United States Department of Agriculture
Managing Wildlife Damage: The Mission of APHIS' Wildlife Services Program Table of Contents
Wild animals are an important part of our environment, and for centuries they have served our needs in a number of ways. Historically, many species were used for food, clothing, or adornment. But in those earlier years, wildlife was seldom managed. Some species, such as the passenger pigeon, became extinct; and other species, like the bison and beaver, became seriously depleted. Today, wildlife continues to provide people with a variety of benefits. Wild animals contribute to our enjoyment of outdoor recreational activities such as camping, hiking, photography, and hunting. The knowledge that abundant wildlife exists is important for many people. Diverse wildlife species are major components of a healthy environment; beavers, for example, can create aquatic habitats beneficial to fish and waterfowl. Wildlife is receiving increased attention as people develop a broadened environmental consciousness. Wildlife is now recognized as having esthetic as well as practical value and is managed by the Federal and State Governments to ensure future abundance. In some instances, however, this abundance has led to conflicts between human and wildlife interests as the following examples illustrate.
Many people do not realize that everyone is adversely affected by the actions of wildlife at one time or another. Every consumer pays more for commodities when supplies are decreased or damaged by wildlife. However, the total value of the damage is extremely difficult to estimate on a national scale. According to a survey conducted by USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service, more than half of U.S. farmers experience economic loss from wildlife damage. Birds cause an estimated annual loss to U.S. agriculture of $100 million. During 1 year in Pennsylvania, white-tailed deer caused crop losses totalling $30 million. The annual total dollar loss in the United States from wildlife damage to agriculture is estimated to exceed $550 million.
Responsible Management of Wildlife Damage Maintaining a balance between human and wildlife needs requires sensitivity. In addressing the conflicts between wildlife and people, wildlife managers must thoughtfully consider not only the needs of those directly affected by wildlife damage but also a range of environmental, sociocultural, and economic factors. Wildlife is a valuable public resource. Federal and State Governments are responsible for maintaining healthy, stable wildlife populations. Accordingly, when wildlife causes damage, government has an obligation to control that damage. Wildlife damage-control responsibilities and authorities fall to different agencies depending on the species, type of problem, and location. The U.S. Department of the Interior's Fish and Wildlife Service has primary responsibility for managing migratory birds and federally listed threatened and endangered species. State wildlife management agencies have primary authority for the management of nonmigratory birds and all other species of wildlife not federally listed as threatened or endangered. Legislation mandates that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) provide assistance upon request of State Governments, private individuals, and other Federal agencies to control and prevent damage and disease caused or carried by wildlife. Cooperative agreements provide for the management of various species, including management for the purpose of controlling damage caused by wildlife.
Wildlife Services (WS), a unit of USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), assists in solving problems that are created when species of wildlife cause damage to agriculture. WS personnel also assist with wildlife problems involving urban or natural resources as well as threats to human health and safety. WS is committed to the well-being of the environment and wildlife and acts as a protective buffer between wildlife and people. Failure to provide solutions to wildlife damage sometimes leads angry individuals to take actions that are ecologically and biologically damaging. Professional wildlife biologists and technicians employed by APHIS' WS program can sometimes prevent such unwise reactions. By providing a biologically sound, economically efficient response coupled with education to individuals experiencing damage, WS benefits individuals, the public, wildlife, and the environment. WS is a Federal cooperative program that responds to requests by persons and agencies needing help in controlling wildlife damage. Its field operations are conducted in accordance with all Federal and State guidelines and in cooperation with wildlife management professionals from Federal and/or State agencies. In all instances, WS programs are conducted to ensure no negative impact on wildlife populations. WS helps reduce wildlife damage to
Most of WS's efforts are conducted on private land, but work is done on some public lands as well (less than 10 percent of federally owned land). Cost sharing is an integral component of the WS program. Supervised primarily by WS personnel, most field activities are funded in part by Federal, State, or local agencies; industry groups; or individuals requesting wildlife damage-control assistance. When requested, WS provides help through technical assistance and direct control. Technical Assistance Technical assistance involves providing advice, recommendations, information, or materials for use in managing wildlife damage problems and helping threatened and endangered species to thrive. WS employees also help identify the responsible wildlife species and determine the extent of the damage. WS may provide recommendations concerning habitat modification, cultural practices to reduce the likelihood of wildlife damage, behavior modification of the troublesome wildlife species, or ways to reduce specific wildlife populations to control the amount of damage they cause. WS personnel may suggest lethal or nonlethal techniques to resolve wildlife damage problems. Such assistance always takes into account environmental factors and relevant laws and regulations. WS sometimes recommends that regulatory agencies issue permits to allow resource owners to deal with wildlife problems. Direct Control Some problems caused by wildlife species are too complex or difficult for any one individual, group, or agency to solve. For example, dealing with thousands of birds roosting in an urban neighborhood is beyond the capabilities of most individuals. Likewise, capturing coyotes, bears, mountain lions, or other large animals that are preying on livestock usually requires specialized equipment and skills. In these instances, WS provides field personnel to help whoever is experiencing the problem. Direct control is usually provided when the resource owner's efforts, such as habitat modification or husbandry practices, have proven ineffective and technical assistance alone is inadequate. WS staff consider practical methods for resolving wildlife damage problems and take action by implementing the most strategically appropriate measures.
