May/June 2003
#228
CONTENTS:
HUMAN-WILDLIFE CONFLICTS IN CHINA
WHAT THE "HECK" IS THAT?
TRAPPING BMPS FOR COYOTES IN EASTERN U.S.
WILDLIFE DAMAGE IN THE NEWS
MULTISTATE OUTBREAK OF MONKEYPOX
EVER WONDER?
PROCEEDINGS OF THE SIXTH MOUNTAIN LION WORKSHOP NOW AVAILABLE
September 6-10, 2003 - 10th Annual Conference of the Wildlife Society, Burlington, VT. E-mail tws@wildlife.org
On the web at http://wildlife.org
October 14-16, 2003 - Invasive Species Symposium, Radisson Hotel, Sacramento, CA. Sponsored by the Western Section of The Wildlife Society. See http://www.tws-west.org
February 8-13, 2004 - 15th International Conference on Bear Research and Management, Bahia Resort Hotel, San Diego. Preliminary topics include: Bear/Human Conflicts; Field/Lab/Statistical Techniques, Habitat Assessment/Relationships; Genetics/Physiology; Conservation Biology. For more information go to: http://www.ursusjournal.com
Dallas Virchow, Project Coordinator, Distance Education, Wildlife Damage Management,
University of Nebraska
There's been quite a flurry of interest lately about urban coyote issues, particularly on list serves devoted to wildlife damage. As usual, there was a wide array of perspective expressed as how to best solve the issues. My interest was piqued because I am in the process of producing a video on coyote damage management as part of a series on common wildlife species. This video series will complement the next (2004) edition of the Prevention and Control of Wildlife Damage. It's my intent to include techniques of urban coyote control.
The urban coyote story in the
For those interested, I found the citation as:
Mahan, B. R., and W. F. Andelt. 1979. On the town. Animal Kingdom 82(4):26-29
The issues surrounding the urban coyote have changed over recent decades.
As the needs and inclinations of urbanites have changed, so have their attitudes toward wildlife in their midst. Once viewed as sources of income (value of pelts) or threats to livelihood (Just a few decades ago, many urbanites still raised poultry in backyards), the urban coyote is now viewed as a novelty, a wildlife-viewing experience, or evidence of a healthy ecosystem amidst an urban setting. Only secondarily does today's urbanite see the other issues of threats to human or pet safety, hybridization with domestic dogs, traffic accidents, and traffic congestion due to coyote sightseers. About the changing attitudes, someone has observed that a few years ago the only safe harbor for wildlife was when they got outside the city limits and now the safe harbor is when wildlife get inside the city limits.
The major issue of urban coyotes remains attacks on humans. A citation recently noted was:
Baker, Rex O. and R. M. Timm. 1998. Management of conflicts between urban coyotes and humans in Southern California. Proceedings, 18th Vertebrate Pest Conference (R. O. Baker and A. C. Crabb, Eds.), Publ. Univ. Calif. Davis, pp. 299-312.
According to Bob Timm, excerpted from a recent e-mail "This paper details some 53 such attacks, resulting in 21 instances of human injury, during the period from August 1988 through September 1997. We have documentation that such incidents are continuing to increase in frequency, and we hope to summarize and publish an update within the next year, with the cooperation of personnel in California's cooperative USDA-Wildlife Services program."
There is a wide range of methods employed to mitigate urban coyote issues in
Probably the best integrated plan for dealing with urban coyote issues is not in the
http://www.stanleyparkecology.ca
http://www.stanleyparkecology.ca/urbanwildlife/cocoyote.htm
In talking with Rob Boelens, director of the coyote program at SPES, he noted that SPES is a link between the public and the ministry that is responsible for coyote management and that, in some cases, relies on shooting to deal with aggressive coyotes. Boelens noted that there had been a handful of incidents during in recent years of coyotes biting children that led to the unique program. In this program, concerned citizens are asked to report to the SPES website, any aggressive behavior and the location of individual coyotes. SPES forwards these on to the ministry and to its conservation officers who may choose to shoot the offending animal. SPES also alerts the administration of elementary schools in the area of the incident and offers them education on how to deal with aggressive coyotes. Other interested citizens can look on the SPES website to see if an offending animal occurs in their neighborhood or if one has recently been reported.
