Evaluating the Efficacy of the RodenatorTM (Propane-Oxygen Device) for Control of Black-tailed Prairie Dogs in Montana

Black-tailed prairie dogs’ feeding and burrowing behavior is a significant economic nuisance to agricultural producers. We tested the RodenatorTM on two portions of an isolated prairie dog town in Lewis and Clark County, Montana to determine how effective it was in reducing prairie dog numbers. Though other studies have been done using propane-oxygen devices, our study employed updated application techniques and an aggressive hole closing procedure to reduce the likelihood of false failures. In the southern area, we treated 53 burrows for 30 seconds with oxygen set at 40 psi and propane at 45 psi. In the northern area, we treated 120 burrows with an injection time of 45 seconds using the same oxygen and propane psi rates. Using the open burrow method for determining efficacy, our results were 58.7% for the southern area and 65% for the northern. Our study revealed that future studies should incorporate population surveys and appropriate control plots to determine the true efficacy of the RodenatorTM, and we provide suggestions to improve overall method efficiency

Commentary: Wildlife management professionals need to redefine the terms: lethal control, nonlethal control, and live trap

I argue that the terms lethal control, nonlethal control, and live trap are no longer sufficiently precise for continued use in the scientific community. Their continued use confuses the public and allows animal protectionists to use them as cudgels in political discourse. Alternative terms are recommended to resolve the semantic and subsequent political issues surrounding the traditional terms

Safety

Wildlife damage management (WDM) is an exciting field with many opportunities to provide solutions to the complex issues involved in human-wildlife interactions. In addition, WDM wildlife control operators (WCO) face a variety of threats to their physical well-being. Injuries can result from misused (Figure 1), faulty, or poorly maintained equipment, inexperience, mishandled wildlife, harsh weather, and dangerous situations, such as electrical lines. The goals of this publication are to: * Develop an awareness of safety issues and adopt a mindset of “Safety First”, * Review the major safety threats that WCOs face, * Provide basic information for WCOs to protect themselves, and * List resources for further information and training. Although no statistics are available for the WDM industry in particular, the authors are aware of several instances where WCOs have lost their lives or suffered serious injuries while performing WDM. While accidents do happen, most are preventable and occur due to hurried behavior, neglect of procedures, or lack of attention to the task at hand. The United States, Canada, and Mexico have agencies tasked with setting and enforcing standards to assure safe and healthful conditions for workers. The U.S. agency is the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). In Canada, it is the Labour Program, and in Mexico, the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare governs workplace requirements. Readers are encouraged to keep abreast of government safety regulations not only to follow the law, but also to maintain a safe working environment. Safety is an extremely broad and complex topic. The number and diversity of situations that pose safety risks to WCOs are numerous. This publication focuses specifically on safety risks to the WCOs’ physical wellbeing, such as injuries. Safety concerns pertaining to organizational design, worker supervision, disease, environmental or social catastrophes, or pesticides are beyond its scope. Work in WDM poses many safety risks to those involved. Awareness, planning, and deliberate action can eliminate or reduce many threats. As the industry continues to develop, WCOs must keep up with new threats and safety practices to maintain their well-being. Following safe work practices helps to ensure WCOs remain on-the-job and injury free

Wildlife Carcass Disposal

Many wildlife management situations require the disposal of animal carcasses. These can include the lethal removal of wildlife to resolve damage or conflicts, as well as clean-up after mortalities caused by vehicle collisions, disease, oil spills (Figure 1) or other natural disasters. Carcasses must be disposed of properly to protect public sensitivities, the environment, and public health. Improper disposal of carcasses can result in public outrage, site contamination, injury to animals and people, and the attraction of other animals that may lead to wildlife damage issues. Concern over ground water contamination and disease transmission from improper carcass disposal has resulted in increased regulation. Successful carcass disposal programs are cost-effective, environmentally sound, and protective of public health. In addition, disposal practices must demonstrate sensitivity to public perception while adhering to state and local guidelines. This publication discusses the range of options available for the responsible disposal of animal carcasses. Proper disposal of carcasses protects the sensitivities of the public, reduces the potential for the spread of zoonotic diseases, prevents nutrient losses to surrounding soils and ultimately, groundwater, and reduces human-wildlife conflicts. Failure to dispose of carcasses appropriately can cause unwanted media attention and public outrage. The overall goal of any animal carcass management plan is to ensure clean, safe disposal of all materials in a manner that protects human, animal, and environmental health

