Deer hunters may shoot feral hogs (New Jersey) Exotic species threaten Texas horned lizard Several servals on the loose (PA, GA, WA, MI, MO, IL) Brown tree snake causes printer paper jam Guam ravaged by variety of invasive species: brown tree snake, rhinoceros beetle, salamander (Eurycea sp.) and a garter snake (Thamnophis sp.) Humans stand up for themselves during bear attacks: Eagle River, Alaska, Cooper Landing, Alaska, & Logan, Utah. The invasive monk parakeet is causing problems in Edgewater, NJ. Starlings in Indianapolis & the Vatica

Caudell, Joe N.

English

UNL | Libraries

University of Nebraska - Lincoln 
DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln 
Human–Wildlife Interactions Wildlife Damage Management, Internet Center for 
Spring 2009 
In the News 
Joe N. Caudell 
Purdue University 
Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/hwi 
 Part of the Environmental Health and Protection Commons 
Caudell, Joe N., "In the News" (2009). Human–Wildlife Interactions. 33. 
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/hwi/33 
This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Wildlife Damage Management, Internet Center for at 
DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Human–Wildlife Interactions 
by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. 
Human–Wildlife Confl icts 3(1):3–5, Spring 2009 3
In the News
JOE N. CAUDELL, USDA/APHIS/Wildlife Services, 901 W. State Street, Purdue University, West 
Lafayette, IN 47907-2089, USA
Deer hunters may shoot feral hogs
The Daily Journal of New Jersey reported in 
early December 2008 that for the fi rst time in 
Glouester County, New Jersey, deer hunters 
will be able to shoot feral hogs that have been 
causing damage in that county. The hogs cause 
damage to crops and fi elds, compete with 
wildlife for food, and destroy wildlife habitat. 
The New Jersey Division of Environmental 
Protection is att empting to eradicate feral hogs 
before they become a more serious problem. 
Hunters must bring their feral hog kills into 
check stations where they will be sampled for 
swine-borne diseases. 
Exotic species threaten Texas 
horned lizard 
An Associated Press story appearing in the 
New York Times reported on the plight of the 
horned lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum) in Texas. 
The decline of the reptile population in Texas, 
where it is traditionally known as a horned 
toad, is thought to be largely due to invasive 
species. Fire ants, for example, displace native 
ants that are an important food source for 
the horned lizard. Additionally, other exotic 
insects, wildlife, and plant species are altering 
the horned lizard’s habitat, making it less 
att ractive. The article stated that the economic 
cost of invasive species in general is about $137 
billion per year in the United States.
Several servals on the loose
Exotic species of wildlife kept as pets 
can become problems when they escape or 
are released into the wild. The Sentinel of 
Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, reported 
that a farmer near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 
recently killed a serval (Leptailurus serval), a 
small cat from Africa resembling a cheetah 
(Acinonyx jubatus). The serval had been 
killing the farmer’s chickens. A Montgomery 
County, Pennsylvania, conservation offi  cer 
began an investigation to locate the owner of 
the predator, so far without success. Several 
servals have been captured or killed recently 
in other parts of the United States, including 
Atlanta, Georgia; Seatt le, Washington; Batt le 
Creek, Michigan; and Kansas City, Missouri. 
Authorities also seized a serval from a woman 
in Illinois and another one that escaped from a 
wildlife sanctuary in Muskegon, Michigan. In 
both instances, the servals were a wildlife gift . 
More than a routine paper jam
In December, the Gold Coast Bulletin (Australia) 
reported that a New South Wales couple was 
having problems with a computer printer. 
Opening the machine to check on the cause of 
the paper jam, the couple found a meter-long 
brown tree snake (Bioga irrogularis) curled up 
inside. Brown tree snakes are native to Australia 
and are relatively innocuous. But in Guam, 
where they are an invasive species, brown tree 
snakes are a source of great consternation for 
the residents, birds, and biologists alike. The 
snakes have caused native species there to go 
extinct, impacted tourism, caused damage to 
power grids, and caused the government to 
expend its resources in an att empt to eradicate 
them and stop their spread to other Pacifi c 
Islands. 
Guam ravaged by variety of 
invasive species
The Pacifi c Daily News in Guam reported that 
the government must adequately fund agencies 
to halt the introduction and spread of invasive 
species. The ecology on Guam has been ravaged 
for years by a number of invasive species, the 
Brown tree snake in the wild. (Photo courtesy U.S. 
Geological Survey)
4 Human–Wildlife Confl icts 3(1)
Grizzly bear. (Photo by 
Corel, used with permis-
sion)
brown tree snake (Bioga irrogularis) being the 
most famous (see related article). The brown tree 
snake’s population has long been supported by 
an introduced lizard that has allowed each new 
crop of brown tree snake to survive to adulthood. 
However, there are a plethora of other invasive 
species on the island including insects, plants, 
and other wildlife. 
One of the lesser-known, recent additions to the 
list of invasive species in Guam is the rhinoceros 
beetle (Oryctes rhinoceros), aka rhino beetle and 
coconut rhinoceros beetle. This insect bores 
into palm trees to eat the sap and reproduce, 
eventually killing the tree. A University of Guam 
entomologist said that half of the islands palm 
trees may be 
wiped out 
in the next 5 
years. One 
offi  cial noted 
that the palm 
tree is the “tree of life” for Guam. Authorities 
have called a state of emergency on the island to 
try to secure funds to eradicate the insect. But, so 
far, the beetle is winning the war. 
Recently, 2 additional species, a salamander 
