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Landowners advised to 'appreciate' their predators |
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By JULIET BRISKIN | Central Texas Edition |
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April 18, 2002 -- Appreciating and understanding predators was the theme during the predator awareness workshop in Lampasas on April 11. The day-long workshop focused on interpreting physical evidence of predators, predator biology, the roll of predators in the ecosystem and control options. Ken Clearley, wildlife Extension specialist from San Angelo, discussed appreciating predators and what that means. According to Clearley what he means by 'appreciating' is recognizing the significance, nature or quality of predators. "The primary need for this meeting is to grasp the nature of predators," he said. "Awareness and knowledge is our goal. To be able to truly understand, manage and control predators it is important to know their ecology and biology." According to Clearley it is important to identify pests, know their population trends and identify the trouble spots. "Texas Wildlife Management Service has a position on their team called Troubleshooter," said Clearly "He is the person that can address those trouble spots with respect to predators." It is also important to recognize that an economic threshold exists, explained Clearly. "How much is your crop worth?" he asked. "There is a threshold there somewhere where it probably won't pay for you to control predators because it costs too much to do that. But on the other side of that threshold it makes perfect sense to control predators." Clearly explained that the threshold, whether talking about livestock or wildlife, is the point where the level of damage incurred is significant enough to justify the cost of control practices. "When the damage is as least as much or more than the cost to control predators," he said. "Just recognizing that the threshold exists is very important." Clearley explained that it is necessary to consider all the options, lethal and nonlethal, when developing a control plan. "Hopefully you will consider an integrated approach. In other words you will take into account all the different options you have available and choose from that list, what fits your situation," he stated. Predator management has evolved over the years explained Clearley. In the past the target animal was wiped out. "With this there was some collateral damage where we didn't intend," he said. "Things have changed. We have had to become more selective and instead of saturating the entire countryside we can now take out just the offending culprit." Public relations is another aspect to consider in predator management. "It is no longer a good idea to hang coyotes from fences. This can only hurt us from a public relations stand point," he said. "Public opinion on predator management is something we really need to listen to." The most common predators landowners are dealing with are coyotes, red foxes, bobcats and feral hogs. Understanding their biology and recognizing the signs of these animals will help to create a management plan that is successful, explained Clearly. According to an Extension film, adult coyote males tip the scales at around 30 pounds and are most active at night and during twilight hours. They can run up to 40 miles per hour and have good eyesight and a keen sense of smell. Coyotes rarely travel in packs and are extremely solitary animals that can roam a home territory of up to 20 square miles. The film also stated that coyotes are highly opportunistic and individual diets are dictated by the seasonal availability of different foods. Red foxes are another common predator. According to Ted Pepps, wildlife biologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Management Service, they are the most common fox found throughout the world. "Red foxes, like coyotes, are opportunistic feeders," he said. "They are omnivores and will eat berries, fruits, insects, mice, lambs, kids and even adult sheep and goats." The ability to read the landscape and interpret signs is essential to assessing predator presence and population trends. A landowner should be able to recognize such things as tracks, feces, fur that has been left behind and damage to property as a sign of each different predator. J.E. Loven, district supervisor with the USDA Wildlife Services, discussed the roll of his office and how their services benefit landowners. "We do everything from beaver control to airport inspections for bird strikes," he said. "Generally now anytime there is a problem animal, unless it is a regulated game animal, it falls under our jurisdiction." According to Loven the most damaging animal in the U.S. and in Texas is the beaver. "They put the coyotes, hogs and the birds and everything else in the shade when it comes to monetary damages," said Loven. "They are the number one damaging animal." |
