ANBI 375.3 Lecture 8: Lecture 8- 22
19 Jun 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
1. Carnivores and Animal Production
Benefits of Carnivores in Agro-Ecosystem
Keystone species are the drivers of eco. Function.
-Eat a lg. amount of rodents, pests, and ungulates – all have a widespread damage to crops
Recreation for hunters- valued by trappers as a source
Intrinsic value- enjoy seeing them in the wild
Conservation- flapgship species ie. Polar bears and climate change
Tourism- characteristic megafauna ie. Banff and all the tourists seeing a bear in the ditch
Risks & Impacts Of Carnivores
Livestock predation, harassment, and disturbance
Disease/parasite transmission to humans, pets, and livestock
Potential safety issue for people.
Carnivore Depredation: can often distinguish bte predators by the way they kill/feed on prey
-Coyotes often kill w/bit to throat
-Wolves often lunge & bite at flanks
-Black bear kills w/ bite on tope of the shoulder, neck, back
Can use tracks, scat or signs of a struggle.
Ie. Majority of claims made in Sask. Are directed toward coyotes. Followed by wolves, raven.
Carnivore-Human Conflict
Carnivores are wide-ranging: inc. encroachment of ag. Into wildlife habitat
Conflict usually occurs at the interface of public and private lands and managed wilderness areas and ag. Land
Mitigating livestock depredation by carnivores is a continual conservation challenge posed to gov.
EX. Alberta Depredation Case Study
-20 000 producers w/ 5.2 mill cattle in AB
-40% of beef from AB
-AB contributes $5.87 bill to national GDP & 62 000 jobs
-Avg. ann. Cost of livestock compensation $204 586
-Split btw hunting & fishing license revenues and the fed. Gov.
-Compensation based on the market value of the livestock species 2980 claims on 4427 animals in
AB btw 2000-2019
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
oWolves, cougars, Grizzly Bear, Black Bear – majority of livestock depredation
oCoyotes are not covered for compensation
-Hotspots of depredation occurred on private land bordering/close proximity to public land & where
the range of all 4 carnivore species overlaps
oCows: 80% predated; followed by sheep
-Compensation not linked to preventative husbandry
TAKE HOME MESSAGE:
oCarnivore use of private lands adjacent to public lands suggests that designated public lands
are not sufficiently lg. to meet the resource needs of wildlife pop. In the
province/encompass the entirety of home ranges for wide-ranging carnivores
o“Goals relating to compensation should be tied into broader carnivore management
objectives human carnivore interactions are a result of land use practices, prey density,
and habitat loss”
Wolves difficult to manage
Long term wildlife-human conflicts w/livestock depredation.
Perceived as aggressive/dangerous to humans.
Characteristic species of the N.
Intrinsic and spiritual value.
-Wolf Depredation
oFound a seasonal shift in wolf diets
Grazing season: livestock
Non-grazing season: wild prey (ungulates) and carcasses
oGrazing season
Cattle move freely thru/out pasture
At high densities
Little to no monitoring/human presence
Coincides w/wolf pup rearing- higher nutritional demands
-The bigger the farm, the more cattle and the longest distance the livestock are from the house are
impacted the MOST by depredation.
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Coyotes: inc. concerns about coyotes coming into farm yards
In N.A.: $75 mill/yr in depredation
In Sask. 21 000 coyote hunted/trapped for fur each yr. on avg. but the effort has declined
EX. Sask. Coyote Bounty
-Bounty on coyotes in winter of 2009/2010
-$20 for dead coyote= need all 4 paws
-71 000 coyotes killed in a period of 5 mon.
-Costs $1.5 mill.
WHY IT DIDN’ T WORK….
Short term: MAY reduce #; costly; labour intensive; push coytoes into new/vacant areas
Long term: inc. in reproduction (make up for what is happening to them-> more coyotes dying= more
coyotes will have lg. litters); less competition; uneffective
-Coyotes:
oRemoved predators that kept rodents & sm. Animal pop. In check
oProvince spent an extra $500 000 in rodent control
oNon-selective: killing individuals that were not causing landowners any issues (ended up
selecting for more elusive, more wary coyotes)
After bounty- didn’t know the effectiveness b/c no one knew how many coyotes were in Sask.
Bounties Today: in an attempt to decrease livestock depredation and predation on ungulates
-AB
Coyotes: $15 sponsored by the mun. gov. & local Fish & Game Ass.
Wolves: $75-$500 sponsored by mun. districts, Wild Sheep Foundation AB, Safari Club International, local
trapping ass.
Cougars: $4000 sponsored by Wild Sheep Foundation AB (2013-14)
Feral Boar: $50 sponsored by AB Ministry of Ag (2008-16)
-SK
Wolves: $250 sponsored by mun. gov. & the Cattleman’s Association (only in problem areas)
Sask. Crop Insurance Crop: provides 100% compensation to producers for death to eligible livestock, fowl, or
specialty animals by predators (NOT wildboar)
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Eat a lg. amount of rodents, pests, and ungulates all have a widespread damage to crops. Recreation for hunters- valued by trappers as a source. Intrinsic value- enjoy seeing them in the wild. Conservation- flapgship species ie. polar bears and climate change. Tourism- characteristic megafauna ie. banff and all the tourists seeing a bear in the ditch. Carnivore depredation: can often distinguish bte predators by the way they kill/feed on prey. Wolves often lunge & bite at flanks. Black bear kills w/ bite on tope of the shoulder, neck, back. Can use tracks, scat or signs of a struggle. Conflict usually occurs at the interface of public and private lands and managed wilderness areas and ag. Mitigating livestock depredation by carnivores is a continual conservation challenge posed to gov. 20 000 producers w/ 5. 2 mill cattle in ab. Ab contributes . 87 bill to national gdp & 62 000 jobs. Split btw hunting & fishing license revenues and the fed.