(Eurycea sp.) and a garter snake (Thamnophis 
sp.), were discovered in an imported Christmas 
tree. It is still too early to tell what their impact 
will be. The Pacifi c Daily News reported that full 
governmental support to the proper agencies is 
critical to stop the spread of invasive species.
Humans stand up for themselves 
during bear attacks 
When a bear (Ursus spp.) suddenly rushed 
Devon Reese and knocked him to the ground 
about 50 yards from his home early 1 morning 
near Eagle River, Alaska, he fought back.  Rees 
was walking home in the dark in August 2008 
and took a short cut 
through Chugach 
State Park adjacent to 
his home when the 
bear att acked. Wildlife 
offi  cials said he must 
have startled the bear, 
which swatt ed, clawed, 
and bit its victim. But 
Rees did not give up.  
“I wasn’t going to lay 
down and take it,” Rees 
said, according to an Associated Press report. 
The 18-year-old Rees started punching the bear 
in the head and kicking it.  Then, suddenly the 
bear let go and returned to the forest.  Aft er being 
treated at an Anchorage hospital and released, 
Rees returned home safely.
In another incident earlier in the summer, a 
bystander came to the rescue of a woman who 
was att acked by a bear at Cooper Landing, 
Alaska.  The 21-year-old woman, Abigail Sisk, of 
Logan, Utah, was returning from a walk near the 
resort lodge where she worked. She was about 
15 yards from the lodge when the bear att acked 
her, according to a report in the Herald Journal of 
Logan.
A bystander, identifi ed as Robert Van Zant, 
heard the woman’s screams as the 8-foot-
tall grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) stood over her, 
mauling her. Van Zant rushed toward the bear 
screaming and waving his arms and managed 
to scare the animal off .  Sisk was treated for her 
wounds and returned home to recover.
Wildlife offi  cials have mixed opinions about 
how to respond when a predator att acks (Brown 
and Conover 2008). In these instances, fi ghting 
back seemed to work. 
Monk parakeets: bane or good for 
business?
The invasive monk 
parakeet (Myiopsitt a 
monachus) is causing 
problems in Edgewater, 
New Jersey. There are 
an estimated 200 to 
230 monk parakeets in 
Edgewater, up from 
about 190 birds in 
the past 3 years. The 
parakeets pose a threat to 
native species, damage 
agricultural crops, and their habit of nesting in 
electrical transformers has made them a menace 
in some quarters. The Public Service Electric and 
Gas Company (PSE&G) cracked down on the 
birds by tearing down their nests, even during 
the breeding season. PSE&G maintained that 
the nests were a potential fi re hazard. Any fi ght 
to remove the colorful birds, however, will be a 
tough batt le. 
The New York Times reported that Edgewater’s 
residents and business owners are working to 
Monk parakeet. (Photo 
courtesy Stephen 
Pruett-Jones)
Rhinoceros beetle.
5In the News • Caudell
protect the parakeet, stating that “they give the 
community its fl avor.” Residents care for injured 
parakeets and defend the birds’ honor from 
detractors who may not like the screeching noise 
they make or who call them a nuisance. A local 
restaurant owner, George Prift i, for example, 
keeps a careful eye on the parrots. “People love 
the parrots,” he said. “I love them.” On weekends 
his customers like to watch the birds from the 
restaurant, and some customers take pictures of 
them. “It’s something positive,” he said. “The 
birds are good for business.” 
Recently, PSE&G and parakeet advocates have 
reached a truce; the utility company has agreed 
not to knock down nests during the breeding 
season. Because of the birds’ popularity, 
legislation is pending in the New Jersey Senate 
to remove them from the state’s list of potentially 
dangerous species. 
What do Indianapolis and the 
Vatican have in common?
The answer is starlings (Sturnus vulgaris). 
Reuters news agency reported that starlings 
plague the Vatican, causing damage and being 
a nuisance to residents and tourists alike. The 
feces from starlings covers many of the Vatican’s 
historic buildings and statues. The population 
of starlings can reach >5 million, incurring costs 
of >$150,000 annually in wildlife management 
and clean-up charges. Meanwhile, Channel 
13 Eyewitness News  of Indianapolis, Indiana, 
reported in October that the annual war with the 
starlings had begun. Both cities are aggressively 
meeting the challenge. Thirteen years ago, 
Starlings fl ying at dusk in front of Chase Tower in 
downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo courtesy 
USDA Wildlife Services)
Rome’s leaders decided that the best course of 
action was not to kill the birds, but rather to 
harass them. To address the problem, the League 
for Protection of Birds was hired to harass the 
starlings in Rome and around the Vatican. 
The group uses loudspeakers to broadcast 
recorded starling distress calls and other calls 
directed toward the birds at their roost each 
night. Similarly, in the United States, a group 
of concerned business owners has contracted 
with USDA/APHIS/Wildlife Services to harass 
starlings in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. 
A combination of pyrotechnics and lasers are 
used to scare birds from their winter perch. The 
project to scare off  the birds costs downtown 
businesses approximately $160,000 annually. In 
both cities, as long as the harassment is kept up, 
the problem appears to be contained.
Literature cited
Brown, D., and M. R. Conover. 2008. How people 
should respond when encountering a large car-
nivore: opinions of wildlife professionals. Hu-
man–Wildlife Confl icts 2:194–199.
Information from In the News can be cited as: 
Caudell, J. N. 2009. In the news. Human–Wildlife 
Confl icts 3:3–5.
Two monk parakeets hang out at their nest site in 
an electrical array. (Photo courtesy Stephen Pruett-
Jones)


In the News

https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1032&context=hwi

In the News

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

UNL | Libraries