Lest you think that SPES is just another warm and fuzzy non-profit group, they offer some pretty good advice about collective use of scare tactics and remind citizens of the law against feeding coyotes (Section 33.1 of the BC Wildlife Act provides a minimum $345.00 ticket and maximum $50,000 fine and six month prison sentence for anyone who "with the intent of attracting dangerous wildlife..."). If this isn't disincentive enough, SPES also encourages some strong-arm tactics to deal with neighbors who feed coyotes. Concerned citizens that have coyote-feeding neighbors can go the SPES website and download a flier called "Guess whose coming to your yard for dinner?" with a nightime photo of a coyote slinking under a fence.
The flier also offers some excellent suggestions for keeping coyotes away. The website suggests that the concerned citizen distribute these downloaded fliers to the troublesome neighbor. Other fliers are distributed in public areas or neighborhoods such as "Coyote feeding reported in your neighborhood" and "Coyote spotted on your street". My guess is that after these fliers go up in the nearby park and after the next door neighbor sticks the "Guess Who" flier in your door, you're sure to stop your feeding of coyotes!
Coyotes do get aggressive as they habituate to humans. Boelens reports that some small dogs have even been attacked by coyotes while on leash! Of course, any aggressive action toward a pet or a human is seen as a threat and the ministry removes the animal. Boelens notes that there has not been an attack since the program at SPES began in February 2001 and he views this as a measure of success. But as important, he notes, is that "more people are prepared for aggressive actions" by coyotes and concerned citizens or one that witnesses an aggressive act by a coyote "has immediate access to information and...almost immediate action can be taken".
SPES is pro-active in educating youth, as well. Their volunteers have presented to over 25,000 elementary students in the Vancouver area. Boelens notes that he would be happy to discuss the SPES program with anyone. He can be reached at coyotes@stanleyparkecology.ca
Regardless of your perspective on urban coyote issues, I think the pro-active education efforts of SPES provides a valuable tool for the agency responsible for managing coyotes and a valuable resource for concerned publics. I believe it also has lessened the long-term deleterious effects of the coexistence of coyotes with humans in urban settings and it provides a system worth emulating in other cities.
HUMAN-WILDLIFE CONFLICTS IN CHINA
Alex E. Mettler, Berryman Institute, Utah State University
Editor’s note: This article is the first in a series of articles dealing with human-wildlife conflicts in various countries around the world. These papers were written by students at the Berryman Institute by NADCA President and Berryman Institute Director, Dr. Mike Conover.
Along communist ideological lines, the wildlife belongs to the people, just like everything else (at least in theory-modern China has, of late, placed more emphasis on private ownership of many financial and business-related things). Although the wildlife belongs to the people, it is administered by the government. "The State shall protect the lawful rights and interests of units and individuals engaged in the development or utilization of wildlife resources according to law" (Law of the People's Republic of
Method of harvest is dependent on site restrictions or lack thereof. This is similar to many hunting permits in the
Years of human development and activity in much of
Most wildlife damage in the agricultural sector is restricted to crop damage. However, there are a few parts of
Today, wildlife poses little direct danger to Chinese citizens. In fact, feral dogs are probably the only medium to large size predator that are even a possible threat to human safety. As mentioned above, most of
WHAT THE "HECK" IS THAT?
That's “close” to what Larry Sullivan said when he first saw this critter.
An Arizona DPS officer found this animal dead along an interstate highway in Arizona. The officer thought it looked like a rat, but bigger than any rat he'd ever seen. He took it to the nearby, Pinal County Extension Office to find out just what it was. The Extension Office had the DPS officer deliver the carcass to Larry Sullivan, Extension Wildlife Damage Management Specialist, for identification. Sullivan recognized it as a rat, but he had no idea what species. Because of the rat's size and condition, he concluded that the rat was probably a pet and certainly not a species indigenous to Arizona.
This happened just days before all the news broke about the outbreak of human Monkeypox infections in several Midwest states. Health officials investigating the outbreak have determined that the disease was spread from pet prairie dogs to people. Investigators said the prairie dogs were probably infected with the virus by a Gambian giant rat, which is native to Africa, at a Chicago-area pet distributor.