Information Resources for Animal Control and Wildlife Damage Management

A bumper sticker reads, “If you think education is expensive, you oughta try ignorance.” That statement could not be truer in regard to wildlife damage management. Being willing to learn is a critical attitude for everyone involved in wildlife damage management. Since wildlife damage management intersects so many other disciplines, no single person can be an expert in all of them. In addition, the arrival of an invasive species, changes in building practices (e.g., egress windows, ridge vents), or the implementation of new regulations can confound traditional practices and require new control methods. Thus, it is important to provide a resource that provides detailed, updated and accurate information. Since the publication of the 1994 Prevention and Control of Wildlife Damage handbook, there has been a remarkable increase in the volume and quality of information related to wildlife damage management. The rise of the digital age has empowered people to transmit their knowledge and ideas in writing, pictures, and video. A few decades ago, local, state, and federal government wildlife biologists were the primary practitioners of animal control and damage management. Private pest management firms involved in vertebrate animal problems were primarily limited to the control of urban birds and commensal rodents. This situation has changed substantially since the 1990s. The nuisance wildlife control industry has matured. The increased involvement of the private sector in wildlife control unleashed the creative forces of entrepreneurs in the development of new techniques and products. Until the mid-1980’s, most scientific information about wildlife damage management was scattered in articles in academic jounrals (e.g., Journal of Wildlife Management), “grey literature” (i.e., unpublished reports and conference proceedings), and government documents (i.e., U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Forest Service publications). Since then, wildlife damage management research has achieved greater prominence as demonstrated by the addition of new outlets and changes in publication policies. The emergence and rapid growth of the nuisance wildlife control industry has supported development of several trade magazines, association newsletters, listservs, bulletin boards, and numerous websites. A few decades ago, relevant research papers only numbered a few hundred a year, now computer search engines return thousands of hits, putting a premium on effective search strategies to obtain information. Digital copies of papers of are often available at no or nominal cost. The volume of information related to wildlife damage management is now enormous. In this publication, we have highlighted important works to supplement the sources found in the various publications of the Wildlife Damage Management Technical Series. In addition, we have focused on information resources that are easily obtained, used primarily for the North American audience, and published since 1994. Materials from journals and other publications with restricted access are mentioned only when we believe the utility of the information justifies the effort involved to obtain them. The numerous websites referenced were checked for current access during October 2019

Information Resources for Animal Control and Wildlife Damage Management

A bumper sticker reads, “If you think education is expensive, you oughta try ignorance.” That statement could not be truer in regard to wildlife damage management. Being willing to learn is a critical attitude for everyone involved in wildlife damage management. Since wildlife damage management intersects so many other disciplines, no single person can be an expert in all of them. In addition, the arrival of an invasive species, changes in building practices (e.g., egress windows, ridge vents), or the implementation of new regulations can confound traditional practices and require new control methods. Thus, it is important to provide a resource that provides detailed, updated and accurate information. Since the publication of the 1994 Prevention and Control of Wildlife Damage handbook, there has been a remarkable increase in the volume and quality of information related to wildlife damage management. The rise of the digital age has empowered people to transmit their knowledge and ideas in writing, pictures, and video. A few decades ago, local, state, and federal government wildlife biologists were the primary practitioners of animal control and damage management. Private pest management firms involved in vertebrate animal problems were primarily limited to the control of urban birds and commensal rodents. This situation has changed substantially since the 1990s. The nuisance wildlife control industry has matured. The increased involvement of the private sector in wildlife control unleashed the creative forces of entrepreneurs in the development of new techniques and products. Until the mid-1980’s, most scientific information about wildlife damage management was scattered in articles in academic jounrals (e.g., Journal of Wildlife Management), “grey literature” (i.e., unpublished reports and conference proceedings), and government documents (i.e., U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Forest Service publications). Since then, wildlife damage management research has achieved greater prominence as demonstrated by the addition of new outlets and changes in publication policies. The emergence and rapid growth of the nuisance wildlife control industry has supported development of several trade magazines, association newsletters, listservs, bulletin boards, and numerous websites. A few decades ago, relevant research papers only numbered a few hundred a year, now computer search engines return thousands of hits, putting a premium on effective search strategies to obtain information. Digital copies of papers of are often available at no or nominal cost. The volume of information related to wildlife damage management is now enormous. In this publication, we have highlighted important works to supplement the sources found in the various publications of the Wildlife Damage Management Technical Series. In addition, we have focused on information resources that are easily obtained, used primarily for the North American audience, and published since 1994. Materials from journals and other publications with restricted access are mentioned only when we believe the utility of the information justifies the effort involved to obtain them. The numerous websites referenced were checked for current access during October 2019

