels of perceived wildlife damage were reported for agriculture respondents …

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In Memory, Spring 2007, Human-Wildlife Conflicts Jan 2007

In Memory, Spring 2007, Human-Wildlife Conflicts

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Kenny Acord lost his year-long battle with cancer on June 30, 2006. He was 25. Kenny was the son of Bobby Acord, the former deputy administrator of USDA/APHIS/Wildlife Services. Kenny earned an M.S. degree in anthropology/archeology at Northern Arizona University in 2005. He was employed by the National Park Service as an archeologist at Navajo National Monument. He is survived by his true love and partner DeeAnn Tracy, his parents Bobby and Anna Acord, and his sister Leigh Anna Willard.

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20,25-Diazacholesterol As An Oral Contraceptive For Black-Tailed Prairie Dog Population Management, Paul Nash, Carol A. Furcolow, Kimberly S. Bynum, Christi A. Yoder, Lowell A. Miller, John J. Johnston Jan 2007

20,25-Diazacholesterol As An Oral Contraceptive For Black-Tailed Prairie Dog Population Management, Paul Nash, Carol A. Furcolow, Kimberly S. Bynum, Christi A. Yoder, Lowell A. Miller, John J. Johnston

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) colonies can become overcrowded, and the colonies, landscape, and people affected by them may benefit from controlled populations. Contraception is a method that may be useful, particularly where lethal control is inappropriate or illegal. We investigated if oral administration of 20,25-diazacholesterol (DiazaCon®), an inhibitor of cholesterol and reproductive steroid hormone production, could reduce reproductive success of treated black-tailed prairie dogs in a fi eld trial. Ten treatments of approximately 45-mg DiazaCon per black-tailed prairie dog yielded a 47% reduction of young:adult ratios compared to control sites. Over a 3-month period, desmosterol, a cholesterol …

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Distribution And Disease Prevalence Of Feral Hogs In Missouri, R. Edwin Hartin, Mark R. Ryan, Tyler A. Campbell Jan 2007

Distribution And Disease Prevalence Of Feral Hogs In Missouri, R. Edwin Hartin, Mark R. Ryan, Tyler A. Campbell

Human–Wildlife Interactions

No attempts have been made to document the distribution of feral hogs (Sus scrofa) in Missouri. Also, antibody prevalence for pseudorabies virus and swine brucellosis have not been reported from Missouri. Our objectives were to characterize the current distribution of feral hogs in Missouri and to determine prevalence and distribution of feral hogs with antibodies against selected important diseases. We collected feral hog sighting data both from the public and Missouri Wildlife Services and Missouri Department of Conservation wildlife biologists. We determined prevalence of antibodies against pseudorabies virus, swine brucellosis, tularemia, and classical swine fever. From 2000 to …

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Book Review: The Beast In The Garden: A Modern Parable Of Man And Nature, Nicole Mccoy Jan 2007

Book Review: The Beast In The Garden: A Modern Parable Of Man And Nature, Nicole Mccoy

Human–Wildlife Interactions

When I first read The Beast in the Garden shortly aft er the release of the hardback edition in 2004, I was reminded of the exchange quoted above in the movie, “The Matrix.” Neo (Mr. Anderson) survived. Scott Lancaster, a teenage athlete running in the hills outside of his Colorado high school, died. He probably never heard the mountain lion that stalked and killed him, but after reading David Baron’s book, I believe we should have. Had our ears been attuned to the proper frequency, the mountain lion’s approach would have been as loud as the subway train that spelled …

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Land-Use Pattern, Urbanization, And Deer–Vehicle Collisions In Alabama, Anwar Hussain, James B. Armstrong, David B. Brown, John Hogland Jan 2007

Land-Use Pattern, Urbanization, And Deer–Vehicle Collisions In Alabama, Anwar Hussain, James B. Armstrong, David B. Brown, John Hogland

Human–Wildlife Interactions

With the rise in deer–vehicle collisions across the United States, the associated costs also have risen. Increasingly, however, researchers are learning that these collisions are not a random phenomena but follow a systematic pattern. Building on this insight, we explored the role of county characteristics in influencing the pattern and incidence of white-tailed deer- (Odocoileus virginianus) related auto collisions. Using county level data from 1994 to 2003 in Alabama, we tested several data models with the above mentioned factors …

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