Coyotes have little impact on United States sheep-farm fortunes, according to a new conservation study. The report argues against long-running predator-killing programs managed by federal and local governments as well as by private livestock associations. Photograph courtesy USFWS
Coyote-Kill Programs Don't Protect U.S. Farms, Study Finds
Nicholas Bakalar for National Geographic News
March 28, 2006
Predator-control programs are very effective at killing coyotes, but they do little to help the United States sheep farmers they are designed to protect, according to a new study.
Black bears, grizzly bears, mountain lions, bobcats, and wolves have been effectively removed from most U.S. farming areas, leaving coyotes as the top livestock predators.
(Related news: "Are Coyotes Becoming More Aggressive?")
To protect sheep from coyotes, U.S. federal, state, and local governments—along with private livestock associations—have killed about 80,000 coyotes a year in recent decades, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
But these efforts have not prevented a dramatic decline in domestic sheep populations—and the sheep industry—over the past 60 years, according to a report in the March issue of Conservation Biology. ..............
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Oh, this is an issue about which I am passionate, Rose. Thanks for posting. I have read studies in the past that show that the killing program has actually increased the population in parts ... through unnatural selection ... the weak, the unwary, a taken out of the gene pool ... I dunno ... but in any event it does not reduce the population ... I will read this ... I pretty much read anything out there on coyotes ... there's a book by a rancher called Don Coyote which I got out of the library, haven't searched to see if there's a copy available at amazon ... it's by a rancher who befriends a particular coyote, who loves coyotes and who knows that they are not a threat to his livelihood .,. he becomes something of a pariah with other ranchers because of this position ,.. but doesn't give a shit ,... it's a beautiful little book ... I know you speak of "familiars" ... the coyote, well, not sure if the coyote is my familiar, but the coyote is one of my guiding spirits ... I have so much respect for a creature that has made it depsite being the subject of a federal extermination plan .... I researched coyote bites a couple years back to debunk a claim by a guy who should have known better who was spreading unnecessary fear (and therefore unnecessary loathing leading to unnecessary murder) about the danger of coyote bites .... didja know that statistically speaking, your about 10,000 more times likely to be bitten by a human (talking about unwanted and possibly vicious bites here) ... I wore a coyote eye on my necklace (a glass one) until not too long ago, when I gave it to my son ... such beautiful animals ... it's kinda like gay marriage ... people get their shit stirred up when there is no danger to them ... thanks again for this post ... also, hey morons, ever hear of a sheepdog (not necessarily the breed) ...
And another issue, coyote related, is what we are doing to them in the desert here. We keep encroaching on their land, building our McMansions. They don't have many places to go and in times of drought (which we are always in here in Phoenix) they come down from the mountains into our neighborhoods. I feel so irresponsible when I see this. This is where they used to be free and now they are hunted because they are in our space...
roxy we have them too in connecticut and not just in rural areas. i remember the very first time i saw one in the town where i used to work. i went NUTS. i thought it was one of the coolest things i had ever seen. i was in my car and pulled over to the side of the road and called everyone i could think of to tell them what i had just seen. each and every one of them accused me of being drunk. when the story appeared in the hartford courant two days later (many many sightings) i got a few apologies......
ben, i KNOW this is a subject near and dear to your heart. me too. a little while ago i posted on a wolf kill in alaska the state of connecticut had a hand in trying to stop (it worked for a while, but now the hunt is back on). hell you didn't have to tell me about researching the coyote vs human bites. i KNEW the answer. damn everyone should have KNOWN the answer. what an asswipe that guy was.i'll look for the book you mentioned too. and of course i think giving your child your necklace was a wicked cool thing to do. (smiling here)
If humans weren't such greedy sorts, there would be enough room for the wild and the rest. Sadly when it comes to animals many people see no value in their lives or existance. Of course I see no value in those people's lives or existance.
it is our nature to be greedy. some more than others. some (like mr shock) SHARE their lives and lands with those that really belong there
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