Free-ranging and Feral Cats

Domestic cats (Felis catus) are a common household pet in the United States, with an estimated 25.4% of households owning cats (American Veterinary Medical Association 2018). While an increasing number of cat owners keep their pet cats exclusively indoors, a portion of society maintains that domestic cats are entitled to a free-ranging lifestyle and may even consider unowned domestic cats to be wildlife. Although wildlife managers recognize the beliefs of many concerned stakeholders, including advocates who use strong emotional appeals on behalf of cats, it remains that free-ranging and feral domestic cats are an invasive species spread by humans (Lowe et al. 2000) (Figure 1). Free-ranging cats are associated with a number of sociological and ecological conflicts. They impact people directly through the spread of parasites and diseases, damage to gardens and property, and noise nuisances. Cats also cause conflict through their direct and indirect impacts on native wildlife through predation, competition, spread of disease, and impacts on species survival (e.g., nest failure, injury, behavioral changes). Removing free-ranging cats is the most effective strategy for addressing cat-caused damage. Such removals could include adoption, placement in a long-term holding facility (e.g., cat sanctuary), or euthanasia. Owned cats should be kept indoors or otherwise under their owner’s control. Up to 164 million cats reside in the United States, of which an estimated 30 to 80 million are unowned (Loss et al. 2013) (Figure 2). A large portion of owned cats are also free-ranging (Loss et al. 2013). The threat which free-ranging cats pose to native wildlife cannot be understated

Efficacy of Two Raccoon Eviction Fluids

According to surveys of wildlife control operators (WCO), problems with raccoons (Procyon lotor) consistently rank among the top complaints for property owners. Among the more serious behaviors of female raccoons is their propensity to invade human-occupied structures to raise young. Distressed property owners frequently respond using lethal means, either on their own or through hiring WCOs. Even if live-captured and legally released, the handling of raccoons may result in injuries and potentially cause females to abandon young. Eviction fluids, developed in the early 1990s, are designed to smell like a male raccoon and therefore cause a nursing raccoon to leave the den with her young. Wildlife control operators use eviction fluid primarily to evict a female and her young from an inaccessible location. Though the precise formulas are not disclosed by manufacturers, the fluids consist of the glands and urine of male raccoons coupled with a preservative. We evaluated the efficacy of 2 raccoon eviction fluids to evict female raccoons with young from chimneys. Though our sample size was small (n =15), we found that eviction fluids merit further investigation as a viable non-lethal repellent for raccoons in human-occupied structures

The National Wildlife Control Training Program

Although state wildlife agencies allow private individuals to perform wildlife control services, only 14 have meaningful and appropriate training requirements for licensing wildlife control operators (WCOs). We developed a training program called the National Wildlife Control Training Program (NWCTP) to cover the fundamental skills and knowledge required by WCOs. This article explains the development of the NWCTP, its content, and the opportunity it provides for states and federal agencies, private companies, and individuals to train WCOs