Well, with all the news and information on Monkeypox and the giant rat, including photos and descriptions of the giant rat all over the Internet, we have concluded that the rat in the photo is a Gambian giant rat/African giant pouched rat/African hamster rat (Cricetomys gambianus). Positive identification is pending.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE SIXTH MOUNTAIN LION WORKSHOP NOW AVAILABLE
The Proceedings contains 80 pages of research papers, reports, and updates on various topics regarding mountain lion monitoring programs, interactions with prey, human dimensions, genetics, ecology, and management. To purchase a copy, please send a check, money order, or purchase order for $10 payable to Sul Ross State University for "Mountain Lion Proceedings" to the following address:
Marylee Flowers
Department of Natural Resource Management
Sul Ross State University
P.O. Box C-16
Alpine, TX 79832
TRAPPING BMPS FOR COYOTES IN EASTERN U.S.
The first of many BMPs for trapping is now on-line. Below you will find a link that provides the new Best Management Practices (BMPs) for trapping coyotes in the eastern
Trapping provides many benefits to citizens and is an important element in wildlife research and management. It was written and published by the Furbearer Resources Technical Work Group of the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Inc (IAFWA). The mission of the Furbearer Resources Technical Work Group of the IAFWA is to maintain the regulated use of trapping as a safe, efficient, and acceptable means of managing and harvesting wildlife for the benefits it provides to the public, while improving the welfare of trapped animals.
Trapping BMPs are the product of several years of trap testing and research, conducted in 31 states across the country since 1997. The Work Group has planned to provide six more published within the next year, and a total of 12-15 by the end of 2005. To look at the newest BMP, click on: http://www.furbearermgmt.org/03ecbmp.pdf
Also, the new, updated web site for the Furbearer Resources Work Group of the IAFWA is located at: http://www.furbearermgmt.org/
Source: TWS-L@listserv.vt.edu
WILDLIFE DAMAGE IN THE NEWS
FATAL AND NON-FATAL HANTAVIRUS INFECTION IN SAME FAMILY
A man formerly of Liberal, Kansas has died and his wife is recovering from a bout with a deadly disease, which medical officials say is contracted through exposure to [hantavirus-infected] rodents.
The 39-year old man died on Thu 29 May 2003 at Morton County Hospital in Elkhart. His wife also had the virus infection; however, she has since recovered.
This death is the first hantavirus infection death since 2000, >according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), and it may very well be the first hantavirus diagnosis of 2 people in one family; however, health officials say there is no reason to worry about the disease being passed from one person to another. "Hantaviruses are contracted through exposure to rodent [vectors]," Sharon Watson of the KDHE said. "The situation here involves a couple who had been working in an area where there was a lot of dust and a rodent infestation -- both outside and indoors. They had been in some areas where they were inhaling a lot of dust that had particles from the rodent droppings. That is why both people in the same family contracted the illness. It didn't have anything to do with them passing it from one person to another."
Source: Excerpted from ProMED-mail, promed@promedmail.org
MULTISTATE OUTBREAK OF MONKEYPOX
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state and local health departments continue to investigate cases of monkeypox among people who had close contact with wild or exotic mammalian pets or people with monkeypox. As of 18 Jun 2003, a total of 87 cases of monkeypox have been reported to CDC from Wisconsin (38), Indiana (24), Illinois (19), Ohio (4), Kansas (1), and Missouri (1). The majority of patients were not seriously ill; some were admitted to facilitate proper isolation.
The majority of patients had direct or close contact with wild or exotic mammals such as prairie dogs (Cynomys sp.). In one instance, 28 children attending a day care facility in Indiana were potentially exposed to 2 prairie dogs that subsequently became ill and died; 12 reported handling or petting the prairie dogs, and 7 subsequently became ill with symptoms consistent with monkeypox infection.
Traceback investigations of animals are ongoing to identify how monkeypox virus was introduced into the
Because Gambian giant rats often are imported from regions of Africa where monkeypox is endemic, traceback investigations of the Gambian giant rats were initiated.
Source: Excerpted from ProMED-mail, promed@promedmail.org
EVER WONDER?
Since the distribution of some species of vampire bats extends to northern
The Peterson Field Guide to Mammals of North America north of Mexico indicates that a hairy-legged vampire bat (Diphylla ecaudata) was near Comstock, Val Verde Co., Texas. No citation is provided.
The editor The PROBE thanks contributors to this issue: Dallas Virchow and Alex Mettler.
September 17, 2004