Predator Damage

What are the primary causes of human-wildlife conflict?

1. Human population growth and expansion

2. Overabundance of some wildlife populations

3. Feeding wildlife

4. Pet foods, garbage, etc. available for wildlife (anthropogenic subsidies)

5. Planting inappropriate crops, trees, shrubs, etc. that are desirable to wildlife

6. Inappropriate building materials

What are the types of wildlife-human conflicts?

1. Human and domestic animal health and safety risks

2. Economic costs

3. Ecological consequences Damage may fall into more than one type of conflict category!

Conflicts with vertebrates:

most often associated with feeding behaviors, occasionally associated with denning, nesting, roosting, behaviors, as well as suppression of disease, human protection, concern for endangered species, and game animal protection

Predation-related conflicts:

affects stakeholder well-being, safety (children, pets) (even if actual risk of attack is minimal), affects stakeholders economically

Most common animal-related fatalities

farm animals (cows, horses and pigs) and dogs

Most common wild animal-related fatalities

wasps & bees

What animal kills the most humans?

Mosquitoes kill more humans than any other animal

What animals are the most dangerous?

The most dangerous animals are the ones we are around most of the time

National Agriculture Statistics Service (NASS) 2010 report* conducted by Cornell University

1. $20.5 million in sheep and lamb damages associated with predators in 2009

2. 39% of sheep mortalities attributed to predators, of predator-caused mortalities, 60.7% coyotes

3. 32.5% goat and kid mortalities attributed to predators in 2009

Differentiation of predator behaviors

1. Scavenging

2. Killing

Ways to identify carnivore predation

1. Direct observation

2. External physical injury and hemorrhage

3. Subcutaneous hemorrhage and tooth punctures

4. Damage to skin and other soft tissues

5. Damage to skull and other bones

6. Position and distribution of the carcass

Identifying indirect evidence of carnivore predation

1. Blood on soil and vegetation

2. Carnivore tracks, scat, territorial marks near carcass

3. Carnivores observed in the area

4. Disappearance of young or small livestock

5. Unusual livestock behavior (Heightened vigilance, defensiveness, herding, calling)

Identifying species responsible for predation

1. Types of wounds

2. Location of wounds

3. Size and distance between canine puncture wounds

4. Extent of injuries

5. Location of feeding'

6. Amount of prey consumed

7. Prey skinned, dragged, or cached

Identifying species responsible for predation: tracks

1. Tracks and marks near kill

2. Size, shape, presence of nail marks

3. Length of stride and pattern of travel

4. Type of scratch marks

Coyote predation (large prey)

1. Bites and blood on throat, foam in trachea

2. Subcutaneous hemorrhaging

3. Blood on ground

4. Spacing between canine punctures: Uppers = 1 1/8 – 1 3/8”; Lowers = 1 – 1 1/4” (Bergman et al. 2010)

5. Usually begin feeding on flank behind ribs and on liver, heart, lungs, and mesenteric fat

6. Attack calves/lambs with bites on or consumption of nose, sides, and hindquarters

7. Pieces of carcass scattered and cached

Mountain Lion Predation

1. Bites on back of neck, cause massive hemorrhaging near base of skull

2. Large canine punctures: Uppers: 1 ¾ - 2”; Lowers: 1 – 1 ¾” apart

3. Claw marks on head, neck, shoulders, flank

4. Carcass eviscerated, feed on lungs, heart, liver and large leg muscles; pull out intestines

5. May cache or cover prey

6. May drag prey to covered area under low-hanging tree

Bear predation

1. Bites on dorsal side of neck, occasional severe damage to neck area

2. Large amount of trauma from crushing blows

3. Large claw marks on neck, back shoulders of prey

4. Usually consume udder or flank first

5. Remove intestines intact

6. Carcass often skinned with hide intact

7. Small prey almost entirely eaten

8. Prey often dragged to cover, sometimes cached

Eagle predation

1. Talon punctures on head and body

2. Internal hemorrhage from talon punctures

3. Carcass often skinned out and viscera eaten first

4. Sometimes open skull to eat brain

5. White-streaked feces present

6. Fur/wool may be scattered

7. Ribs neatly removed, clipped near spine on young animals

8. Leg bones removed from skin

Control solutions for carnivore predation (especially canid predators)

1. Altering husbandry practices (time of lambing, confinement, lighting)

2. Proper disposal of livestock carcasses

3. Age/size of pastured livestock; size/habitat of pasture

4. Guard animals – dogs, llamas

5. Fladry, hazing

6. Range riding

7. Lethal control

Problems with control solutions:

1. Expensive facilities to build and house animals

2. Disease/parasite spread with confinement and postponed pasturing

3. More artificial feed with postponed pasturing

4. Changes in timing may miss important spring forage

5. Range riding is time consuming

6. Predators become habituated to fladry, hazing devices