Whether or not a particular action is appropriate or practical depends on a variety of factors, including the species causing damage, the type of damage and its geographic location, and laws and regulations. In general, three types of actions can be considered for resolving instances of animals damaging a resource. One approach is to move the resource away from the animal causing damage. Moving sheep out of a pasture to reduce the likelihood of predation by coyotes or moving beehives to an area away from marauding black bears are examples of this approach. A second possibility is to exclude an animal from the resource. Using scare tactics to keep birds away from crops or electric fencing to keep predators away from livestock are examples of this technique. The third possibility is to relocate or remove the animal causing the problem. Snaring and removing a bear from a sheep allotment or trapping a coyote that has been killing calves are examples of this approach. Often, the most effective strategy to resolve wildlife damage problems is to integrate the use of several methods or approaches, either all at once or in turn. This is known as integrated pest management (IPM). WS uses and recommends IPM to reduce damage by wildlife while minimizing any harmful effects of the control measures on humans, nontarget wildlife, domestic livestock, and the environment. IPM may incorporate husbandry techniques like shed lambing, modifying habitat (e.g., removing bird roosting cover adjacent to crops), or using trapping, snaring, or shooting methods. WS personnel use and recommend the best methods available, but some of the methods currently used in wildlife damage control are not new. For example, cage and leghold traps have been used for hundreds of years. They continue to be important in wildlife management for situations where no other alternative is available. Leghold traps can be modified with padded or offset closures to make them more humane for target animals and to facilitate the release of nontarget animals back to the wild with little or no injury. In selecting control techniques for specific damage situations, WS professionals consider the species responsible for the damage; the magnitude, geographic extent, duration, and frequency of the resource loss; and the likelihood of the conflict's being repeated. In choosing a control technique, WS specialists consider the biological and legal status of the target species and potential nontarget species, local environmental conditions and possible environmental impacts, and the practicality of available control options. The WS program does not exterminate native wildlife species because such efforts are contrary to WS policy, are biologically unwise and impractical, and are often illegal. APHIS spends millions of dollars each year on research to develop and improve techniques for reducing wildlife damage. Most of this research is conducted by APHIS scientists at the National Wildlife Research Center, which is headquartered in Ft. Collins, CO, with 9 field stations throughout the United States. Major research activities include developing data to support Environmental Protection Agency registrations for pesticides and materials used to control vertebrates; developing nonchemical control techniques; evaluating the effectiveness and safety of new and existing control methods; studying the biology and behavior of wildlife species that cause damage; assessing wildlife damage; and providing scientific information on wildlife damage management to the WS program, other governmental agencies, and the public.
The efforts of APHIS' WS program often result in higher economic returns to those producing livestock or other products. For example,
Resources protected from wildlife damage benefit the public in the form of lower consumer costs and the continued availability of a range of commodities. An effective animal damage control program makes it possible to use fewer acres to produce sufficient food resources for the Nation. This also allows for reduced use of fossil fuels, fertilizers, and pesticides. An environmental impact statement (EIS), written in accordance with the procedures established by the National Environmental Policy Act, indicated that the WS program has no nationally significant adverse impact on wildlife species diversity or abundance. Furthermore, the EIS indicated that the program provides substantial benefits to certain threatened and endangered species, has a positive impact on protecting selected natural resources, and promotes the maintenance of human health and safety.
For further information about WS, contact your State's office of USDA, APHIS, WS, or write to, USDA, APHIS, WS, 4700 River Road, Unit 87, Riverdale, MD 207371234.
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